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I have no words today. Do you feel the same? A lot of teachers will be at a loss today, unable to find the words they need to process the election. And so I lean on Hans Christian Andersen’s famous words: When words fail, music speaks. Here are three ideas to help you get […]

I work almost exclusively with bright young people who are disenfranchised by the voting age. The outcome of today’s election will profoundly influence the direction of this countries on issues that affect them more than anyone. Education. The Environment. Health Care. Social Equality. These are issues where 17-year-olds, 10-year-olds, 5-year-olds need their voices heard. […]

The ideal kindergarten experience leaves lots of room for making a mess. Markers, glue sticks, glitter, popsicle sticks–there’s lots of clean up involved, but these are important tools for spurring creativity and empowering brain development. In many public school systems, pre-secondary music has been cut to the bone or eliminated; in these […]

Last night, I got to hear several wonderful speeches from the newest inductees to the Rockford Public Schools Hall of Fame. I left with this quote running through my mind – spoken by RHS ’70 Alumnus Leonard Post, who is responsible for developing cancer drugs and other achievements in biochemistry. “If I […]

I have two subjects I forbid myself to ever discuss with students. Never politics. Never religion. Why? Why don’t I discuss even when I know my students and I agree? Why don’t I express my opinion in the hope of convincing them? Simple. My goals are elsewhere. With my students, I am focused on […]

Creative Block: a phrase to strike fear in the hearts of authors, composers, arrangers, and artists of all sorts. In my experience, creative block comes from a single source: personal expectations. Sometimes, when I’m writing something and have high expectations for it’s eventual impact, I feel my creativity and productivity slow to a trickle. On the other hand, […]

Creativity is action. We tend to celebrate creative thinking: “What a creative idea!” “You’re thinking outside the box.” “I love your imagination.” But I don’t believe the idea is the core of creativity. The core is taking your ideas and putting them into action. It doesn’t take much effort to believe that there is […]

Note: this is the sixth of a series of posts investigating the leadership style of John Wooden and its applicability to choral music education. John Wooden’s first block in the second tier of his Pyramid of Success is SELF-CONTROL. Wooden says, “You cannot function responsibly and productively if you lack personal discipline–especially in the area of emotions.” He […]

It’s rare I get to share a performance so soon after the premiere, so I’m delighted to share this. Be The Change was premiered on Friday, Oct. 28 at the ACDA-Michigan Fall Conference, conducted by the remarkable Mandy Mikita Scott. Harrison Witt wrote the beautiful piece and accompanied the premiere; I was lucky […]

Creativity can be hard to fit in during a busy life of work commitments and home responsibilities. I think that’s one of the reasons that many people get so excited about Halloween. It the chance to be creative. Without judgement. Whatever your creation is, it’s an expression of your creativity. Brené Brown doesn’t […]