arrange • compose • conduct
Posts discussing education, both in and outside of music
A teacher’s motto should be, “Please surpass me.” Write better than me. Sing and perform better than me. Teach better than me. Surpass me in all ways. My 11-year-old just came back to chess after a few months off. (He was enjoying daily Yahtzee matches in the meantime.) He is […]
I think the reason it took me so long to try out the new software was because I was afraid. I’ve been a Finale user for 25+ years – enough to learn shortcuts for virtually everything I want to do, and solid workarounds for everything it doesn’t do well. I’ve […]
There are skills I’ve built already as a teacher during the pandemic. There are skills I hope I never have to use again. And there are skills and tools I’ve tried and said, “I’ll keep using this.” I’ll keep using remote one-on-one mini-lessons. These have been a great way to […]
I was reminded today of a yearly event that the Rockford Aces used to participate in. The local Education Foundation (nonprofit) would conduct an annual phone-a-thon fundraiser, with calls going out for six nights over two weeks. Volunteer supporters would be given a script, a stack of contact cards, and […]
I try to address pertinent areas of music theory musical literacy throughout my teaching – whether private, academic, or ensemble. Here’s why. Mastering musical literacy makes everything else you’re doing work more efficiently. It’s the grease on the axle that keeps you moving swiftly. The point of musical literacy is […]
When my own kids are practicing their instruments or singing around the house, I work hard to make my only feedback this sentence: “I love hearing you play.” I learned this mindset, and specific expression, from the outstanding music education professor Mitchell Robinson. Here’s the deal. I am a professional […]
Guest blog by Mandy Scott One of the silver linings of the past six months has been witnessing educators across the country coming together to both engage in new technology and commit to the sharing of resources with one another. It has been remarkable and life changing. Speaking from my […]
We are all starting over. We are out of practice… teaching in person. learning in person. conducting gracefully. singing beautifully. interacting with a group. leading. following. trusting. And we have never practiced… conducting with a mask. singing with a mask. recognizing students with masks. safe distancing in the classroom. enforcing […]
I personally think it’s good for students to see their teachers and leaders figuring it out. The idea of the teacher/leader as a fount of knowledge, issuing decrees from a position of authority and wisdom is tempting, but it isn’t very realistic. We are all human, we are all figuring […]
Early correctives are so much more effective than late ones. It’s the beginning of the year/semester/trimester/quarter. Now is the time to make gentle correctives. A small, gentle corrective of a student in the early weeks can profoundly affect their trajectory. A much bigger correction at the end of term will […]