Do you tell your students what you plan to change for next year?
I prefer to be tight lipped about what I’m planning for the future with my ensembles. Part because I like to process my own thoughts independently, and part because I know I’m a slow thinker and don’t want to get ahead of myself.
This year, though, I’ve been trying to be more upfront about what I intend to be different next year in my ensembles. That’s because I know my students appreciate transparency and candor, but also because I want to start setting expectations now, so they’re ready.
I really do believe that this past school year has been a transitional year between the most stringent pandemic repercussions and a year that will be much more like pre-2020 in terms of music-making, pace, and expectations. Establishing that perspective now, in public, will help to hold me accountable and make sure that I, too, commit to making some things different next year.