arrange • compose • conduct
Posts discussing education, both in and outside of music
I have been consistently inspired the past few weeks by the collaborative, supportive, freely sharing spirit of educators. So many teachers are spending every available moment creating new content, researching new techniques, learning new modalities – and they are freely sharing whatever they discover with colleagues. A pandemic makes us […]
To varying extent, we all teach in real time, rather than from a concrete plan. Good teachers react in the moment to their students’ faces, to the questions that are asked, to the specific singing that they hear from the choir. We make detailed lesson plans, and we throw them […]
A recent CDC study says that 25% of 18-24 year olds contemplated suicide in June. Even more reported anxiety and stress-related disorders. That’s got to be our top priority as teachers. Before we get to talking about robust learning, scaffolded growth and learning communities, before we get to talking about […]
Weeds aren’t manageable if you’re only available to manage them intermittently. For essential reasons, I’ve spent most of the summer unable to work in my new vegetable garden. (I built a 4×12 raised bed last spring, and added its twin this spring.) They’re fully planted with organic veggies – herbs, […]
Among the most pervasive arguments for reopening school buildings centers around student mental health. Here’s a quote from the initial guidance from the American Association of Pediatrics: “COVID-19 Planning Considerations: Guidance for School Re-entry” stresses the fundamental role of schools in providing academic instruction, social and emotional skills, safety, nutrition, […]
My dad sent me an article (he likes to avidly read opposing viewpoints) that outlines many of the arguments being made by people opposed to school building closures. I read three paragraphs before I had to take a break, but I went back and finished it. While I don’t want […]
What would you do if you wanted to win the first round you played of a new, tricky game? Say you’re playing Settlers of Catan or Scrabble or poker, never having played before. With complex games, I think losing a few rounds is a great way to learn how to […]
I am strongly advocating for an online start to the school year. I cannot wait to begin teaching again. I live for the moments when a student finally grasps an elusive concept. As a choral educator, I get to discuss, shape, and make art with inspired and motivated young people, […]
When the at-home orders started in March, choral leaders everywhere reinvented the wheel, over the weekend or a few short days. It was amazing to see. Part of the reason it worked is because the singers we led were primed by four, five, six months of in-person rehearsals. We had […]
I’ve been solving some logic games this summer, and I’ve noticed there are two opposing strategies I employ. I think it’s good to use them both when facing many different kinds of decisions. Strategy 1 is “Stay In It.” In the course of the minutes I’ve spent on this logic […]