#7. Repeating Directions

#7. Repeating Directions

I got into a routine, well, more like a rut. During rehearsals, after stopping to correct something. I would identity the problem spot, state what was troubling me, and what I wanted them to try. Then I would say something like: “Let’s go back to Letter...
#6. Where Are We Headed?

#6. Where Are We Headed?

“If we don’t change the direction we are going,” a Chinese proverb suggests, “we are likely to end up where we are heading.” Peter Loel Boonshaft, Director of Education KHS America About the Author Dr. Boonshaft is the author of the critically...
#5. Mr. Jacobs

#5. Mr. Jacobs

I recently met a young man – a college freshman – who excitedly talked about his goal of someday being a music teacher. I asked him about what led him to that decision. His answer was simple: “Mr. Jacobs, my sixth grade band director.” He went on to talk...
#4. One More Rehearsal

#4. One More Rehearsal

If you knew that your next rehearsal would be your last rehearsal, how would it be different? Time is a gift promised to no one. Peter Loel Boonshaft, Director of Education KHS America About the Author Dr. Boonshaft is the author of the critically acclaimed...
#3. Familiarity Breeds Ignoring

#3. Familiarity Breeds Ignoring

Choose one thing you regularly do in rehearsal. It could be anything: one phrase you say just before you start conducting, one activity you do in a warm-up, or one gesture you use a lot. Now think about whether it has impact. Anything used once has impact, but used...
#2. Habitual Sight

#2. Habitual Sight

Have you noticed yourself looking at the same few students as you teach or conduct? I do, and I find they fall into two categories: those who are always looking back at me, because it feels so wonderful to have that communication with them. Or, those kids that I fear...