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...

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...

The more we can include other subject areas in our performances, the more we solidify our importance in the school as a whole. How about finding a piece that features authentic...

We must overtly prove that our music program is an integral, indispensable, and important part of the community. Whether that is by performing for the PTA, the Lion's Club, at...

So often, I walk into a rehearsal and the ensemble is working on four pieces, each of which is at the outer limits of their collective technical ability. For many students, that...

“You must aim high, not in what you are going to do at some future date, but in what you are going to make yourself do today. Otherwise working is just a waste of time.” Those...

Why do students quit music? Well, I think we can all agree there are as many answers to that question as there are students who quit.  But I am confident that the bottom line is...

When it comes to recruiting and retention, all too often and unintentionally, I feel we practice what I call The Salmon Principle of Recruiting and Retention. We recruit as many...

I believe that a great part of our responsibility as educators is to explain what we teach, impart why it is important, promote the benefits of it, and show how it is rewarding...