Commentary

Tired of Box Drills? Try Flip Flops (Not the Shoes)

Slides, or lateral marching, is one of the more challenging fundamentals to teach in marching band.

2019 Resolutions for the New School Year

Forget the New Year starting January 1. Ever since I was a student, the year, for me, ran along the school year, from September through June, then two months off for summer, and then the new year would start again in September when the school year began anew.

Kabalevsky: Beyond the Comedians’ Galop

In the ancient folklore of people living in the middle of Russia, Earth rests on three whales which separate it from water and the underworld.

Demystifying ESSA

You’ve heard of the Every Student Succeeds Act (more commonly known as ESSA). How does it impact school music programs? What states have had success, and what does every music educator and advocate need to know about it?

Is It Time to Retire?

When Should I Retire from Teaching?

This is a personal question only YOU can answer…This choice may be uppermost in your mind and relevant NOW, especially if you are within a couple years of that so-called “retirement age.”

Advising Student Musicians on a Career in Music

There comes a time in some student musicians’ lives when they give thought to pursuing a professional music career.

10 Rules for Overcoming Stage Fright

Many years ago, when I was a junior in high school, our concert band director who was my private clarinet teacher, told me at a lesson that I had pretty much nailed Carl Maria von Weber’s Concertino for Clarinet.

College Music Internships

An internship can be one of the most rewarding experiences of a college education.

Expanding Creativity In Your Program: Developing an Entrepreneurial Spirit

In music, students are capable of achieving unimaginable levels of success. Frequently, we underestimate what our students are capable of achieving, given the right environment.

Building a Lasting Lineage Through Mentorship

More than two decades after graduation, I still try to grab a drink with my middle and high school jazz band director Dick Rabideau when I’m back home in Plattsburgh, New York.

Top 10 Qualities of an Effective Band or Orchestra Conductor

We all have had teachers we remember because they had an impact on us in some wonderful way in school.

Increasing Upper-line Instruments in Your Music Program

Growing up (yes, I am old), I remember my dad stopping at the gas station by the soft serve ice cream shop.