jedscott

I’m getting ready for the Steve Zegree Memorial Celebration being held today at Miller Auditorium in Kalamazoo. I’ve tried unsuccessfully to write the story of his influence on my life – it’ll come someday – but in the meantime I thought some numbers would be appropriate. Given his love for […]

Why is it a good idea to build (and keep track of) a streak? It’s for the days when you don’t feel like doing the work. Every hash mark in your streak is like a pound weight on one side of a scale. Get up to a couple hundred pounds, […]

Becoming a magician is about developing skills. Concrete skills like palming, misdirection, forcing cards. All take deliberate practice and slow repetition. But there’s another aspect that we overlook. A good magician can see what he’s doing from the audience’s perspective. It’s only by knowing what they are seeing that she can position […]

Tonight is the Rockford Choirs’ Farewell Concert. For me, it’s a good time to reflect on the students saying goodbye. Have I served them? Are they walking away musically, intellectually, spiritually richer for having been in my choir? It’s easy to focus on the “stars” – the ones heading off […]

I’ve started training for a half-marathon later this summer. There are lots of things in life you can cram for: math tests, presentations at work, 16-bar solos for an audition. The things I care about, though, can’t be mastered in a day. Being a great parent. Making music with an […]

It’s hard to go against the current in society. It’s hard to listen to your heart and go in the direction you truly believe is best. Modern American society is great at discouraging individuals from being different. Cultural reinforcement of the norm has never been more pervasive. It’s ironic when […]

When you’re competent, you get asked to do things. What a flattering experience: to be trusted with a new project, a new job. But saying “yes” to every offer means taking time away from other important activities. The thing to do is look ahead. Where do you want to go? […]

I used to marvel at how many outstanding choir directors are also wonderful pianists. Seems a weird coincidence, doesn’t it? Why piano in particular? (As a comparison, I didn’t learn any significant piano skills until college.) It’s no coincidence. And it’s not because you need prodigious piano skills to be a great […]

There are increasing reminders that social media is having a profoundly damaging effect on people prone to depression. It’s profound because it lets them hide so thoroughly behind a facade of happiness. On social media, people don’t see us. They see the part of us we want them to see. […]

We are all prone to making mistakes. It’s part of being human and it’s an important part of growth. Here’s a concept I’m working to imprint into my sons brains – and my students, too. [Something happens – forgot homework, dropped and broke a plate, etc.] Son: Oops, I dropped […]