#296. Guided Listening

#296. Guided Listening

If I had a dollar for every time I instructed an ensemble “to listen” in a rehearsal, I would be writing this blog on my private island in the Caribbean. Sadly, most of those times were the equivalent of asking the extremely bald band director writing this to grow...
#295. Repeating Directions

#295. Repeating Directions

I got into a routine, well, more like a rut. During rehearsals, after stopping to correct something. I would identify the problem spot, state what was troubling me, and what I wanted them to try. Then I would say something like: “Let’s go back to Letter G.” The rut...
#294. Where Are We Headed?

#294. Where Are We Headed?

“If we don’t change the direction we are going,” a Chinese proverb suggests, “we are likely to end up where we are heading.” So I try to ask myself questions like, “Are we headed the right way? Are there better places to end up? Are there more efficient ways to get...
#293. Honoring A Sentiment

#293. Honoring A Sentiment

The renowned tenor, Andrea Bocelli, once said, “If an artist wants to move the listener, he or she must have something intense and convincing to tell through the singing.  This something comes from experiences and insight: it is the inner wealth that you can...
#292. Mr. Jacobs

#292. Mr. Jacobs

I once met a young man – a college first-year student – who excitedly talked about his goal of someday being a music teacher. I asked him about what led him to that decision. His answer was simple: “Mr. Jacobs, my sixth-grade band director.” He went on to...