A busy week – in the stretch of a busy month of thinking… On Tuesday, I will be taking students to audition for our District Honor Band at Westminster College. It is always an anxiety filled time for them, and easy to lose site of the fact auditions are the test of our growth, not our worth (see I believe […]
Just in time for your labor day fun – the September edition of the Music Education Blog Carnival is here! It is very exciting to host, but it is even more exciting having nearly 100 submissions! There are so many of us now in this stream of communication and media that are making a difference by our professional development, reading, […]
This week I began researching interpretation and feeling as part of my work at Kent State. At first glance, they seemed unrelated. However, the more I began reading perspectives of different composers and conductors, my conclusion is that great interpretation does not just recreate the composer’s intent but rather conveys feelings that the composer intended. The sources abounded including Mark […]
Ironically enough my readings this past week at Kent State, a Facebook discussion thread, and Valentine’s Day collided at spawned this post. Pushing students to achieve levels of tonal and rhythmic accuracy is important – it is all part of getting them to a point where they have the technical proficiency they need to execute the big fundamental structure of […]
It was awesome getting a call from Corky Whitacre the other day – the Naples Concert Band will be performing American Visions on their November concert. I also received notice that Irish Jig For Young Feet will be performed at the Midwest Clinic this December. The performace at Midwest will be given by the VanderCook College of Music Symphonic Band. […]
