#62. Stravinsky Knew

#62. Stravinsky Knew

In the first moments of your next rehearsal, after getting the students quiet and focused, go to the board and with no words of explanation simply write these words: “I haven’t understood a bar of music in my life, but I have felt it. – Igor Stravinsky.” Then,...
#60. A Soprano?

#60. A Soprano?

I am often asked by band directors for suggestions about books to read.  And I always worry about doing so for fear it will be like recommending a favorite restaurant to a friend only to find out that they went there and thought it was terrible.  With heartfelt...
#59. Impossible

#59. Impossible

Cicero, the great philosopher, held that one of The Six Mistakes of Man was “Insisting that a thing is impossible because we cannot accomplish it.” When I think something not doable, more importantly, when I fear my students think something not doable, I always...