Boonshaft’s Blog

#261. The “21/90 Rule”

#261. The “21/90 Rule”

Trying to get students (or ourselves!) to change the way we do something is one of the most difficult and frustrating aspects of progress and growth. It can seem impossible at...

read more
#260. Believing

#260. Believing

In a conversation between Police Detective Danny Reagan and his Assistant District Attorney sister Erin Reagan during an episode of the television show “Blue Bloods,” he argued,...

read more
#259. Really?

#259. Really?

I had a dream the other night that we, as music teachers, were completely insulated from budget reductions, and staff and program cuts. In short, we had it made, never to worry...

read more
#258. Elephants?

#258. Elephants?

If your young students are anything like mine were, getting them to understand the concept of first and second endings created a challenge, to say the least. Let’s face it, it is...

read more
#257. Why?

#257. Why?

The astounding author Mark Twain said that “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” Each of us experienced those...

read more
#256. “Every day…”

#256. “Every day…”

On Tuesday, December 16, 2014, a contestant by the name of Alysha Rooks on the TV game show Jeopardy offered words that are at once stunningly true and remarkably empowering....

read more
#254. Spock Understood

#254. Spock Understood

The renowned actor Leonard Nimoy is best known for playing the Star Trek character Spock on television and in movies. The thoughtful, half-human, half-Vulcan Science Officer...

read more
#253. A Joy To Read

#253. A Joy To Read

I was recently asked to rattle off a list of some of my favorite books about education. Toward the top of my list, I mentioned “Teacher & Child” by Dr. Haim G. Ginott...

read more
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.