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  • Colonel’s Book Club – Edition 9: The Total Teacher

    Thomas Palmatier | February 23, 2022The curse of the ninth is a superstition connected with the history of classical music. It is the belief that a ninth symphony is destined to be a composer’s last; that the composer will be fated to die while or after writing it, or before completing a tenth. Well, this is my ninth edition of […] Read More...
  • Why Does Music Advocacy Have a Cutoff Date?

    Thomas Palmatier | January 19, 2022Music educators and their numerous advocate groups have rightly stressed that music education is absolutely essential to a quality education for all students. If music is vital for 6- and 16-year-olds, why do we not seem to equally care about it for 26- or 66-year-olds? That our concern for ensuring access to music seems to […] Read More...
  • America’s Bandmasters – Captain Christina Muncey, United States Air Force Band

    SBO Staff | December 18, 2021Captain Christina Muncey currently serves as the assistant conductor of the United States Air Force Band in Washington, D.C., one of only 19 band officers in the Air Force.  She oversees the “Singing Sergeants” choir, as well as the band’s marketing, social media, and music production. Muncey’s first assignment was as assistant conductor at the […] Read More...
  • Once Again, It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

    Thomas Palmatier | December 18, 2021Regular readers of this column may recognize this is the fourth annual installment of a column with this theme. Just writing that made me look back and count my monthly SBO Magazine columns and the number is now 44. Reflecting on the incredible changes in all of our lives over nearly four years makes this […] Read More...
  • Colonel’s Book Club – Edition 8 – The Seven Dead Sins of Music Making

    Thomas Palmatier | November 12, 2021Another homerun!  In the April 2021 issue of SBO magazine I reviewed Richard Floyd’s first book, The Artistry of Teaching and Making Music, sbomagazine.com/colonels-book-club-edition-6/.   His latest book is The Seven Deadly Sins of Music Making, and it is equally fantastic.  More than a few authors when writing their second book end up recycling material […] Read More...
  • Learning to Be Better, Do Better

    Thomas Palmatier | October 9, 2021Over the past year or two, many Americans have been forced to examine our nation’s struggle to treat all Americans equally, regardless of race, ethnicity, and gender(s). Events such as the George Floyd murder made it impossible to ignore the daily obstacles and dangers faced by many Americans simply because of their color, gender, or […] Read More...
  • Making Investments Where They Count

    Thomas Palmatier | September 6, 2021“Don’t pay attention to what people say is important to them. Look at where they put their resources to see where their real priorities are.” – Lieutenant General (USA Retired) Michael D. Rochelle At the time I heard him say these words, he was Colonel Rochelle and he was my boss. His words stuck with […] Read More...
  • Colonel’s Book Club – Understanding How We Learn: A Visual Guide

    Thomas Palmatier | August 13, 2021For those readers who may be new to Colonel’s Book Club, I try to review books I think would be useful to school band and orchestra directors. These may include “how-to” books relating to the teaching of music, readings on how to lead and inspire others, or in this case, examining how students really learn […] Read More...
  • The Importance of Culture to the Music Educator

    Thomas Palmatier | July 10, 2021Editor’s Note: A version of this article will be a chapter in a new curriculum guide to be published by ASBDA, the American School Band Directors Association. Have you ever experienced suggesting a change to your ensemble and been met with awkward silence or even unreasonable resistance? Perhaps, you unknowingly went against the culture. What […] Read More...
  • Back to a Better Normal

    Thomas Palmatier | June 12, 2021As progress in vaccinating Americans continues and more of us return to in-person music instruction, there is talk in all walks of life about getting “back to normal.” However, why should we turn the clock back to 2019 when we have learned so much in the past year? I do a lot of teaching to […] Read More...
  • “Our Band Doesn’t Play Loud Enough!”

    Thomas Palmatier | May 4, 2021After noting that "this is one phrase I have never heard any musician utter," Colonel (Ret.) Thomas Palmatier shares his insightful experience on getting your students well-versed in dynamics and building their confidence to perform with an appropriately balanced volume. Read More...
  • Colonel’s Book Club, Edition 6

    Thomas Palmatier | April 6, 2021This edition of Colonel’s Book Club features Richard Floyd’s 2015 book, “The Artistry of Teaching and Making Music,” with its techniques, tips and philosophies tested in real band rooms. Read More...
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