Cicero, the great philosopher, held that one of The Six Mistakes of Man was “Insisting that a thing is impossible because we cannot accomplish it.” When I...

The next time you start to chide the students in your band about posture for the umpteenth time, don’t do it. Instead, ask them to sit with terrible...

The next time you are about to read a new piece with your band, especially if it is during the first few rehearsals of the school year, record them....

During your next rehearsal, while working on a chorale, ballad or lyrical passage in a piece, ask your brass players to buzz their parts on their...

When correcting a student in rehearsals, I always worry about whether I make it clear enough that I am speaking about the actions or behavior of that...

Do you ever get frustrated with the progress of your ensemble?  Me too.  But no matter the cause of our frustration, no matter the hurdles we must jump, no...

Fact: I want my students to relish learning new things. Fact: My students will often model and imitate the things I do. Fact: My students should see me...

James Russell Lowell asserted that “More men fail through ignorance of strength than through knowledge of their weakness.” That is probably true, but I...

As teachers, we often find ourselves wrestling with whether to "stick with the old tried and true" or "try something new." But it’s scary to try the...