arrange • compose • conduct
Posts discussing education, both in and outside of music
If you’re too afraid of failure to play Wordle, I blame the education system. I heard recently about some high school students who had given up playing Wordle because the fear of breaking a streak by failing to guess a word was debilitating. They would rather not play it than […]
Once upon a time, “Because I said so” was a valid answer to the question, “Why am I learning this?” No more. Young people are savvier now, more aware of the world and what matters, and more inclined to balk at learning material that they don’t consider to be of […]
On and off, I write weekly letters to my ensembles, emulating but by no means coming close to the legendary “Dear People” letters of Robert Shaw. On and off because my life commitments don’t always allow me to give these letters the attention they need soon enough to be useful. […]
As I’ve continued working on a jazz solo project with Shades of Blue, I’ve gotten a better idea of the interests and musical preferences of my students. As such, I spent a while this morning playing Album Matchmaker. For the last two weeks, I’ve been pushing them to listen to […]
When we’ve moved past notes and rhythms into singing for musicality, I really like to invite ensemble members to “Give three intentions for this run-through.” The intentions might be as specific as “I want to nail that transition on page 5” or as overarching as “Dynamics!” They might be a […]
When I bake bread (and I bake a lot of bread), I invariably get some flour on the counters. Whether it’s the mixer throwing some out of the bowl, the extra flour I spread on my cutting board to do a final knead, or just the inefficiency of pouring flour […]
I don’t think pointing out commonalities with other subjects is a good way to advocate for music education. Music is not mathematics. It is not science, it is not language, it is not history, it is not P.E. Music is music. I get rubbed the wrong way by the memes […]
Coming out of the profoundly complex, anxious, confusing, continuity-breaking last two years is going to take time. It’s going to take persistence, imagination, and a commitment to rebuilding the traditions that our students have become decoupled from. I say that because just in the last week, I’ve seen glimmers – […]
I relished the opportunity to spend time in rehearsal tonight letting the ensemble pick their new piece for State S&E. They had two options, and we spent about 20 minutes reading through each piece, with the urging to stay as focused as possible so they could debate with as much […]
There is a particular anxious-excited, scared-joyful feeling you have when you’re tackling something big and new for the first time. As you repeat similar projects, that feeling ebbs, even if you continue to feel jitters or nerves. I think of the first European choir tour I organized, or the first […]