by Peter Boonshaft | Mar 19, 2019 | Boonshaft's Blog
One of the first things I do when first rehearsing with a new ensemble is to ask them to raise their stands up, often almost as high as they will go. I tell them that all I want to see are their eyes peering at me just over the top of the stand. For many this may seem...
by Peter Boonshaft | Mar 12, 2019 | Boonshaft's Blog
I was recently part of a question and answer panel discussion at a music teachers conference. The questions were really terrific and thought-provoking. But one of them really made me think. Ready? Here it comes: “What is the single hardest part of being a teacher?” It...
by Peter Boonshaft | Mar 6, 2019 | Boonshaft's Blog
I once heard someone say that in business there is an expression that states that “we can control the process, we cannot control the product.” And for days after hearing those words I was troubled; it really irked me. But why? Now, before launching into that,...
by Peter Boonshaft | Feb 27, 2019 | Boonshaft's Blog
Are our students not listening to us, or are we not saying anything they want to hear? Though that sentence is grammatically a mess, it does pose a good question. When my students “tune me out” is it that they don’t understand what I am saying, don’t think it applies...
by Peter Boonshaft | Feb 18, 2019 | Boonshaft's Blog
Before your next rehearsal or class simply write this wonderful quote by an unknown author on the board: “The same boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg. It’s about what you’re made of, not the circumstances.” Then at the start of rehearsal just stand...