#89. Make Sure You Cut Off The Ends

#89. Make Sure You Cut Off The Ends

by | Apr 3, 2019 | Boonshaft's Blog

How many times have we been confronted with the sentiment that goes something like this: “But that’s the way we have always done it!” Though sometimes that can continue wonderful traditions – or justify following a tried-and-true path for success – it can also very...
#88. A Lofty Goal

#88. A Lofty Goal

by | Mar 27, 2019 | Boonshaft's Blog

The remarkable twentieth-century cellist and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich said, “You must play for the love of music. Perfect technique is not as important as making music from the heart.” Maybe one of the hardest lessons we must help our students learn is that...
#87. Stands Up

#87. Stands Up

by | 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...
#86. A Good Teacher…

#86. A Good Teacher…

by | 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...
#85. Process Versus Product

#85. Process Versus Product

by | 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,...