Backing Away

One of my goals as a conductor this year (I always set three personal goals alongside my students) is to back away. Give the ensemble more autonomy, more control, more time without me in front of them in concert. It must be working, because when a sick kid kept me away […]

Juggling

When you start to get good at juggling three balls, often you think the next move is to add another ball. That’s not the next move. Going from three balls to four requires a completely different set of moves – it’s not addition, it’s reinvention. When you get good at juggling, rather than […]

Awesome Teachers Make a Difference

The wonderful YouTube science creator Mark Rober said the following during his cool video about winning the board game “Guess Who.” “Teachers don’t make a difference. Awesome teachers make a difference.” I think he’s right. And you’ll have to watch the video to get the context, because it’s sweet, and because his quote sounds […]

Not Because It’s Perfect

Don’t start because it’s perfect, start because it’s time. You will always discover things as you go, always change things for the next time. But waiting till it’s perfect is really an excuse to never do it. Start. Learn. Fix. Repeat. Not because it’s perfect. Because it’s time. I’m celebrating today the […]

Create First

Every creative person I know balances their creation – their true work – with many other obligations. Family, home care, email, promotion, business work, teaching, traveling, and on and on. All of it will be more bearable if you create first. First do your true work, and then do everything […]