Boonshaft’s Blog

#252. How Many Times?

#252. How Many Times?

Some years ago, while attending a holiday party, I had a conversation with a gentleman who worked in advertising. It was fascinating. The most interesting thing to me was hearing...

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#251. Confirmation Bias

#251. Confirmation Bias

One of my greatest worries when rehearsing an ensemble is whether I am hearing reality, or hearing what I want to hear. It is an extremely common problem we should all guard...

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#250. It’s An Attitude

#250. It’s An Attitude

Try walking into your classroom or rehearsal hall, and without saying a word to your students, write the following quote on the board.  Then just stare at it for a moment as you...

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#249. Grab Your Paintbrush

#249. Grab Your Paintbrush

On the list of extraordinarily important technical things we must teach our students to do and understand has to be holding long durations for their full length. Hearing whole...

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#248. Listen

#248. Listen

In the past, I have written about the necessity of us making the use of the word “listen” actionable. Simply instructing a group to “listen” is of little help. Telling them what...

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#246. Happiness

#246. Happiness

If we were to write down all the things we want our students to sense in our classrooms and rehearsal halls, I think happiness would certainly be on that incredibly long...

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#245. Is It Empty?

#245. Is It Empty?

One night, while channel surfing on the television, I stumbled upon a show where they were visiting a farm. They panned from one bucolic scene of pastures and fields of thriving...

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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.