For as long as I can remember I’ve tried to figure out what makes remarkable performers and conductors, well, remarkable. I don’t mean just good. I mean the greatest of the...

I can’t count the number of times I have posed a question to a student using the words “any” or “all,” only to receive a blank, worried, unknowing stare back. Queries like,...

What’s the difference between a teacher and just about everyone else? Well, I could write for hours and never really answer that question, but it might just be best summed up by...

Let’s say you are teaching a new rhythm to your students. You have them perform it. It goes pretty well. In an effort to get it even “cleaner” you have them repeat it. It gets...

I recently saw an adorable poster that caught my eye. It showed a very large dog standing next to a very small dog. Both had obviously been standing in mud about six inches deep....

Wouldn’t it be great if every mistake our ensemble made was as noticeable as a unison being played as a minor second?! Those obvious mistakes we can pick out and remediate almost...

At the start of your next rehearsal, after you have the ensemble’s undivided attention, before you say a word, have them watch you write the following quote on the board. I...

Many decades ago, when I started teaching, if I asked a student how many sharps there were in the key of D major, and they said two, I would celebrate and move on. But all too...

For beginners, and many not beginners, keeping their fingers on valves and keys, or thumbs and hands in the correct place, is a challenge. How's that for an understatement?! An...