The next time you are about to read a new piece with your band, especially if it is during the first few rehearsals of the school year, record them. That’s right! Then hold on to that gem. Sit on it. Wait. Wait some more. Keep waiting. And then, after great progress has been made, maybe even the day before the concert, play it for them. Then keep it for those future days when students get frustrated, to remind them what they can do, the results of hard work, and what they can collectively accomplish. Heck, play it for the parents. You want outcomes assessment, there you are, right before your very ears!

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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