What We Procrastinate
Pay attention to what you procrastinate.
Left Handed
If I had been born 100 years earlier, I would have spent my school days with my left hand tied behind my back. Societal pressure would have sought to prevent my handedness from being expressed. We cared more about conformity than about sense of self. When this pressure decreased, there […]
First Day Jitters
I’m not someone to get school anxiety. Several of my nearest and dearest have “Sunday Scaries” pretty much every Sunday, but that’s not my demeanor. The one exception is the first rehearsal of the year.* For as long as I can remember, I enter that day absolutely convince that I’ve […]
Measuring Success
How do you measure your success as a teacher? Maybe it’s in a polished performance. Maybe it’s in mastery of music theory concepts. It could be in tone development, musicality, musical sophistication. These are all things you can assess, at some level or another, as part of your teaching. But […]
Dreading Starting Over
When the school year ends and I’ve just conducted our final performance, I can get a bit morose. I think, “the next time I’m with my ensemble, we’ll be starting over.” All the capacity we’ve built, the trust, the group musical instincts, the repertoire – it’ll all be gone, and […]
Start The Year With Ken Robinson
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 […]
All Starters
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 […]
At The Mercy Of Your Calendar
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 […]
Impact First
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 […]
The Case For Repeating Songs
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 […]