arrange • compose • conduct
How do you define the First Day of School? It seems silly on the surface – the First Day of School is, you know, the first day of school. But listen: our first school day is next Monday. My first day with students, making music, will be today, when we […]
Temporary productivity paralysis is a normal part of the project process. There is a moment – usually about 80-90% of the way through the process, for me – when I feel completely incapable of finishing a project. It’s never easier to get distracted from my project than in that moment […]
I spent the morning singing backup for our brand-new Superintendent of Rockford Public Schools, Dr. Steve Matthews. Dr. Matthews is not a professional singer, but he’s a visionary leader and passionate believe in education. He wanted to introduce himself to 1,000+ staff in a powerful way, and enlisted Mandy and […]
My purpose is not your purpose…and that’s ok! My dad co-owned a sailboat when I was growing up, for the simple reason that he loved to sail. He registered for sailboat races for the whole summer – Saturday races and a Wednesday night race. We raced against hardcore races, competitive […]
The last 20 years of educational shift has been to increase focus, spending, and requirements around STEM learning and decrease focus, spending, and even requirements around the humanities. Which team are you on? Team STEM or Team Humanities? For me, it’s a no-brainer. I believe that humanities increase empathy, enhance […]
Any break comes with an “Oh, yeah!” moment at the end of it. The rhythms of my work life are such that breaks occur. I might not use Pro Tools for several months, or Dorico for a few weeks. (I hope it’s a long time before I am working in […]
It’s a question I get so often from guests, especially friends of my kids. “Do you, like, always have music playing? Well, yes. (And even when there’s no music playing, there’s music playing…in my head.) It’s always enlightening to learn the ways in which you’re not normal – clearly we’re […]
When I’m trying to get ahead on work, it’s easy to fall into “I’ll finish what I need to do for tomorrow, then I’ll do a bit extra.” The problem is that I often don’t ever get to the extra – so I don’t get ahead. A better plan is […]
Don’t ignore the middle future. I’m pretty good at thinking about what I have to do tomorrow. I’m less good at thinking – at least in detail – about what I have to do in two months. The practice of taking a few minutes to think in detail about the […]
You only get one chance to make a first impression. That’s the expression, and it’s true. But maybe we overvalue first impressions. I’m much more interested in what I understand about you after several interactions. Because anyone can make a good first impression. Be gregarious, be friendly, tell a good […]