arrange • compose • conduct
Posts discussing education, both in and outside of music
My dad described one of his first chances to scrub in with an orthopedic surgeon, on the day he was interviewing for an internship in that hospital. When the surgery was mostly done, the doctor offered him a chance to see the work, and my dad noticed, and pointed out, […]
There are some birds I see year-round in my yard. Chickadees. Cardinals. Blue Jays. There are others, migratory birds, that I might see only briefly, if I’m watching carefully, as they pass over en route to their summer or winter homes. This spring I saw a group of Redpolls for […]
I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling a bit jarred. After more than a year of talking about how to begin gathering again, how to make it meaningful, how to take meaningful steps toward a healthier balance…after that year, my world has thundered back into a busyness that looks […]
I saw a social media post a while ago listing the various technical and educational hurdles they cleared to create a virtual concert. One of them included the phrase “yelling at kids to […]”. That’s where you lost me. I believe in the importance of musical excellence, of motivating students […]
What is your new normal going to be? My students are primed for a return to normalcy in the fall. Concerts are on the calendar, retreats are being scheduled, and we’re anticipating a full menu of the statewide events we usually enjoy being a part of. But with over a […]
I attended a sixth grade band concert Tuesday night – the first and last time this year that these brand-new instrumentalists could share music with an audience. My friend, the band director Ms. Kilgore, did a wonderful job teaching the students. And she did two things in the concert that […]
In an excellent Michigan Radio interview with U of M Lecturer Margot Finn, Finn talked about her experience teaching this past year, and especially focused on the open letters she’s been regularly writing to her students. She shared this insight about a change she’ll make going forward as a result […]
I strongly believe that every work of art has three acts. And the first act is the buy-in. You decide to listen to a podcast, you listen to the album, you buy a ticket to the concert. I have no control over the buy-in. The second act is the thing […]
I have observed consistent memory challenges throughout this year. Music that students have shown no problem memorizing in the past have stymied students this year. They just can’t seem to hold onto the salient details. I think it comes down to a few things together: Singers have had less frequent […]
Sometimes, when my ensemble is having trouble with a spot, I say, “and now…a pause for literacy.” Actually, I usually say music theory, but music literacy is s friendlier and more accurate term. Sometimes a problem spot is a problem spot because there is some structural component that the ensemble […]