When students sense they are playing poorly, they can become like mules: very hard to move forward, very willing to stay put. But, we all know that if we start them with music so “easy” they sound good, or can sound good in short order, they start to become more like The Little Engine That Could: thinking they can. It’s so easy for our students to “throw in the towel” when they think they are already defeated. However, it is also easy for them to become extremely motivated by early success. So, my goal is to foster as much success, even if the task at hand is tiny, as often and soon as possible.
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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