by Peter Boonshaft | Oct 24, 2016 | Boonshaft's Blog
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...
by Peter Boonshaft | Oct 17, 2016 | Boonshaft's Blog
“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...
by Peter Boonshaft | Oct 10, 2016 | Boonshaft's Blog
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...
by Peter Boonshaft | Oct 4, 2016 | Boonshaft's Blog
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...
by Peter Boonshaft | Sep 26, 2016 | Boonshaft's Blog
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...
by Peter Boonshaft | Sep 21, 2016 | Boonshaft's Blog
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...