This year, I’ve decided to make “Creativity at Christmas” my theme for this year’s Christmas recital. I have a whole list of creative projects that students will be encouraged to participate in and many of these will be shared at […]
A Fun Christmas Jingle Bells Project Read More »
Here’s a great thought to follow-up the post: Why Are Adults Less Creative? ‘I’m a big believer in boredom,’ [Steve Jobs] told me. Boredom allows one to indulge in curiosity, he explained, and “out of curiosity comes everything.” The man
Boredom and Curiosity Read More »
The Never Say This post has generated a lot of discussion. It’s been wonderful to hear what so many of you are asking your students to help discover whether they really understand a concept. It’s also been good to hear
Never Say This – Part 2 Read More »
A fellow teacher suggested that it might be helpful to know what units in Rhythm Menagerie a student should cover when preparing for the Kansas Music Progressions, Washington Musicianship Exams, and North Idaho Musicianship Festival. So, I thought I’d make
Music Progressions and Rhythm Menagerie Read More »
Last week, I shared the form my students use to record the titles of their Practically Perfect Performance Pieces. Today, I thought I’d share the form that we use for their WTL pieces. These are pieces that they “want to
When a giant figure like Steve Jobs dies, everyone feels a need to comment. Of course, writing or commenting often helps us process our grief and shock in sad moments like these. But, sifting through the volume of comments and
Learning from Giants Read More »
I’m always reading articles on creativity and last week, I came across a quote about asking questions and curiosity. This obviously applies to parenting and teaching, but I wondered, “What does can this teach us as adults about how to
Why Are Adults Less Creative? Read More »
Here’s a wonderful composition contest to enter for all my composer friends: This $5000 cash prize is presented annually to an ASCAP concert composer for a work requiring a conductor that has not been performed professionally. A jury of conductors
Rudolf Nissim Prize: $5,000 Read More »
MTNA has announced that grant applications are now available for the 2012 MTNA Teacher Enrichment Grants. The purpose of the Teacher Enrichment Grants is to provide assistance to music teachers for private study, specific college-level course work or other projects
MTNA Teacher Enrichment Grants Read More »
I’ve had several teachers ask what the PPPPiece is that I refer to at the bottom of the new Assignment Journal. It stands for “Practically Perfect Performance Pieces” and each of my students have received a chart to put at
The Great Fuzzy Event of 2026!
You will not believe what we released at this premier event! Four new Fuzzies solos, a new and FREE incentive program, summer ideas, new resources and so much more! Even the replay is super fun!
