arrange • compose • conduct
As we read and learn new music, there are many chances to roll and sing a first chord before singing through a section. Typically, we roll a triad and then build it from the bottom up: Root-Third-Fifth. Try these two tips instead: Only play the root. If our goals include […]
Schools don’t give students adequate opportunities to learn how to lead. The students lead anyway. They lead anyway, because they are called, because they are passionate, because someone needs to. Today I was lucky to attend one of many events nationwide on the anniversary of the Columbine shooting. Students led, […]
The core of leadership is in Step 2. One of my all-time favorite cartoons is this math-y cartoon by Sidney Harris. But it’s not just math. The secret of great leadership, and the lesson new leaders need to learn, is that leadership happens in step 2. Leadership isn’t having […]
In an excellent recent longform essay, Tim Urban of Wait But Why unpacks How to Pick a Career (That Actually Fits You). I want to highlight one idea from early in the piece: Kids in school are kind of like employees of a company where someone else is the CEO. But no […]
How would you sing if you knew your audience was hearing choral music for the first time in their life? How would you sing if you knew your audience was hearing choral music for the last time in their life? I think in both cases, you would singing with passion, trying […]
When someone’s behavior doesn’t match your expectations, make a generous assumption. Assume that their failing is a result of being busier than you can imagine. Or assume that it’s because they’ve had a sinus infection. Assume their parent is in hospice, they’ve just lost a pet, they stubbed their toe in […]
In his new book The Culture Code, Daniel Coyle describes research into various kinds of feedback on student work, and how it influenced subsequent performance. Researchers discovered that one particular form of feedback boosted student effort and performance so immensely that they deemed it “magical feedback.” Students who received it chose to […]
“Can I do this?” is a perfectly appropriate question to ask at various points in a journey. The problem is, we ask it at the wrong time. If you’re a runner, you’re mostly likely to ask, “Can I do this?” as you reach the top of a big hill. With […]
A favorite thinker about creativity is the author Austin Kleon. He’s written two fabulous books: Steal Like an Artist and Show Your Work. Both have influenced my own creative arc, so I’ve continued to follow his own creative pursuits on Twitter and his website. He has really been struggling of late to figure out […]
A good artist must be a collector. All artists – even transformational ones – build on the creations that come before theirs. And so the best artists collect as much art as they can; collect images, collect recordings, collect ideas. When the time comes to create, your collection becomes a […]