Xun Kuang, also known as Xunzi, who lived from 300-230 B.C., wrote: “Not having heard something is not as good as having heard it; having heard it is not as good as having seen...

So often as I look out at students in an ensemble, I see lots of them doing one specific thing that causes many different problems. It can show itself with any instrument, and...

We have all witnessed ensembles do more than we thought possible or go farther than we imagined. When that happens, it is a reminder that so often the sum of the parts is so much...

Have you ever tried to memorize a list of things only to remember the beginning and the end, forgetting most – if not all – of the middle of that list? Me too, and sadly way too...

Of all the incredibly significant things we need to teach, or more importantly, help our students understand, learning the meaning of beauty – in music – must number near the top...

Of all the things we repeatedly say in rehearsals, the phrase “do it again” must rank high, actually very high on the list. Though we have an extraordinary number of euphemistic...

Let me tell you about a conversation I overheard recently between two high school students who were days away from starting this new school year. I don’t know if they knew I was...

Having heard savvy sayings like “You’ll never appreciate what you had until it’s gone” throughout my life I have come to realize the absolute truth in those words. But maybe...

It seems that every day brings something different about our “new normal.” And though much is new; nothing seems normal. We are constantly needing to adapt, reverse course,...