There is a wonderful old adage that says you know you’re making progress when what once made you mad, now makes you laugh. What once frustrated you now seems easy. What once was thought impossible is now possible. I think the best way to celebrate that idea is by allowing students to have the time and opportunity to rehearse music that they can perform with ease. And by that very act we start a virtuous circle – the opposite of a vicious cycle – for our students: they realize that what was once so difficult is now easy, that the effort they brought to bear then was productive, so they are more willing to embrace the challenges that will be presented to them now. It is quite simply the notion that “success breeds success.”
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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