I think we all would be well served to remember that when it comes to helping our students improve, train behaviors, or establish regimens, we can’t just break a bad habit, we must replace it with a good habit. That certainly seems obvious, but all too often I catch myself working diligently to do the former while forgetting to do the latter. I’m sure it happens because we’re always fighting the clock, or that we have a thousand things we’re trying to remember at the same time. Well, whatever the cause, we should remember that just breaking a bad habit leaves a void that might be filled with an even worse habit. In short, we simply have to get in the “habit” of replacing bad habits we are trying to break with good habits we want to instill.

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. 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.” Dr. Boonshaft was selected for the Center for Scholarly Research and Academic Excellence at Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY, where he is Professor Emeritus of Music.