For Teachers: Fostering Student Leadership
Each year we have an award ceremony at my school where we nominate students who have demonstrated leadership qualities. I have to say that every year this award causes me to stop, think, and ask some questions. What does leadership look like? How…
Favorite Christmas and Holiday Collections for Orchestra
I’m sure most school orchestras and music directors are in the midst of preparing music for a winter concert. Undoubtedly, we push and put so much energy and work into that winter performance. Following the performance, we might have a…
6 Practice Tips for Students Part II
In last week’s post, we explored 6 simple tips for effective practice. In this week’s post, we will continue to talk about practice and share some helpful practice tips. These are in no particular order, but are some thoughts on…
Simple Improv Ideas For Orchestra
This past summer I pursued an idea I have been ruminating about for a long time – a jazz string camp. I called it the String Improv Workshop. You can read more about it here. I had a small, but…
How To Start A Jazz Or Improv Based String Orchestra
For the past two years I’ve led an after school string ensemble at my school focused on jazz and improvisation. I called it the Jazz String Orchestra. Unfortunately, this year I was not able to hold that ensemble, but I…
Tips For Creating Clear Performance Assessment Rubrics
Musicians are masters at assessment. We assess our personal music making and those of our students constantly and make real time adjustments and observations. Live performance is an “in the moment” creation. During a performance, musicians are called to listen,…