arrange • compose • conduct
A new school year means revisiting Ken Robinson. As I begin teaching, I almost always spend a few minutes listening to Ken Robinson’s lectures and conversations about education. I haven’t ever found a more compelling, interesting, engaging person talking about education and education policy. As you begin your own school […]
I often say to my students that they are all starters. In the world of high school sports, there are starters and there are bench warmers. A popular no-cut team might have four players at every position…some of whom barely ever get to play in a game. It’s meant, and […]
Being at the mercy of your calendar can be a great gift – if you only choose to see it that way. As summer ends, teachers ramp up. I don’t know any choir teachers who aren’t at the mercy of their calendar from August to June. Concerts, rehearsals, trips, personal […]
Start with the impact you want to make. I’m in the middle of figuring out whether I want to take the leap on a new project I’ve been dreaming of. I think with any project, you have to start with the question, “What impact do I want to have?” Want […]
There are many reasons for repeating repertoire from year to year. I’m listening to my son learn the high school “fight song” clarinet part – and so I’m thinking about music we play or sing again and again. Is there value in repeating songs from year to year? I know […]
We don’t do the concert because we’re ready. We do it because it’s concert day.
Tell your students: when you’re pressed for time, you have to accept work that is good enough. Busy working adults learn this, over time. We learn that when there are multiple projects with tight deadlines, we must relax our standards and deliver less than our best work if we want […]
Failure isn’t a sign to quit. It’s a sign to rebuild. I found a rusty cast iron skillet on the street a while back, by a trash can waiting to get picked up. Knowing the way to fix it, I carried it the rest of my walk; not very long […]
As you’re programming your music this year, reject the programming/meal metaphor. You know the one: we should spend the bulk of our choral year on nourishing, nutrient-rich music that enhances the education of our students – so that they can have dessert (aka “fun” music, which by definition is not […]
Measuring changes how we behave. We recently got a cork world map – it’s now got dozens of colored pushpins charting our travels around the country and world. I love it! I also noticed that almost immediately, I started imagining trips that would let me put some extra pins in […]