Through the pandemic, there have been stories of success as directors reinvested and reinvented their approach to maximize reaching students and successively starting them in band. It is vital that directors examine and share these victories with the profession at large.
Trophies at competitions, degree of difficulty in the repertoire performed, or the number of performances completed will not determine the success of instrumental ensembles in music education in the immediate future.
Lost in the early stages of the pandemic, I wrote a piece for Dennis Emert’s Elementary Band from Fox Chapel for their performance at the 2020 PMEA Conference. Although we were disappointed that the debut was canceled, it was a pleasure visiting with he and his students virtually last spring. “Lonely Travelers” is a setting of the folk songs 900 […]
Where to perform? How to share the good work of your students? Some thoughts on “taking it (our music) to the streets” in Episode 21 of the The Two Minute Clinic.
President’s Day (as it became known in after the 1971 Uniform Monday Holiday Act) was first established in 1885 to recognize the birthday of the first President of the United States, George Washington (History.com editors, 2010). While the bill was being considered by Congress, it was proposed that Washington’s Birthday be renamed President’s Day as a way to pay tribute […]
