Leadership TipsMay 2024 | May 5, 2024The end of this school year is near, and it’s the perfect time for the selection of next year’s student leadership team. During the application or audition process, I encourage educators to include a peer-teaching component, an essay application, a performance element, and an interview. If you have already completed your auditions, you can still […] Read More...
The Lies I Told Myself
Jazz FocusMay 2023 | May 11, 2023Self – talk is something we all do. We can be in denial about things we need to do differently, or we might even have an overly high view of ourselves. Sometimes it fills in the gaps in our perceptions with worst case scenarios and we can end up becoming paralyzed with anxiety. Often, it […] Read More...
Lead Before You Lead
CommentaryFebruary 2023 | February 19, 2023February and March are busy times with festivals and concerts, and it is also a time where students begin to look ahead to leadership auditions in the spring and summer. Leadership applications may include essays, an interview, letters of recommendation, a performance audition, teaching a peer, and possibly even a service project. While the actual […] Read More...
A New Year and a New SBO+
January 2023Perspective | January 15, 2023As we look back at 2022 and ahead to 2023, it’s hard to underestimate the changes SBO+ has gone through. Our long-time editor, Mike Lawson, became owner and publisher. Soon after, I was “voluntold” (one of my favorite Army words), I’d be moving from a monthly columnist to editor, and just a few months after […] Read More...
Thanks for Creating Safe Spaces
June 2022Perspective | June 14, 2022In this issue of SBO we feature a unique perspective on the role of travel in a music program. Tom Merrill is first and foremost an accomplished music educator, and though he now works in the travel industry, he challenges us to think of why we travel. Answering this question might reveal very different answers […] Read More...
The Power of Music
May 2022Perspective | May 2, 2022We’re pleased to bring you the first in a multi-part series looking at trends in the wind orchestra compiled by Johan de Meij and featuring leading composers and conductors from around the world. Our June issue will bring you the winners of the annual SBO essay contest and will also discuss how travel can be […] Read More...
Introduction to Case-making and Systems Change in Arts & Cultural Education
AdvocacyMarch 2022 | March 18, 2022I am a lifetime advocate for music and arts education. In more recent years – especially since 2020 – as the whole world shifted, I witnessed the arts serving as a vehicle for society to grapple with these changes. So, my perspective has grown. I am an advocate for arts and cultural education and its powerful […] Read More...
Happy New Year!
January 2022Perspective | January 19, 2022This begins my eighth year at the helm of SBO Magazine, and soon we will make some more announcements about some exciting changes coming your way. As I ease into the role of publisher, that is, running the business of five magazines and all that entails each month, I have been seeking wise counsel and […] Read More...
Carnegie Hall Announces Complete Schedule for Afrofuturism Festival Feb-Mar ’22
News | January 18, 2022Citywide Festival Kicks Off at Carnegie Hall on February 12 with Flying Lotus, followed by Sun Ra Arkestra with Kelsey Lu and Moor Mother; Nicole Mitchell and Angel Bat Dawid; Chimurenga Renaissance and Fatoumata Diawara; Carl Craig Synthesizer Ensemble; and Theo Croker Festival features 80+ Events Including Many Presented by Prestigious Partner Institutions Extending Scope of Festival with Exhibitions, Talks, Films, Theater, and Online Offerings […] Read More...
Official Entry Form
| December 15, 2021Open to Students in ANY type of public or private k-12 school instrumental “band” program… orchestra, symphony, jazz band, mariachi, wind band, marching band, concert band, modern band, literally any kind of “instrumental” program. We use the synonymous term “band” for any programs taught in school instrumental programs, regardless of genre or discipline. Read More...
I’m Changin’ All Those Changes
November 2021Perspective | November 12, 2021The old saying, “The only constant in life is change” is swinging into action with SBO under my new ownership, mostly a shuffling of a few things. First, we adjusted the timing of the SBO Scholarship Essay Contest, and will announce it and mail a poster with the December 2021 issue. The essay contest will conclude the end […] Read More...
