arrange • compose • conduct
How do you reconcile your knowledge of how long a project will take with others’ estimates? For me, it’s knowing you’re going to need one extra day – and secretly building it in. The more projects you work on, the more you are able to plan effectively, and a big […]
Should you “speed run” your teaching? If not, what’s the alternative? I asked my kids, what is the opposite of a “speed run” – the method of playing a game as fast as possible. (For example, the record speed run for Super Mario Bros. is under 5 minutes.) But some […]
How do you define the First Day of School? It seems silly on the surface – the First Day of School is, you know, the first day of school. But listen: our first school day is next Monday. My first day with students, making music, will be today, when we […]
Temporary productivity paralysis is a normal part of the project process. There is a moment – usually about 80-90% of the way through the process, for me – when I feel completely incapable of finishing a project. It’s never easier to get distracted from my project than in that moment […]
I spent the morning singing backup for our brand-new Superintendent of Rockford Public Schools, Dr. Steve Matthews. Dr. Matthews is not a professional singer, but he’s a visionary leader and passionate believe in education. He wanted to introduce himself to 1,000+ staff in a powerful way, and enlisted Mandy and […]
I could write volumes about what I have learned spending time talking music with Alice Parker. Actually, I hope someday to do just that. But what struck me most on my most recent visit, when we set aside an hour or two every day for little musical projects, is her […]
My purpose is not your purpose…and that’s ok! My dad co-owned a sailboat when I was growing up, for the simple reason that he loved to sail. He registered for sailboat races for the whole summer – Saturday races and a Wednesday night race. We raced against hardcore races, competitive […]
The last 20 years of educational shift has been to increase focus, spending, and requirements around STEM learning and decrease focus, spending, and even requirements around the humanities. Which team are you on? Team STEM or Team Humanities? For me, it’s a no-brainer. I believe that humanities increase empathy, enhance […]
Any break comes with an “Oh, yeah!” moment at the end of it. The rhythms of my work life are such that breaks occur. I might not use Pro Tools for several months, or Dorico for a few weeks. (I hope it’s a long time before I am working in […]
It’s a question I get so often from guests, especially friends of my kids. “Do you, like, always have music playing? Well, yes. (And even when there’s no music playing, there’s music playing…in my head.) It’s always enlightening to learn the ways in which you’re not normal – clearly we’re […]