Deep Dive

When a new record comes out by one of your favorite artists, how do you listen? My preference is for a deep dive. My musical tastes encompass a wide swath of music, but when it’s something brand new (or new to me) by a favorite artist, I become fixated on repeated listenings to […]

Backing Away

One of my goals as a conductor this year (I always set three personal goals alongside my students) is to back away. Give the ensemble more autonomy, more control, more time without me in front of them in concert. It must be working, because when a sick kid kept me away […]

Juggling

When you start to get good at juggling three balls, often you think the next move is to add another ball. That’s not the next move. Going from three balls to four requires a completely different set of moves – it’s not addition, it’s reinvention. When you get good at juggling, rather than […]

Awesome Teachers Make a Difference

The wonderful YouTube science creator Mark Rober said the following during his cool video about winning the board game “Guess Who.” “Teachers don’t make a difference. Awesome teachers make a difference.” I think he’s right. And you’ll have to watch the video to get the context, because it’s sweet, and because his quote sounds […]