Boonshaft’s Blog
#122. Imagination!
For many of us, this week marks the start of distance-learning, remote-teaching, virtual-classrooms, or any number of other euphemisms for a form of education few of us and our...
#121. Change Is Good
Before tomorrow’s band rehearsal, change your setup so it is reversed 180 degrees. That’s right, if your students were facing east, have them face to the west. You’ll have to...
#120. And Suddenly…
At the end of a session I was giving at a music education conference, a new teacher asked me a wonderful – though daunting – question. He said, “I just started my first job...
#119. My Past Or Their Futures
As I think about the multitudinous aspects of being a teacher, I am reminded of the brilliant words of my dear friend – and astounding educator – Bob Phillips, who challenges...
#118. “We Got A Call From Your Band Director Today…”
I have always espoused the idea of making phone calls or sending notes home to parents or guardians when students show real progress toward – or achieve – a significant...
#117. Potential
Here’s a quote I think should be on the wall of every music classroom. More importantly, I think it should be in the thoughts of every music student. John C. Maxwell so perfectly...
#116. Hamburger!
The next time you teach your beginning (or need to remind your not-so-beginning!) trumpet players how to hold the trumpet with correct hand position, try using the analogy of...
#115. Give Me Excess Of It
After the recent passing of remarkable Australian musician, conductor, educator and music education advocate Richard Gill, I got to thinking of how much I enjoyed reading his...
#114. Seeds
I have often thought that part of being a great teacher is keeping what we do in perspective. I will freely admit I haven’t always been very good at it, but the older I get the...