I'm standing in the middle of the music classroom. Two brothers sit side by side on the piano bench, rehearsing the duet they're preparing for our Spring recital. It's our first coaching session together.
Editorial: When There Are No Easy Answers
I've been reading The Next Right Thing by Emily P. Freeman. The book is about making decisions and creating space for your soul to breathe and I don't know about you, but I can always use the reminder that my soul needs to breathe.
Editorial: Time to Improvise
Editorial: The Practice of Paying Attention
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.
