I recently stumbled upon a wonderful quote that was so fantastic I can’t stop thinking about it. It simply read, “It doesn’t matter if the glass is half-empty or half-full, clearly there is more room in the glass.” The ending phrase of this sentiment changes the philosophical optimist/pessimist question these words usually conjure up, to the view of a realist. The status of the glass is a fact. How we look at the glass, in the grand scheme of things, doesn’t matter. What matters is that the glass needs filling! And that, my friends, is our job. Whether it be the “glass” of technical ability, musical expression, theoretical understanding, interpersonal skills, social development, or any of the myriad other “glasses” we help students come to understand, our calling is to fill those glasses. When our students come to us, whether their glasses are half-full or half-empty is of little significance.

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.