arrange • compose • conduct
Posts discussing education, both in and outside of music
I think the key to succeeding in math classes was to do enough problems to see the patterns. Then, when confronted with a new problem, you can say, “I’ve solved a problem like that.” And while the path might be different, it isn’t that different. There’s an element of that […]
The key to sight reading might be to increase the number of chances to try and radically decrease the chances of a student feeling like a failure. I stood next to my son today during a funeral service, and when the second verse came around, I remembered how I learned […]
There are three kind of repertoire: Standards. These are the pieces you’ve conducted enough times that you can correct the mistakes before they’re made. Pieces You Know Well. Maybe you’ve conducted it before, maybe you studied it in depth in a choral lit class or by listening to that one […]
This school year is easier and harder than last year. Everyone I talk to seems to agree. It’s easier because we’re closer to normal interaction; there are concerts, regular rehearsals, and more of the normal events we associate with the school year. It’s easier because we can connect as humans […]
I used to get frustrated as the conductor of a tenor-bass a cappella ensemble, because of the easy fandom they received. They could give a good performance and get screams from their peers, even when an outstanding performance by another choir on the same concert didn’t receive the same level […]
My downtime app of choice, lately, is a corner of the Lichess app devoted to chess puzzles. They take a minute or so to solve a puzzle, and it gives a good mini-brain break from concentration-intense projects. It also helps me keep up with my kids, who keep proving themselves […]
“The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost.” – Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, describing Flow in Wired Magazine I think most children naturally experience flow state when […]
Be flexible with your expectations, so that students can try as many activities as interest them. Offer retakes on all tests and quizzes. “If they haven’t learned, you haven’t taught,” so let them keep proving that they’ve learned, as many times as they care to. Help them get back up […]
I am a firm believer in offering grace for our students. Grace for their struggle, grace for their growth. Here’s why. I want my students to bite off more than they can chew. I know they won’t know their limits until they blow past them, and when they figure out […]
Change isn’t always bad, and we’re often bad at separating the positivity of the change from our resistance to it. The road to my kids’ middle school is full of truly unbearable pot holes and shoddy repairs. I should say was. The road has recently been repaved. My first time […]