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Get Real!
Dr. Matthew Arau | April 8, 2024Have you ever felt you needed to be someone you’re not to earn respect and admiration? I know I have. There were times in my life when I pretended to be like someone else because that’s what I thought I needed to do to fit in. Through the school of hard knocks and personal experience, […] Read More... -
Giving Feedback and Feedforward
Dr. Matthew Arau | March 30, 2024Student leaders can raise the bar for everyone in the group through teaching their peers and giving constructive feedback and feedforward. Feedback focuses on what was just demonstrated and points out what went well and what needs to be improved. Feedforward focuses on solutions and moving toward a goal rather than focusing on what is […] Read More... -
Conflict Resolution Solutions
Dr. Matthew Arau | February 19, 2024Have you ever asked yourself the question, “Can’t we all just get along?” I certainly have, but the truth is in any organization or ensemble, disagreements, struggles, and conflict will arise just by the sheer fact that groups are composed of individuals. The question then is not whether conflict will happen, the question is how […] Read More... -
Leadership Resolutions
Dr. Matthew Arau | January 8, 20242024 is here and with the arrival of January, many of us have taken the time to write out New Year’s Resolutions. This is the perfect opportunity to reset and re-chart our course for the remainder of the school year. When we resolve to do something, we commit with all our will and sincerity. A […] Read More... -
The Gift of Presence
Dr. Matthew Arau | December 11, 2023When I was a young kid, I remember how excited I felt the morning of Christmas, waking up early and running into the living room to see what my stocking was stuffed with and to begin unwrapping my gifts. As I got older, I still enjoyed receiving but I also enjoyed giving gifts and seeing […] Read More... -
Shine!
Dr. Matthew Arau | November 1, 2023Change is in the air. This time of year, we experience the change of seasons from fall to winter and many of our music programs are in transition from marching band to concert band season or knee-deep in preparations for a holiday or winter concert. Although it can be easy to just move from one […] Read More... -
Let Go
Dr. Matthew Arau | October 15, 2023Autumn is here and with that, the leaves on the trees change colors from green to oranges, reds, and yellows, and as the wind whistles through the trees, the leaves let go of the branches and fall gracefully to the ground. For the trees to re-bloom, the trees must shed what they don’t need in […] Read More... -
Be a Thermostat!
Dr. Matthew Arau | September 10, 2023Do you ever wake up in the morning, check the temperature for the day on your phone, groan inwardly, and wish you could change the weather? Unfortunately, a thermometer can’t change the temperature, it simply measures and reports the weather. On the other hand, when the weather outside is uncomfortable, thankfully, we can adjust the […] Read More... -
You’re Welcome!
Dr. Matthew Arau | August 20, 2023School is starting and the new students, filled with excitement and nervousness, are walking into our music or theater classes for the first time. They are wondering, “is this class going to be fun, is the teacher going to be nice, what are the other students like, and will I feel welcome?” We, the educators, […] Read More... -
What’s the Big Idea?
Dr. Matthew Arau | July 16, 2023July is here and with the start of the school year just around the corner this is the perfect time to prepare student leaders for the road ahead. Before you dive straight into goal setting, responsibilities, and action steps with students, put on the brakes for a moment to ask, “What’s the BIG IDEA?” What […] Read More... -
Listen Up!
Dr. Matthew Arau | March 13, 2023The greatest leaders listen more than they speak. And it’s not just listening, it’s how they listen. They listen to understand, to show they care, to show they are interested, and to learn. And they listen to show they value what others have to say and think. Everyone you lead wants to feel seen, valued, […] Read More...
