arrange • compose • conduct
Posts discussing education, both in and outside of music
What’s the equivalent of quiet quitting in school? In the work world, we’ve seen a big increase in so-called “quiet quitting” – a decision to do the minimum required, rather than overtaxing yourself for the sake of your job. (There was a very interesting discussion of this on Dr. Brené […]
Take a deep breath, and consider what it means to be emotionally professional. Here’s Simon Sinek: “If you’re having a bad day, you can say, ‘Listen, I’m a little off my game today.” But you can’t sit in the meeting and be grumpy and give one word answers. That’s emotionally […]
Here’s how I see my job as a private instructor. My goal with private students – whether in composition, voice, jazz piano, or anything else – is to serve as an extra brain. It’s not my job to criticize or diminish (though I may, when warranted). It’s not my job […]
One of my goals as a teacher is to help train my students’ minds to find, and enjoy, flow state in rehearsal. I feel like I’m juggling 1,000 different responsibilities on any given day – bouncing back and forth, trying to stay on top of as much as I can. […]
Today, I could take a test in pretty much any high school math class and earn a passing grade. People are almost always surprised that I can still perform trigonometry, algebra, geometry, removed over a quarter century from my last math class. Doing math isn’t the superpower. But being genuinely […]
Stepping in to prevent failure is a great strategy, if you plan on continuing to step in indefinitely. Failure – or at least falling down – is an essential way to get your legs under you, regardless of the discipline. Great leaders know that a little bit of failure, particularly […]
Those are my favorite words in rehearsal. When you make room for that, there are several great benefits. You empower your ensemble members to have a creative voice. You show that experimentation and discovery is at the core of artistry. You get the chance to show that failure is on […]
Reliable isn’t an elite word. “A reliable automobile” isn’t how you’d describe a sports or luxury car. Reliable isn’t usually listed in top sought-after traits for leaders. But to me, being reliable is an essential part of my leadership. My students know that they can rely on me to do […]
The more detail the better. Planning rehearsals sometimes feels like my arch nemesis as a conductor. I like the flexibility to follow challenges and react in the moment to the needs of my students; I also don’t often have the mental bandwidth to reliably sit quietly and prepare for rehearsal. […]
Teaching is anti-clickbait. Clickbait is an eye-catching headline that promises more than it delivers…but draws you in nonetheless. The real work of teaching is taking as un-clickbait-y a headline as possible: “Algebra” or “Social Studies” or “Chorus” and, over the course of painstaking months of connection, encouragement, and growth, helping […]