Boonshaft’s Blog

#277. Today

#277. Today

Before school, write these words on the board. Just as you start a class or rehearsal, walk over to the board, tap on it, and point to the words. Then, just look at them and nod...

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#274. A Pail Or A Fire

#274. A Pail Or A Fire

I love quotes. And of all the quotes I have ever read or heard about teaching, these simple, yet profound words of William Butler Yeats always find their way to the top of my...

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#273. Remove Randomness

#273. Remove Randomness

I believe that students should mark every single breath they will take in every piece they play. I know that sounds crazy and a bit like busywork, but here’s why: To remove the...

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#272. Habits

#272. Habits

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...

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#271. The Difference

#271. The Difference

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...

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#270. Practice Your Faces

#270. Practice Your Faces

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...

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#269. The Face

#269. The Face

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...

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Dr. Boonshaft, Director of Education for KHS America, is the author of the critically acclaimed best-selling books Teaching Music with Passion, Teaching Music with Purpose, and Teaching Music with Promise. He was honored by the National Association for Music Education and Music For All as the first recipient of the “George M. Parks Award for Leadership in Music Education.” Dr. Boonshaft was selected for the Center for Scholarly Research and Academic Excellence at Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY, where he is Professor Emeritus of Music.