by Peter Boonshaft | Jan 12, 2021 | Boonshaft's Blog
I’m guessing the only saying about practicing that is more famous than the words that title this blog are those from the story of a visitor to New York City who asked a local, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” only to hear the reply, “Practice.” And then...
by Peter Boonshaft | Jan 5, 2021 | Boonshaft's Blog
All too often, I’ll ask a student to do something, and when they do, I take comfort and pride in the fact that they did it. At those times, I find myself feeling there should be a ticker-tape parade for both of us! But then, sometime later, I ask that same student to...
by Peter Boonshaft | Dec 15, 2020 | Boonshaft's Blog
Ken Blanchard wrote, “There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when it’s convenient. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses – only results.” I think we can agree that when a...
by Peter Boonshaft | Dec 8, 2020 | Boonshaft's Blog
When I think of all the goals we set for our students, of all the hopes we have for our teaching, of all the things we want to linger as our influence on them for the rest of their lives, the list is enormous, virtually innumerable and beyond measure. But for me, the...
by Peter Boonshaft | Dec 1, 2020 | Boonshaft's Blog
For many of us, our “second-period concert band” of 76 students has become four sections of 19 students, our 42-minute rehearsal is now a 30-minute Zoom meeting, seeing our students every day has been reduced to meeting once a week in person and once again remotely,...
by Peter Boonshaft | Nov 17, 2020 | Boonshaft's Blog
Of all the tools we have as teachers, wouldn’t you agree that praise certainly numbers among the most powerful. When students feel pride in their accomplishments from us praising them, they will sense their success. They need to know when we are happy and pleased with...