arrange • compose • conduct
Posts discussing education, both in and outside of music
Teachers come with a lot of wishes for their students. They can wish for students to realize the dreams they themselves haven’t. They can wish for students to achieve success and so reflect back on them as teachers. They can wish for students to matriculate to particular schools, particular majors, […]
Gotta do the listening. I’ve written more than once about jazz being an oral tradition – to speak the language, you’ve got to fill your ears with the great recordings. That’s how you learn the language. The thing is, it’s not just jazz. Every style of music demands a massive […]
Be aware of just how much context you’re bringing when you begin a piece with your students. I’m watching a “Technical Challenge” in the Great British Bake-Off, in which the contestant bakers are asked to bake a recipe sight-unseen. Sometimes, as in the one I’m watching now, it’s a type […]
If you want to be able to trust them later, you have to trust them sooner. This is a core tenet of my approach as an educator and as a parent: let your trust spread as wide and as deep as it possibly can. The key to making this work […]
Do you ever feel this way in rehearsal? “I’ve taught everything I know how to teach. Everything I know, I’ve said.” When I start to feel that way, I remind myself these things: Repeat yourself – the turnover of students is faster than you think. In other words, I haven’t […]
I’m voting for candidates who embody love for their fellow human beings. For me, that’s a core value. We can agree or disagree about economic policy, about educational policy, about almost anything. But we need to agree on love as a core motivation for decision-making. Love is a cornerstone of […]
Every lesson should start with this question. What did you listen to this week? What did you love, what did you not respond to? In every lesson I’ve ever taught or taken, part of the equation was working to master a style, one that I wasn’t necessarily fluent in. In […]
I’ve found an unanticipated gift in my increased commitment to preparing sung part recordings for my students. I’ve written before how they have positively impacted my students, and why I came around to a tool I was initially opposed to. It’s certainly not the time and effort – I wasn’t […]
How do you convince a community to show up? Like many high schools, my own school has full parking lots and a packed stadium all fall for all its home football games. I love the way the community comes together to support the school’s pursuits, and to respect the hard […]
“I want to be very clear: The results in today’s nation’s report card are appalling and unacceptable,” said Miguel Cardona, the secretary of education. From The New York Times today How many ways is this incorrect? The dip in standardized test scores is not appalling. It is anticipated and understandable. […]