“Listen!” yells the conductor as the students struggle to find the right pitch. It’s true; listening is important, but what exactly do we listen to? Do our students know what we mean when we tell them to listen? Do we
We’ve all experienced it. You’ve felt the frustration that comes when the violas missed the C sharp yet again, even though you’ve gone over it at least a dozen times. You’ve cringed through those elementary or middle school concerts –
Once in college I remember my professor asking us what we should do about those students who just weren’t as good at music as others. Do you try to teach them anyway? Let them drop out? Encourage them to stay?
A little while ago I heard an interview on a podcast. The interviewer was talking to a well-known fashion designer and asking what initiated all her success. Her answer was that back in 2018, instead of making New Year’s resolutions
You’re on the stage of the most beautiful concert hall you’ve ever played in, the same stage where world-class musicians play almost every week. You sit in nervous anticipation of the concert that will start in just a few minutes
The music you choose for your orchestras to learn makes a huge difference in how they sound when they perform. Selecting repertoire is probably one of the most important things we do as music teachers. With thousands of pieces to
I’ve never been strongly attached to the traditional orchestral seating arrangement, and in my 10+ years of teaching orchestra I’ve gone through just about every possible seating arrangement with my students. Each arrangement brings its own set of pros and
Usually when I write a blog post, I feel like I have something helpful to say. While I never have all the answers, I have learned something that works for me that might be helpful to someone else. That’s not
It’s June 3, 2021 and today was my high school’s graduation. It was an actual, live, in-person graduation. All 570 graduating seniors donned their caps and gowns and walked across the stage as their names were read. Parents, family members,
You’ve probably heard the phrase “work-life balance” at some point. It’s one of those catch phrases that people love to throw around. You may have heard it directed at you specifically as a teacher, or thought about how to achieve