Monthly Archives: November 2011

articulation

Posted on November 26, 2011 by mllama4

R – I say it as often as I can: “Singing is fun, but music is work. The reason we commit to the work is because it’s a labor of love.” Articulation is a sticky subject for me because if … Continue reading →

Posted in Music is work | Leave a comment

pop music

Posted on November 22, 2011 by mllama4

J – A teacher raised a question today.. Why don’t you perform pop music? I thought about it for a second. There are a lot of things I could have said, but this is what I came up with. 1. … Continue reading →

Posted in Programming | Leave a comment

arts dabble?

Posted on November 22, 2011 by mllama4

J – Each day, at school, I experience some of the most amazing and yet horrible emotions at the exact same moment in time. Every time my teaching is questioned I get a pit in my stomach, but I have … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy | Leave a comment

you are what you eat

Posted on November 19, 2011 by mllama4

R – I realized early in my career that taxpayers fall into two categories, and this was before the age of “Glee”: those that view their public school music programs as “entertainment” and those that don’t. And I don’t buy … Continue reading →

Posted in Programming | Leave a comment

warmups: reference points

Posted on November 12, 2011 by mllama4

R – Once upon a time as an undergraduate, you were hyperventilating over your conducting technique and trying to remember which way the darn right hand should slide on beat 2 in a three pattern, right? Do you still, or did … Continue reading →

Posted in Warmups | 2 Comments

advocacy and concert programs

Posted on November 9, 2011 by mllama4

R – Alrighty then, let’s say you’re a public school music teacher – pick your grade bracket –  concerned about advocacy. And let’s say you just are looking for any way at all to debunk the myriad myths people have about … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy | 2 Comments

Why vs. What

Posted on November 6, 2011 by mllama4

R – Too much lip service is given to music teachers’ philosophy of doing what they do. It’s P.C. to ask “what do you do”, but it’s viewed as confrontational to ask, “why do you do that?”. And that’s a shame. … Continue reading →

Posted in Etcetera | 1 Comment

warmups

Posted on November 5, 2011 by mllama4

R – School aged and adult choirs. I get it. The body and the voice have to warm up. But why then do bands warm up? I got the trumpet in my case, it takes 12 minutes for me to warm … Continue reading →

Posted in Warmups | 4 Comments

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Posted on November 5, 2011 by mllama4

R –  Okay, Jarika and I spend hours… HOURS… talking shop about choral music and music education. So here is a site for us to talk, vent, and articulate really obscure ideas without taking up a table at the Great Lost … Continue reading →

Posted in Etcetera | 1 Comment