Boonshaft’s Blog

#233. Isolate To Conquer

#233. Isolate To Conquer

One of the most important aspects of a good warm-up exercise is that it isolates the concept being addressed. So often I hear an ensemble play an exercise that is meant to help...

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#232. The “P Word”

#232. The “P Word”

Though we all know the incredible value of doing warm-up and ensemble development exercises with our ensembles, when I ask teachers why they don’t spend more time doing them, the...

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#231. Make A Game Of It

#231. Make A Game Of It

Some years ago, I noticed that I had developed a bad habit on the podium. I was using the word "okay" all the time. It drove me nuts. I'm guessing it drove my students nuts too....

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#226. Every New Beginning

#226. Every New Beginning

I recently spoke at a start-of-the-new-school-year professional development day for a very large school district. It was the first day back for the teachers. As I surveyed the...

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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.