jedscott

The statistics are stark for book lovers – the number of Americans who didn’t read a book in an entire year rose from 8% n 1978 to 23% in 2014. Part of that is the constant barrage of media. Part of it is our current cultural distain for learning. And […]

“Why do we learn cursive?” That was the question we heard at dinner the other night. Third grade includes a big emphasis on penmanship and the first look at cursive.  My son has long been intrigued by cursive, but found the work on it challenging and didn’t know why he […]

Part of the summer “vacation” is the act of refueling yourself. Read a book, spend an afternoon on the beach, go to art festivals, visit family. This refueling isn’t just for you – it’s for your students. You’re rebuilding capacity that you have depleted all year. Refueling gives you extra […]

In the May, 2015 issue of the ACDA Choral Journal, leading choral educator Ann Howard Jones gave an extended interview – a sort of valedictory on the occasion of her retirement from Boston University. Here’s one of my favorite quotes from the interview: One needs to surround oneself with exceptional […]

The high school students I work with are as busy as most adults – and some are busier. Dance class, theater club, varsity sport, voice lesson, a job, SAT tutoring, youth group, and on and on. Not forgetting the homework! It’s a very, very full life. That’s why now is […]

A month from right now, I’ll be sitting at a table with Alice Parker, studying scores, singing, and talking music. Over nearly seven decades of writing, Alice has developed a clear and compelling perspective in her music. She is a champion of counterpoint – in the pre-Baroque way of thinking […]

You have lived and breathed your teaching job for the last 9 months. On most days, the first thought you had when you woke before 6 was about a student. On most days, you were thinking about students until the moment you fell asleep. You organized, volunteered, planned in every […]

At the stage door of Kinky Boots last night, we visited with a performer who studied with Mandy two summers at Interlochen All-State. She’s in the ensemble and understudies the lead female roles. She reminisced about picking music theatre songs instead of art songs in her voice lessons. She talked […]

Success at Festival is momentary; if you aren’t enjoying the days, weeks, and months leading to it, then you need to change how you view it. Choir Festivals are over – you went home with ratings perfect or developing. How long was the joy or disappointment present in your mind? […]

Today I’m happy to share a guest blog from a wonderful Chicago-based musician, James Abud. James is a deep thinker and a profoundly funny (or is it comically profound) performer. The other day he posted on Facebook a brief comment on the difference between modesty and humility, and I asked […]