I once heard someone say that in business there is an expression that states that “we can control the process, we cannot control the product.” And for days after hearing those words I was troubled; it really irked me. But why? Now, before launching into that, let me say at the start that I know nothing about business – in fact I still don’t really understand purchase orders in the least (Come on, does anybody really get them?). And maybe in business this is a significant idea, but as a teacher, to me, those words couldn’t be farther from the truth. Isn’t that what we do? We create a process to create a certain product, all the while adjusting that process to facilitate the desired outcome. Isn’t that what you do every minute of every teaching day? We create teaching strategies to foster our students’ accomplishments.

Peter Loel Boonshaft, Director of Education
KHS America

About the Author

Dr. Boonshaft is the author of the critically acclaimed best-selling books Teaching Music with Passion, Teaching Music with Purpose, and Teaching Music with Promise. Dr. Boonshaft is currently on the faculty of Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, where he is Professor of Music and Director of Bands. He has also been named Director of Education for KHS America. He was honored by the National Association for Music Education and Music For All as the first recipient of the “George M. Parks Award for Leadership in Music Education.”

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