Boonshaft’s Blog
#76. What Tiny Changes Can Do!
Before your next rehearsal, try a few things that will make all the difference in the world. Simply slide the first chair in the second row over so that the middle of that chair...
#75. Overwhelming versus Manageable?
One of the hardest aspects of being a teacher is remembering the difficulty of first learning something that now comes so easily to us. Something that we probably found so...
#74. In Honor Of Greatness
On October 28, 2018 the world lost a great treasure with the passing of Richard Gill, Australia’s world-renowned conductor, teacher, and advocate for music education. But that...
#73. The First Time
Before your next rehearsal, write this wonderful old saying on the board: “Why is it that there is never enough time to do things right the first time…but always enough time to...
#72. Irrigation
On those days that I become frustrated, and heaven knows they come as sure as kids who will forget to bring their instruments, or that a fire drill will happen during the last...
#71. Biography
The word biography is often defined as an account of someone's life written by someone else. For us as teachers, our biography, in great measure, will be...
#70. 5 Minutes
At your next rehearsal, try saying nothing but positive things for 5 minutes straight. It sounds easy, but once you try it, you realize just how hard it really is to do. We are...
#69. Challenge Them With The Easiest Piece You Can
I spent a week not too long ago working with a remarkable band. A truly remarkable band. They were performing an extremely difficult program so incredibly well. But I found them...
#68. He Is No Fool
Jim Elliot once wrote, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” As teachers, we can “give” as much energy, enthusiasm, excitement and passion as...