#107. If You Listen

#107. If You Listen

When it comes to the essence of education, I often reflect on the wisdom of the Dalai Lama XIV: “When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But, if you listen, you may learn something new.” Have truer words ever been spoken? Peter Loel Boonshaft,...
#106. I Am Only One

#106. I Am Only One

Teachers are an amazing lot. Equal parts talent, perseverance, patience, wisdom, drive, passion, stamina, empathy, and about 200 other attributes. But we also all encounter frustration. The amount of that frustration can be tiny or enormous, and the...
#105. Hmm…

#105. Hmm…

Orson Scott Card wrote: “To a man with only a hammer, a screw is a defective nail.” Far too often over the years I have found it easy to use the success and progress of most students to rationalize one student’s lack of success. It seemed to follow that if ten...
#104. The Jaw Shows The Way

#104. The Jaw Shows The Way

I firmly believe a good rule of thumb for all brass players is that the angle of the lead pipe should follow the angle of the jaw. Though there are certainly exceptions, especially for students with special or unusual bone structures, but I have found those to be few...
#103. Have Fun!

#103. Have Fun!

Do you have fun in rehearsals? Do your students have fun in rehearsals? Maybe not every minute of every rehearsal, but in general? I am convinced that if the first is true, the second will be too. I love rehearsals. I really do. They are some of the most intense...