#273. Remove Randomness

#273. Remove Randomness

I believe that students should mark every single breath they will take in every piece they play. I know that sounds crazy and a bit like busywork, but here’s why: To remove the only truly random technical aspect of their performance. Think about it: when do students...
#272. Habits

#272. Habits

When I started teaching, I realized early on that I was very good at getting kids to break bad habits. Really good! But sadly, things didn’t get better, and often they got worse. And I just couldn’t figure out why. Then it occurred to me. You can’t just break a bad...
#271. The Difference

#271. The Difference

Sometimes the effectiveness of our teaching, and of our students’ learning, can rest in our ability to recognize the difference between compliance and understanding. When a student does something, it is often that they simply complied with our directions. They did...
#270. Practice Your Faces

#270. Practice Your Faces

Last week’s blog talked about how powerful facial communication can be. I hope I convinced you to give freely of your facial expressions and to work on further developing them. To that end, I have three suggestions. First, get ahold of an anger management poster. Most...
#269. The Face

#269. The Face

Each of us spent years in college learning to better our conducting skills as a profound means of communication, and it is. We spent semester after semester honing our speaking skills as a mighty means of communication, and it is. We spent even longer perfecting our...