I am convinced that half the problem with teaching students in a band is that many of them have a very distorted vantage point from which they hear the group, by nature of where...

As I look out at my students while rehearsing, I so often see bad habits reveal themselves. And what gets me is that I have mentioned those bad habits over and over and over. It...

I like a fast-paced rehearsal. No, I love a fast-paced rehearsal. I think I can keep my students awake and energized better, and get more done in less time. But that’s me. I also...

In the first moments of your next rehearsal, after getting the students quiet and focused, go to the board and with no words of explanation simply write these words: “I haven't...

I was recently speaking at a workshop for band directors and was asked a fantastic question: “Why don’t most band directors treat percussionists like the rest of the members of...

I am often asked by band directors for suggestions about books to read.  And I always worry about doing so for fear it will be like recommending a favorite restaurant to a friend...

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 think something not...

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 posture. Then take a photo of...

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. That’s right! Then hold on to...