Author Archives: mllama4

denny

Posted on March 22, 2014 by mllama4

R – In a few hours I’ll be heading up to Orono to catch a concert. It’s a particularly special one. Dr. Dennis Cox is one of the formative figures in my life, and he will be retiring this Spring … Continue reading →

Posted in Etcetera | 3 Comments

concerts and reflective thinking – part 2

Posted on March 15, 2014 by mllama4

R – One of the wonderful things to happen in my career has been the establishment of the grassroots, Maine Arts Assessment Initiative. The mission statement is, “Creating an environment in Maine where quality assessment in arts education is an integral … Continue reading →

Posted in Performance, Rehearsal, Standards | 4 Comments

concerts and reflective thinking – part 1

Posted on March 8, 2014 by mllama4

R – I’ve been meaning to write this blog post for over a year now and I’m pretty pumped about finally doing so. Every semester my choirs perform two concerts – the same one replicated over again for a different … Continue reading →

Posted in Etcetera | 4 Comments

epiphany

Posted on January 25, 2014 by mllama4

R – After two and a half years of verbose blog postings, here’s a nice brief one for you! This thought came to me a couple of Wednesdays ago while I was drinking my morning coffee and just waking up: … Continue reading →

Posted in Etcetera | 1 Comment

three strikes part 2 (and 3, and 4, and…)

Posted on January 11, 2014 by mllama4

R – “The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something” – Randy Pausch. Last week I did my best to articulate … Continue reading →

Posted in Etcetera, Music is work | 1 Comment

three strikes part 1

Posted on January 4, 2014 by mllama4

R – One of the great joys of my life is catching up with alumni who have moved on and begun their adult lives. Over vacation I had a chance to sit down with one of my alum who is … Continue reading →

Posted in Etcetera | 3 Comments

new years resolutions

Posted on December 28, 2013 by mllama4

R – Tis the season for New Year’s resolutions, right? So here are my top ten music teacher resolutions for 2014. Here we go! 10) remember that process is more important, and more fun, than product 9) be less weird … Continue reading →

Posted in Etcetera | Leave a comment

letters from marv, part 2

Posted on December 14, 2013 by mllama4

R – Here is the second set of excerpts from of a set of articles I published just over 20 years ago for the Vermont Choral Directors association. In part 1 I gave some background on Marv and his impact … Continue reading →

Posted in Etcetera, Performance, Programming, Rehearsal | Leave a comment

letters from marv, part 1

Posted on November 30, 2013 by mllama4

R – Everybody needs (deserves) a mentor. I’ve had several who helped mold me into the director I am today. But when I began my career as a choral director, I found an amazing one; someone who challenged me intellectually … Continue reading →

Posted in Etcetera, Performance, Programming, Rehearsal | 1 Comment

the case for letter grades(?)

Posted on November 9, 2013 by mllama4

R – Jacob Shore is a literature Professor at Wagner College in New York. I came across an article he wrote for globalpost.com, in which he carries the argument that letter grades should not be banned in schools. My rebuttal is the … Continue reading →

Posted in Assessment, Standards | 3 Comments