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I’m writing this having arrived in Lansing for the MSVMA Summer Conference – our annual chance to connect, learn, and be inspired. This is my third year on the planning team for this conference, and I’m excited to share many months of hard work with colleagues from across the state […]

If, like me, you’re both addicted too and exhausted by the presidential election, Take a minute to follow this page on Facebook: 100 Days of  Peace. Mandy has planned a 100-day countdown to election day, starting tomorrow. Each day you’ll see a quote about peace, kindness, compassion. Something to lift you up […]

Best line of “The Force Awakens”, right? When asked how he’s going to find something, Finn suggests, “We can use the Force!” Han Solo sets him straight. Being one with the universe in a Force-y kind of way is a long, arduous journey of training and practice. Do you know what? That isn’t just true […]

Finite games have winners and losers. Think basketball, Words with Friends, elections. One participant wins, and in so doing, causes all other participants to lose. Infinite games don’t have winners. Think playing catch, duck duck goose, choir festivals, Snapchat streaks. Having success in a round doesn’t compel another to lose, it either has no […]

In teaching a student a jazz standard in a voice lesson yesterday, we listened to Sarah Vaughan. In her performance of “I Could Write A Book”, Sarah barely touches on the melody from the opening bars. How, I asked my student, could she get away with that? The answer is […]

“I want to be on the leaderboard!” So my son said to me as he methodically inputted his reading into our local library’s online Summer Reading Program. My son, who will regularly be up past midnight, reading – because he got to the good part. My son, who will finish […]

Students don’t seek unity in their algebra class. They don’t seek safety in chemistry, inspiration in social studies, or hope in their phys. ed. class. They seek all of those things in choir. And more. Judging from the increasing passion and divisiveness seen across our country, our kids will be in greater need for […]

Early on in parenting, I read about the concept of playing up and playing down. It turns out that children really don’t have a specific age as a range – and they can play more or less maturely depending on their playmates. So my seven-year-old can have markedly different behavior […]

Cross-stitch patterns tell you what to do. Use this yarn with these holes, make no alterations, and you’ll complete the picture as promised. The tools and materials are provided to complete the project. Recipes tell you the amounts and techniques to create a dish. Add this much flour and yeast, whisk in liquid, proof until […]

This week, I’ve repeatedly tried looking for hope in the wrong place. Twitter. Twitter is not for finding hope. Twitter is great for many things, but for supporting optimism about the future, it’s, um, not so good. Going forward, I’m going to try finding hope in likelier spots. My family. My work. Music. The […]