arrange • compose • conduct
The most important job of arts educators isn’t to prepare students for careers in the arts (though I’m proud when former students do pursue arts careers). The most important job of arts educators isn’t to ensure our students make art a vital part of their life journey (though I tell […]
“Self-directed” is one of my my favorite traits. It’s a trait I seek to cultivate in myself, and to praise and encourage in my students (and my children!). The thing is, being self-directed is much easier when you are committed to the task. Commitment is a prerequisite for self-direction. Maybe […]
Two songs for rainy days. Sometimes on a rainy day, you want to feel the sunlight that you know is behind the rainclouds. In that case, the joyous combination Count Basie Band’s playing and Ella’s singing will take you there. Other times, you simply want to be in the rain. […]
Chess offers infinite variations and joys – it rewards strategic thinking, study, and repetition. I’m especially interested in the lesson it gives about the muddy middle of the game, and of any project. Since middlegame positions are unique from game to game, memorization of theoretical variations is not possible as […]
If I added a trait to the Scout Law, it would be Curious. I understand why they didn’t include it. Curiosity is chaotic. Being curious brings doubt, brings unintended growth, brings challenges to authority. Being curious is chaotic, but it’s essentially human. The best achievements of humankind have been made […]
Teachers, I beg you ramp up your self-care now. Everything about teaching right now feels impossible. Fully Remote Teaching: Impossible.Hybrid Teaching: Impossible.In-Person Teaching: Impossible. It all feels impossible. And so you are doing the impossible, day after day. It takes extra support to do the impossible, and with the sheer […]
Having a Plan B is a good idea. Having a Plan F might be self-sabotage. Don’t have too many contingency plans. It can be tempting to spin out many follow-up plans, in the form of “And if A doesn’t work, I’ll try B, and if B doesn’t work I’ll try […]
Here’s a little flow chart for how to interact with your own mistakes. I made a new mistake when I did this chart. And I learned how to fix it for this photo.
At a certain point, we all tend to become accustomed to even the most radical changes in our life. The novelty wears off and we have “adjusted.” Usually. I don’t know about you, but in my experience of 2020, the novelty doesn’t wear off. Perhaps it’s because the novelty of […]
I think the reason it took me so long to try out the new software was because I was afraid. I’ve been a Finale user for 25+ years – enough to learn shortcuts for virtually everything I want to do, and solid workarounds for everything it doesn’t do well. I’ve […]