Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning

No matter how many years I teach, I always feel the same excitement around a fresh start and trying new things. There are certain parts of my routine that I like coming back to—things I like to keep the same—but there are always a few things I’m ready to change in my teaching when the new year rolls around. I've learned a few things over the past few years and asking the questions, “What’s working...

You know the feeling: Lackluster. Laborious. Boring. Same old, same old. It’s easy to slip into a rut in rehearsals from time to time, but I think we can all agree: it’s not a great feeling. Feel like your rehearsals have gotten a bit monotonous lately? Here are a few reasons why this may be happening, plus some helpful strategies for getting out of that rut and back to making music with creativit...

Think about some of the great teachers you’ve observed or had the pleasure of working with throughout your life. What made them great? What separates them in your mind from other teachers you’ve had? One thing that I’ve noticed is that exceptional teachers have an innate ability to inspire and motivate those they teach. Their focus is not on the content, curriculum, or goals that they’ve set for t...

A few years ago, I finally got around to reading a book that was on my to-read list for a few years: Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink. The book is based on scientific research by people like Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, Carol Dweck, and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, among others, and provides insight into the role of motivation in our lives. Here are my three bigge...

Julia Child once said, "You’ll never know everything about anything, especially something you love." So true, right? The world is constantly changing and evolving and we need to be constantly changing, adapting, learning, and evolving along with it to be the best teachers we can be. Here are eight things you can do to continue developing your teaching skills this year. For show notes + a full tran...

I love setting goals, specifically ones that are intentional and strategic, and help me become a better version of myself; goals that have a purpose and a “why” behind them. Today, I want to talk about goal-setting in the context of our work as musicians and educators. Here are three questions to help you find clarity and direction this year. For show notes + a full transcript, click here . Resour...