#242. Play Easier Music More Often

#242. Play Easier Music More Often

So often, I walk into a rehearsal and the ensemble is working on four pieces, each of which is at the outer limits of their collective technical ability. For many students, that may feel like a relentless struggle that leaves them with the feeling they simply aren’t...
#241. Wasting Time?

#241. Wasting Time?

“You must aim high, not in what you are going to do at some future date, but in what you are going to make yourself do today. Otherwise working is just a waste of time.” Those remarkable words by the renowned French Impressionist artist Edgar Degas are as insightful...
#240. Perform More Often

#240. Perform More Often

Why do students quit music? Well, I think we can all agree there are as many answers to that question as there are students who quit.  But I am confident that the bottom line is that they just don’t think they are very good at it. Let’s face it: how rarely does...
#239. The Salmon Principle

#239. The Salmon Principle

When it comes to recruiting and retention, all too often and unintentionally, I feel we practice what I call The Salmon Principle of Recruiting and Retention. We recruit as many beginning students as we can, teach them the best we can, and hope they make it to...
#238. “A Marvelous Feast”

#238. “A Marvelous Feast”

I believe that a great part of our responsibility as educators is to explain what we teach, impart why it is important, promote the benefits of it, and show how it is rewarding to every stakeholder: students, parents, administrators, teachers of other disciplines, and...
#237. Like Vitamins

#237. Like Vitamins

When thinking about being an advocate for music education, I immediately go to wanting to spread the word about the facts, data, and statistics of how music impacts a student’s life: how it improves test scores, grade point averages, college entrance, future job...