If you’re like me, every Zoom session I’ve been part of has regularly been filled with people speaking with their microphone muted only to have their silent mouthing on the screen be met with choruses of “You have to unmute yourself!” Remember when that was an uneducated way of saying senza sordino? Well, it does illustrate how much things have changed. But sometimes I feel as though life has become much like the movie “Groundhog Day” which saw the character Phil, played by Bill Murray relive the same day over and over again. Certainly, teaching is different every day, and our ever-changing world requires more adjusting and adapting than any of us could want. But I still feel like Phil. And I wonder if my students feel that way too. I guess it’s that the looming events of life seem to be staying put. The protocols, precautions and accommodations of the day feel as though they are on a loop that won’t stop. To combat that feeling, I suggest we make certain we take time to do one thing differently in our teaching than we did the day before. Even the simplest changes in our routine or approach can be meaningful and powerful for each of us, and our students.

Peter Loel Boonshaft, Director of Education
KHS America

About the Author

Dr. Boonshaft, Director of Education for KHS America, 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. 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.”