#271. The Difference

#271. The Difference

Sometimes the effectiveness of our teaching, and of our students’ learning, can rest in our ability to recognize the difference between compliance and understanding. When a student does something, it is often that they simply complied with our directions. They did...
#270. Practice Your Faces

#270. Practice Your Faces

Last week’s blog talked about how powerful facial communication can be. I hope I convinced you to give freely of your facial expressions and to work on further developing them. To that end, I have three suggestions. First, get ahold of an anger management poster. Most...
#269. The Face

#269. The Face

Each of us spent years in college learning to better our conducting skills as a profound means of communication, and it is. We spent semester after semester honing our speaking skills as a mighty means of communication, and it is. We spent even longer perfecting our...
#268. Confucious Understood

#268. Confucious Understood

Confucious said, “The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life.” If we could just get every one of our students to embrace this wonderful quote, our teaching would be so much easier. If we can get them to ask...
#267. Neck Straps

#267. Neck Straps

I firmly believe that all beginning clarinetists should use a neck strap. There, I said it! And I firmly believe it. Now I know that at this very moment, many clarinetists who are reading this are rolling their eyes, saying “We are not saxophonists. We do not use a...
#266. Make Them Squeak!

#266. Make Them Squeak!

I worry a lot. I could win an Olympic Gold Medal in worrying. Some of those worries are gigantic and some are tiny, but they are worries, nonetheless. When rehearsing bands, I often wonder – well, worry – whether my clarinets are taking the maximum amount of reed in...