Remembering
I’m on a bit of a break from teaching and posting on the ComposeCreate blog, but I wanted to give thanks to some very important people on this very important day. I’d like to thank those who have sacrificed their […]
General
Distractions: From the same device for work and play
I struggle with distractions like everyone else, but as an entreprenuer and self-employed individual, distractions can mean a loss of money or the slowing of a project. Â I thought Seth Godin had a great explanation for my specific situation: One
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Interesting Odds and Ends
Since this is spring break for most students and teachers, I thought I’d take a break from our usual routine and throw out a few random, but useful thoughts and links. PianoAntics.com – Anne Crosby, the composer who has created
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Life after Graduate School: The Importance of a Mentor
This excerpt from “Life after graduate school: The importance of a Mentor” is written by Kristin Yost (soon to be featured in a series of ComposeCreate posts on finances). Â Kristin is the founder and executive director of Centre for Musical
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Your IQ: Preferring Instrumental over Vocal Music
I’m skeptical about studies like this, but I had a bit of fun this weekend mentioning this WSJ post to my vocal music loving husband. Â It seems that researchers found that higher IQ did predict a preference for instrumental over
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What Music Means to Me [Author Interview]
What Music Means to Me Project is a celebration of the value of music in education and quality of life. Â This project was started by Richard Rejino, a musician and photographer, in a most interesting way. Â You can read more
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Listening: The secret of great music performance
I am preparing to give a few workshops about motivating students to play more musically. My thesis has been that learning to listen and love a wide range of musical and non-musical sounds is one of the secrets to producing
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Memory Slips of the Pros
I was so encouraged when I read the article “Lapse” from New Music Box. It seems that composer Kevin Puts was performing as the soloist for his own premier of his Piano Concerto when he lost his place! Â Kevin writes,
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Making Music Come to Life: The Bear
Last week, I gave away the first of my erasable highlighters to 3 students who showed me that they were consistently “practicing smartly.” Â You can read more about how I structured this mini-incentive program here. Â I’m really excited about this
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Am I Creative?
Recently, I read an article on the Psychology Today website called, “How to be Creative: Can Creativity be Taught?” Though the article had some useful suggestions, something bothered me about this title. Â I realized that the reason I don’t
