One of my greatest worries when rehearsing an ensemble is whether I am hearing reality, or hearing what I want to hear. It is an extremely common problem we should all guard...

Try walking into your classroom or rehearsal hall, and without saying a word to your students, write the following quote on the board.  Then just stare at it for a moment as you...

On the list of extraordinarily important technical things we must teach our students to do and understand has to be holding long durations for their full length. Hearing whole...

In the past, I have written about the necessity of us making the use of the word “listen” actionable. Simply instructing a group to “listen” is of little help. Telling them what...

When students fail to do an assignment on time, or accomplish a task as scheduled, I have often wondered why. Are they lazy or are they procrastinating? I think there is a...

If we were to write down all the things we want our students to sense in our classrooms and rehearsal halls, I think happiness would certainly be on that incredibly long...

One night, while channel surfing on the television, I stumbled upon a show where they were visiting a farm. They panned from one bucolic scene of pastures and fields of thriving...

The more we can include other subject areas in our performances, the more we solidify our importance in the school as a whole. How about finding a piece that features authentic...

We must overtly prove that our music program is an integral, indispensable, and important part of the community. Whether that is by performing for the PTA, the Lion's Club, at...