arrange • compose • conduct
Posts discussing education, both in and outside of music
The practice of making your decisions and behaviors match your ideals is the work of a lifetime. We are all working on it. It’s why New Year’s Resolutions continue to exist and hold our attention. The desire of matching ideals and behaviors. Our students will repeatedly fail at this matching–just […]
We sometimes think that all the learning happens during those four or six years of college/grad school. The truth is, lots more learning happens afterwards, if we are open to it. In other words: what used to be hard doesn’t stay hard. I was reflecting on this today as I […]
Life’s worthwhile arcs often last a lifetime. There are deadlines, due dates, smaller projects that come and go – but the overall arc is never-ending. Contrast that with the impression we often give students over 13 years of compulsory schooling: that knowledge is discrete; that every unit comes with a […]
A math educator friend posted a fun 3-minute math puzzle on Facebook yesterday – it was fun for me to play, though I only got close to the right answer. (If only I was still calculus-adept…). Of the responses, several were by musicians/music educators, and in his replies, my friend […]
In my experience, traditions can be both a great tool and a great challenge in choral programs. They are opportunities to build camaraderie and connection across generations of students passing through your ensembles. But sometimes they become the tail that wags the dog – driving decisions you make for the […]
However you spent your remote teaching, you are enough. If you organized and pulled off a 45-minute virtual “concert” … you are enough. If you poured your whole heart into one virtual choir song in tribute to a colleague … you are enough. If you didn’t do any virtual choir […]
Today I practiced saying, “I don’t know … but I think …” It’s a powerful statement to make, particularly to students. It’s powerful because acknowledging the real limits of our knowledge, particularly when we are in positions of authority is humanizing, builds connections, and empower students to recognize that their […]
Motivation can be external or internal. Each of us uses a mixture of the two to get our work completed. This pandemic, and particularly remote education, has compelled many students to become better acquainted with internal motivation. When the teacher is standing ten feet from you, it’s harder to disengage […]
Many schools have some sort of basic computer skills class. Often, these skills are far behind what adults need to know. If I were designing a 2020 curriculum, I would replace a curriculum centered on word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation software with skills and knowledge like the following: Cloud backup. […]
I don’t think Chris Hayes is wrong. Compared to a typical year of school, this will be a “disaster” by traditional (standardized) measures of student growth. Compared to 180+ days of in-person learning, hands-on and personal instruction from caring teachers who feel safe and able to do their jobs without […]