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...

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...

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...

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...

Confucious said, “The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life.” If we could just get every one of our students to embrace this...

I firmly believe that all beginning clarinetists should use a neck strap. There, I said it! And I firmly believe it. Now I know that at this very moment, many clarinetists who...

I worry a lot. I could win an Olympic Gold Medal in worrying. Some of those worries are gigantic and some are tiny, but they are worries, nonetheless. When rehearsing bands, I...

One of the keystone, foundational concepts we all strive for in our ensembles is that of blend. Check any adjudication form or any journal article and you will see it right...

Standing in front of an ensemble, that sea of people each armed with a noise maker – I mean – with different instruments, playing positions, embouchures, and the like, can be...