Things I wish you knew...

My brother recently sent me Today Show piece called “Things I Wish My Teacher Knew About Me.” The story was about a teacher who asked her second grade students to tell her something that they wished she knew about them. The results were equally heartwarming and alarming. You can watch the Today Show piece here. I wondered what it would look like to alter the question to be, “Things I wish my students and parents knew about me.” Or, “Things I wish my colleagues and administrators knew about me.”
 
Seeing this as a great topic for this week’s e-zine, I sat down and began to write. After about ten minutes of clacking keys, I realized that in my zeal to capture the moment, I was missing the point. This was an opportunity for me to share with you the things I wished you knew about me. So whether you like it or not, here goes.
 
I wish you knew...

• How nervous I still get each time I stand in front of a group of kids... really I do
• How AMAZING I think music kids are and even more amazing I think music teachers are
• How I think that the level of music education in this country is better than ever before
• How flying never gets old for me… never!
• How hard I try to present a different and authentic point of view that make people think
• How much time and effort my team and I put into these newsletters. Trying to be thought provoking, relevant, and entertaining each week is lots of pressure
• How much I love Atomic Fire Balls and Lemonhead candies
• How much of what you see of me is a reflection of my team (Julie, Clayton, Paul, & Leah).
• How much I miss seeing the same kids/students every day
• How truly fortunate I feel to get to do what I do… TRULY

I could share more, but honestly, I’m not sure you want me to.  If you want to share with me, I would like to know. What is something you wish I knew about you?

My buddy John is a thief!

In honor of "tax day," I share with you the following proclamation; my buddy John is a thief!

Don’t get me wrong, he’s a nice enough guy. He keeps his place looking good, has five great kids, and is willing to lend a hand when you need one. But during this time of year, he transitions from being a stand up guy to criminal.
He's not your typical smash and grab burglar or a professional pick-pocket. He's much slicker than that. He is what I call an "educational shoplifter." He takes the services of the public schools and doesn't fully pay for them.
 
Yes, John is a thief! Now, before you go speed-dialing 911, you should know that John isn’t all bad and has done a lot of good in this world. He served his country honorably for two decades as a helicopter pilot in the military. He is a good neighbor, keeps his yard nice, and is willing to lend you a hand when you need it. All in all, on the scale of goodness, John is a 10—that is, except for the fact that he’s a thief.
 
Folks, I am not saying that he belongs on the wall of the post office or an episode of Dateline, but let’s just say he’s closer to John Dillinger than John the Baptist.

Follow my logic:

       - He has five children that attend the public schools
       - Our state pays his kids school approximately $7,000 per annum to educate each child
        - With five children, the state spends up to 35,000 per year on his children
       - By the time all of his children graduate, we will have spent $420,000 on their education
       - He pays approximately $2,500 per year in property taxes
       - He would have to live in his house 168 years to pay the state back for what it spent
 
How is that not shoplifting? Follow me for a minute… If I were to walk into Target, pick a piece of clothing out that costs $24.95, slap down $12.35, and walk out with the item while indignantly accusing them of waste and fraud, wouldn’t they call the police? Wouldn’t I be tried and convicted for shoplifting? After all, I took and used a product without paying the full price for it.
 
John is right. Everybody wants something for nothing, especially when it comes to education. We live in a world where people want great schools, while paying low taxes. We want high quality teachers to perform for low salaries. We want a state of the art education to be taught in outdated facilities. We want 21st century knowledge with 20th century textbooks and technology. In other words, we expect things that we are unwilling to pay for. That is by definition “educational shoplifting.”   

America loves a deal. We want to feel like we got the most while paying the least and that is no different with our taxes. As a country, we have come to expect more from our schools than we are willing to pay for. But schools are not commodities and students are not a product. Teaching and learning is a process that can not be placed on a shelf and slapped with a sign that says 50% OFF SALE! Or, MAKE ME AN OFFER!
 
You can't return an education. You can't call customer support or go to the Genuis Bar to fix it when it's broken. We can't outsource it to Malaysia to cut costs. We have one shot with each child to get it right. One opportunity to make this "purchase" for a child. We have to get it right, every time, for every child. Education is a shared responsibility that must be fully borne by all, for the good of all, and not something that should be negotiated.
 
During this time of year, John never misses a chance to bemoan government waste and how they are wasting HIS hard earned money. He says we live in a "welfare state," where everybody expects something for nothing. Honestly, I couldn't agree more, which is why I told him to stop being such a crook and freeloader and start paying up!

As I said, my neighbor is an educational shoplifter and shouldn’t be trusted, but don't take my word for it, I have two kids, therefor I am one too.
 
Happy Tax Day!

Cootie Catchers and my junior high insecurities

Do you remember Cootie Catchers?  You know, those fold up note thingies you used in junior high school to get answers to uncomfortable questions you were afraid to ask like:

Did you do your homework?
Can I copy it?
Do you like me?
Will you be beating me up later today?
 
The piece of paper that was the Cootie Catcher gave me a false sense of courage and anonymity and allowed me to ask uncomfortable questions without having to say the words out loud. Sure, it was no Magic Eight Ball, but then again, there is mystical powers behind that bad boy!
 
Miss it? Well don't, because the Cootie Catcher is alive and well. It just has a different name.

Email and texting are the modern day Cootie Catchers. Like their folded paper counterpart, technology allows people to respond (or not) in ways that they would not in person. The distance provided by space, time, and Al Gore (come on, that was funny!) changes our behaviors in unintended ways. Like junior high school students, we tend to hide behind our thumbs and fingers when things get uncomfortable. Whether out of convenience or cowardice, the result are often the same, we change the way we behave and treat people.

Making music is different. Making music is interactive. Making music is felt and experienced on a physical, emotional and spiritual level. When we make music we are exposed and have nothing to hide behind. Making music helps us to communicate through a shared human experience. Making music forces us to say something that can't be masked, misinterpreted, forwarded, blind copied, or posted to Instagram. This, among other reasons, is why we make music and why every child should be involved in it’s pursuit.

I am an avid user of technology but part of me wishes we could dump it all and return to Cootie Catchers. At least people would have to look me in the eye and respond.

I miss that.
 

Were huge in Poland

Yes, that’s right, Poland!

As a part of our look back/look forward for Be Part of the Band, my team and I recently sat down and reviewed our website and app stats. We were blown away by what we found and had no idea of the depth and breadth that this project had achieved. Imagine our surprise when we discovered that in the past months the website has had over 45,000 video plays from users in all 50 states and over 100 countries! The app has over 5,500 downloads and is averaging more than 100 video plays per day!

Yep, you read that right, over one hundred countries! It turns out we had significant traffic from places such as England, France, Australia, Brazil, Germany, France, Singapore, and beyond.  Sure, North Korea still remains an opportunity for significant growth for us, but we put in a call to Kim Jong-un and it turns out that he does not allow the internet, so we will take a pass on this one.

This just goes to show that young people making music doesn’t stop at the doors of our practice facility, but extends beyond our borders and into virtually every space where young people gather to learn. The world may be in crisis, but in every corner of our planet young people of all races, colors, and creeds are learning to work together and make music.

Suddenly, I feel better.

Spring Broken

Honestly, I think we should declare the week after spring break "SPRING BROKEN!" I mean, the past tense of “break” is broken, right? And, anyone who has seen a post spring break rehearsal knows that something is broken!

I know that most of the country is ready for spring but be careful what you wish for! With the onset of warmer temperatures comes the natural beauty of Mother Nature and the unnatural things that come with it; hormonal teenagers, inappropriate clothing, field trips, prom assemblies, yearbook signing events, and the dreaded, non-fatal disease, senioritis. I wish we could forget about Ebola and work on a vaccine for this!

With all of the interruptions that impede teaching and learning, it's easy to get frustrated with the lack of progress by your groups. Having been there myself, allow me to offer some unsolicited advice: pick your battles carefully and you will win the war.  
 
Take time each week to remind your students (and yourself) of your expectations. Acknowledge the many distractions, academic and otherwise, and tell them that you understand how crazy this time of year is. Lesson plan along side the school calendar and look for anything that will interrupt your rehearsal process. Don’t forget to think about the non-scheduled interruptions (like senior ditch day) and plan appropriately for those too. Hint: ditch day is a GREAT day to announce events/show themes for next year. This will not only make your groups more productive but also save your sanity.

You can fight your way through this seasonal period of chaos, but I think now is a good time to remember the old adage, “Be willing to lose the battle so you can win the war!”

The Opportunity of Inequity

In a world that places a premium on individuality, education stands out as a place where conformity and continuity are the accepted norm. Whatever their dreams and desires, students are placed in educational tracts where very little room is afforded for individual skills and interests.

Despite varying abilities, students in a given class are given the same texts, administered the same tests, and complete the same homework assignments. While we often hear about the individual child, our school systems are structured in a way that confines and constrains learning because of this "one size fits all" approach.
 
Except in music…

In music, personal ownership and educational individuality is a common  as varied as the instruments, and the people who play them. In most music classes, the traditional barriers of age and curricula tracts give way to place each child where they will experience success and then challenge them to reach for more. Students can rise or fall as high or as low as their talent, work ethic, and desire will take them. Students who work harder in music are afforded greater musical challenges and performing opportunities. Conversely, students who struggle are given challenges equivalent to their skills.

Whether due to part assignment, ensemble placement, or outside opportunity, the result is the same; each student is in charge of his or her own educational experience, both inside your class and outside as well. Those who seek leadership are given greater responsibilities. Honor ensembles are in the offering for those willing to commit to extra practicing. Private lessons are readily available to children of all skill levels. Small ensemble festivals can place even rudimentary players in skill appropriate ensembles.

In most curricular ares, the outcomes and objectives are clearly prescribed.  The scope, sequence, and schedule are set in stone and are not easily adjusted for any class much less any individual child. But with the curse of discrimination (last week’s newsletter) comes the blessing of opportunity.

In short, a student's musical education and experience is largely what they choose to make of it. And isn’t empowering student learning what education is all about?

As I said last week, with every curse comes a blessing, and this blessing opportunity outweighs the curse on inequality.

Have a great week!

Al Sharpton and the Concert Bass Drum

It’s late at night and it's been a long day of travel and speaking. As I sit and await my plane, the news channels are alive with yet another issue relating to race relations in America. Tempers are short and speeches are long as the pundits sift through it all. As I gaze at the TV in a sleep deprived stupor, I wonder how long it will be before someone pickets us?

Historically, the arts, and music in particular have led the way in accepting all people as equals. Whether we are talking color, gender, age, faith, or personal choice, music has long been considered a space where ALL persons are valued equals.

Yes, music may be “color blind” but that does not mean it doesn’t discriminate.
 
As an educator, you would never consciously offer a lesser experience or opportunity to any child based on extraneous circumstances. It would be unconscionable and illegal. And yet, we do it every day. How so?

In music, we don’t discriminate based on the person, we do it based on pitch.
Typically speaking, does a tubaist graduate with the same musical skills as a flautist?
Do most compositions offer similar musical challenges to a bari-sax as it does an alto?
Are your all-region etudes the same level of difficulty for all instruments?
Will the same audition score yield the same result on violin as it does on bass?
If the music is our curricula, can you name another subject that gives different textbooks to different students in the same class?
Do we offer equal challenges and performance opportunities to every student?
You don’t need a doctoral dissertation to see this. Pick up any score on your podium and flip through the pages. If you believe that the greater the challenge, the greater the learning opportunity, then the abundance of black ink at the top of the score clearly presents an inequality for the folks on the bottom of the score. After all, when was the last time you said,“...for the love of goodness, can you PLEASE take the concert bass drum home and practice?"
 
As I said, the lower the pitch, the lesser the challenge. It doesn't get much lower than bass drum.
 
Now, before you go all Al Sharpton on me, I know that you aren’t doing this intentionally and that I am just as guilty of this as anyone. I understand that the level of demand we place on our students has to do with other factors such as blend, balance, and harmonic structure. I get that you didn’t write the music and method books your students use. But it does not change the fact that in music, we discriminate. We have to consider the possibility that intentional or not, the "back of the room" could be viewed by your students as the "back of the bus," a place of second class status.
 
I have always believed that for every curse there's a blessing, and this is no exception. Buried within all of this is a silver lining and I will share it with you next week. Or maybe I will just share it with my treble clef friends. I don’t expect as much of you “low” people!
 
Then again, I’m a drummer and it doesn't get much lower than that.
 
Have a great week!

Sausages, laws and drum heads

"Two things you don’t want to see made are sausages and laws"
                                                              -  Otto von Bismark

(Editors note: There is some discord among some scholars who believe the aforementioned quote originated with John Godfrey Saxe. In the interest of academic integrity, I decided to do some extensive research, and by research I mean I looked it up on Wikipedia. Then, in the middle of the first paragraph, I decided that I didn't really care and moved on.)
 
On a recent trip back east, I had the opportunity to spend some time with John D’Addario III, the President and third generation head of the family owned D’Addario company. (D’Addario Strings, Pro-Mark, Evans Drum Heads, etc…) At the conclusion of our meeting, he asked me if I wanted a tour of their factory. I’m not going to lie, my inner geek (some might argue not so inner) was very excited at the possibility of a backstage pass to how musical equipment is made.

For the next two and a half hours we wandered in and out of two football sized warehouses full of impressive machinery and the incredible people who operate it. I was blown away by the size and scope of it all. Aisle after aisle and row after row of high tech machinery was dedicated to the sole purpose of producing a single perfect violin string or drum stick. It was incredible.

In all of my years in music education, I had never had the opportunity to go behind the iron curtain and see how and where musical equipment is made and I was fascinated. Honestly, prior to that day, I had never really considered how much blood, sweat, and tears goes into making the things that we use for our blood, sweat, and tears. I was also impressed by John’s passion, knowledge, and commitment to excellence. His college degree might be in marketing, but his passion for music education rivaled that of of any teacher or conductor I have ever met. It truly was an “aha” moment.

Otto Bismark may have been right about laws and breakfast foods, but I assure you that the same doesn’t hold true for musical instruments.

Thanks to John, his crew and everyone else who works hard so we can practice hard.
 
To see the video of how strings are made, click here

To see a video of how a drum sticks and heads are made, click here.
 
 

We want to enroll 1,000,000 children in music

Whew, that felt good to get off my chest.

A couple of weeks ago, we said that we had a secret. A secret so big that we were dying to tell, but just couldn’t. Well, it’s not a secret anymore.

Nearly four years after it’s first inception, we are proud to announce that Be Part of the Band has come full circle and is becoming Be Part of the Music, a K-12, cross-curricular (band/choir/orchestra) recruitment and retention solution. This audacious project hopes to replicate the successes achieved with band in all curricular areas (choir/band/orchestra) while also increasing the retention rate from grade to grade.

The project will begin production this summer, and our goal is to have the first components available for the start of school next year. The complete roll out will take a few years, but trust us when we say that we are already hard at work. As with Be Part of the Band, these materials will be available FREE of charge and available to download on the web.
 
We could not have done this without the generous support of our corporate partners (listed alphabetically) at the American String Teachers Association, Jupiter Instruments, Music for All, NAfME, St. Louis Music and Yamaha. Without their support we simply could not be doing this.
 
Next time you buy an instrument, or pay your dues, know that you are also supporting this incredible project. We are not completely funded yet, but with their support we know that we can and will get there. If there is someone you think we should be talking to, contact us and let us know.

There will be more information in the coming months, but for now, as you are in the midst of your recruiting and registration process, know that there are a lot of people and companies by your side and rooting for you, because without you, your students would never know what it’s like to Be Part of the Music.

Hope our little announcement has helped to make your day a little brighter. Have a great rest  of the week.

America's Snow Day

As we speak, most of America is in the grip of one of the largest winter storms ever recorded.  With so many schools closed, my unofficial observation tells me that today may be the largest "snow day" in the history of our country.

So what do music teachers do on a "snow day?"  They turn it into a "work from home day."  Believe it or not, my inbox is overflowing and my phone has been ringing off the hook with directors who are using today to catch up and get ahead.  Really? As long as you are working, (you're reading this email aren't you?) I thought I would help you fight off the winter chill with some warm thoughts.
 
Like many of you, I watch the evening news to get a glimpse of what is happening in the world. Last night, I was inspired by a story of thousands of people standing as one against ISIS/ISIL. My fixation was not just on WHAT they were protesting, but HOW they were protesting...through song.  It turns out that in the Middle East, music is the force that can bridge gaps of geography, language, education and religion among the people. Music is their common cultural thread and has been for thousands of years.

When you teach music, you teach more than notes on a page. You teach self-discipline and personal expression. You teach values and give a sense of belonging. You connect children to other children not just in your classroom, but to children halfway across the world.  Something to think about and perhaps talk to your students about as you return to your classrooms.

Now do yourself and your students a favor. Step away from the computer, play with your children, and take a long nap.  Trust me, wrong notes, bad tone, broken reeds, and lost music will still be there tomorrow.

Take care, be safe, and stay warm and if your still on a snow day, go do something fun!
 Interesting Image

Scott

p.s.  We interrupted our previously written email to bring you this not so important weather update. We will return to our regularly scheduled broadcast next week with an announcement that will blow your socks off! Seriously, be prepared and wear two pair of socks next Wednesday. In case you hadn't noticed, it's cold out there!