Not Because We’re Ready
We don’t do the concert because we’re ready. We do it because it’s concert day.
Good Enough
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 […]
Disposable/Recoverable
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 […]
The Programming Meal
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 Effects
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 […]
End With The Start
Sometimes, you need to wait till the end to start. Often when I write, I write a clear summation of the idea at the end. Then – at least half the time – I cut and paste it to the very beginning. Part is clarity: I like to start with […]
Winning Short Circuits Our Rationality
It’s a problem. Winning short circuits our rationality. There’s something deep in our unconscious brain that want to win, and especially, I think, wants to feel the heightened connection that comes from being part of a winning group. Why is that a problem? Because artistry doesn’t come with winners. The […]
What Are The Most Important?
What are the most important things you want your choirs to end this school year with? Got the list? If you’re like me, there are at least a dozen major goals on it. You have to shorten it. Make it three. You’ll get more done, but you can only guarantee […]
Rigor and Pedagogical Clarity
As an educator, are you concerned more with rigor or clarity? Grant Sanderson, the amazing math communicator who runs the 3Blue1Brown YouTube channel, addresses how we are often tempted to pursue rigor at the expense of clarity. Even as educators, for whom clarity should be paramount, it’s a pitfall. The […]
Dream Big & Don’t Get Disappointed
Dreaming big comes with failure. If I dream of commissioning ten new pieces in the next 2 years, but only commission six, is that a failure? It is inarguably a success – I’ve helped bring six new pieces into the world. But if I measure it only against the metric […]