Seven Signs of Successful Ensembles – Part I

Summer has afforded me the opportunity to think some thoughts without feeling overwhelmed. My thoughts on bands continue to be at the forefront of my mind. My vision for the future of music education in public and private schools includes a strong presence of the school band playing an integral part in building musicians, shaping attitudes towards the fine arts, […]

OMEA 2019

I am enjoying a few days in Cleveland, Ohio for the Ohio Music Educators Professional Development Conference. It is wonderful to reconnect with many of the great music educators I got to know in Eastern Ohio while teaching in Western Pennsylvania during the first 22 years of my career. It is equally fulfilling talking with new faces about opportunities within […]

New Music for 2018-19

It is hard to believe that summer is approaching August 1. Knowing that school is around the corner for many friends and colleagues in the band world, I wanted to share four new works that have been published that may be of interest to school bands during the upcoming school year. There is a great deal of variety between their […]

Happy Father’s Day!

Happy Father’s Day to friends and colleagues who are dads to their own children, and to their bands. I count myself blessed to have an earthly father, two grandfathers, a Heavenly Father, and several “band-dads” who have graciously mentored me on this path over the years. I am so thankful for my own father – a veteran, a farmer, a […]

Messiah Year 1: Lessons Remembered

I suppose that every now and then it is a good idea to have a first-time experience all over again. I didn’t really plan on having my first year teaching all over again in year number 23 of my career in music education, but it happened. There are still things that I don’t know that I don’t know, and it […]

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