It's that time of year—the last month of the calendar year and the first of a new liturgical year. The old and the new. An ending and a beginning.
Editorial: Sometimes, It's Not About Getting Things Done
Editorial: A Whole String of Failures
Editorial: Remember Why You Create
Editorial: Lessons From Pizza Night
Here's something you may not know about me: I love pizza. It's been my favorite food since I was 5, as illustrated in a construction-paper preschool project about my favorite things (macaroni and cheese was a strong contender).
We've learned a lot from pizza nights, but we're still tweaking our process. This is true for our teaching practice, as well. We're always experimenting, evaluating, and studying the outcomes.
Editorial: Only Keep the Gold
Last week, I watched an interview with American poet Amanda Gorman. She recounted her experience writing the inaugural poem earlier this year: "I set a really high standard for myself," she said. "Only keep the gold. You're going to create a lot of bronze and a lot of silver in these writing sessions, but only keep the gold so you can say what needs to be said in your six minutes.'"
Here’s how I think that applies to our work as musicians and teachers.
Editorial: Hope is the Thing with Feathers
Editorial: Staying Connected
Last month, we marked one year of the pandemic. For me, this means one year of teaching solely online (an estimated 1,000 Zoom lessons!).
In the beginning, it was an adjustment for all of us.
We learned the ins and outs of Zoom ("Is 'original sound' turned on?"), my students sent me their completed theory pages via text, and we held our first virtual recital.
We figured out how to position our devices next to our instruments, brought in lamps from other rooms for evening lessons, and uploaded recordings back and forth on Google Drive. I learned how to create and send digital assignment sheets (look for a blog post on that next week!) and purchased an entire set of my favorite sight-reading curriculum so I could have copies to reference at home.
We've come a long way.
Editorial: The Gift of a Melody
Last week, I set a goal to include one creative activity (composing or improvising) in every lesson – 22 total.
Here's a simple activity I used with my older students:
Play two notes (I usually start on Middle C, then choose an interval that's accessible for the student). Name the first note.
Have your student play both notes, then add a third. Then, it's your turn again.
Play all three notes, then add a fourth.
Continue taking turns, playing the melody and adding one new note each time until you come to a natural resolution (or you forget what you created!). (source)
Editorial: Do One Thing Well
We're one month into 2021. Can you believe it?
Whether you're making great strides toward achieving your goals or still trying to find your way in this new year, here's my February challenge for you:
Choose one thing to focus on this month. One thing you want to improve in your teaching or a musical skill you want to cultivate.
Whatever it is, find a few new ways to introduce it and demonstrate it in your lessons and rehearsals this month or carve out some time to work on this new skill on your own.
