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,
Not long ago I was talking to a colleague about his concert the night before. He mentioned how frustrating it was for him that his students would play so well one day and so terribly the next. He knew they
“Now go home and practice that.” Music teachers tell students to practice. It’s what we do. As a music student, I was expected to practice for a certain amount of time. As a music teacher, I expect my own students
Like most teachers, my first year of teaching quickly made me realize that there was a lot that college didn’t prepare me for. I ran into challenges that I never could have anticipated and discovered that there was a lot
The pandemic has certainly changed a lot about teaching, and especially teaching music. As a teacher who has had to switch back and forth between in-person and online teaching, I’ve had to be creative and find ways to adapt. One
Every year I talk to students who are thinking about dropping out of their school music programs. Every student I talk to has his or her own reasons for it. Often it’s because of other classes they want to take
The ability to find a great fingering for strings is perhaps one of the most under taught skills in string playing. I’ve found that many of us – even native string players who have studied our instruments for years –
I bought my house about five years ago. It’s small but has a decent backyard, and I was excited to have the outdoor space. Unfortunately, the previous residents had done very little to care for the yard and it was