As teachers, we often find ourselves wrestling with whether to “stick with the old tried and true” or “try something new.” But it’s scary to try the untested or experiment with the unfamiliar. The next time you have those feelings of fear at the thought of going out on a limb, remember the words of Frank Scully: “Why not go out on a limb? Isn’t that where the fruit is?” But James Bryant Conant may have summed it up most elementally: “Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out.”

Peter Loel Boonshaft, Director of Education
KHS America

About the Author

Dr. Boonshaft 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 and Director of Bands. He has also been named Director of Education for KHS America. 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.”

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