arrange • compose • conduct
Posts discussing education, both in and outside of music
This year, I’ve gotten more insistent to my students who are involved in multiple extracurriculars: I ask me to send them their sports or other schedule and a plan for equitable balance. The secret is, I often can and do look at their schedules myself. (They’re all online!) But I […]
Knowing whether to start with rules or whys is a key to effective teaching. I love starting with why in my teaching. “This is a problem we had. Here’s how we solved it.” It’s a great way to get engagement and investment in our students. When I teach the story […]
It’s not because they can’t…and it reflects a philosophy about teaching. My middle- and high-school aged kids get a lunch packed, complete with a daily note, as they walk out the door. I’ve made sandwiches on homemade bread, packed their bags with a balanced meal, and put it out for […]
I love the second week of school! Week One jitters have mostly subsided. The introductions and icebreaker games are behind you. There is more than just sight reading. Now is the time that you can really establish tone, rhythm, and intention with your ensembles. What you do in Week 2 […]
Easy questions have right answers. Hard questions have better answers, but not necessarily one right answer. In that context, educators need to make sure we aren’t making a false equivalency by always rewarding the quickest answers. Quick answers are great in multiplication problems, but for anything of lasting impact, the […]
Where are you aiming your ensemble? I think there are valid reasons for wanting your ensemble to aim to be in the top 1% in terms of musicianship, performance, polish. There are equally valid reasons for not aiming for that. I would say that I want the Aces, a high […]
There’s so much weight tied to the First Day of School. But the second day of school is just…a normal day. Actually, it’s the first normal day of the school year. I admit, I like the normal days a lot better. You aren’t as anxious for a normal day, you […]
Heading back to school? How many emotions will you admit to having? The first day of school is a jumble of emotions for everyone. For students, parents, teachers, school staff, and even pets! Apprehension, excitement, nervousness, dread, joy, love, disappointment, enthusiasm, and on and on. But we aren’t all excited […]
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 […]