Category Archives: Etcetera

nhmea

R – I had the joy of presenting two workshops and a reading session for the New Hampshire Music Educators state conference yesterday and it was a blast. Wonderful to see former students-now-teachers, friends and colleagues as we talked shop … Continue reading

Posted in Advocacy, Assessment, Etcetera, Standards | 2 Comments

denny

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 1

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

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…)

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

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

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

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letters from marv, part 2

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

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

think different show different be different

“Part of the art of teaching is the ability to rearrange the world for students – to force them to see things in a new way. I’ve known too many stupid intellectuals to believe that education and wisdom come as … Continue reading

Posted in Etcetera | 2 Comments