Don Quixote and my holiday lights.

Christmas lights are my nemesis. They are the windmills to my Don Quixote. They are the Frazier to my Muhammad Ali. They are the Doofenshmirtz to my Perry the Platypus (You have to watch Phineas & Ferb, my favorite kids show). Hanging holiday lights should be a joyous time filled with the Christmas spirit, and yet for me, it somehow turns out to be more akin to the furnace fighting scene from A Christmas Story.

It wasn’t always this way. We used to be tight, holiday lights and me. I used to look forward to hanging them up every year. I would blare holiday music while joyfully hanging my illuminated decorations from every conceivable nook and cranny. Think Christmas Vacation on steroids, and yes, I would be Chevy Chase. Yep, I loved me some holiday lights… well, that was until our falling out four years ago.  "What happened?” you ask.  
 
I switched to some new fangled computer controlled LED bulbs.

I could tell you I did it for the environment. I could tell you I did it because it was getting harder to find replacement bulbs. Yes, I could tell you this and more, but it would be a lie.
 
I did it because I love holiday lights and these were SUPER cool! They did all sorts of nifty stuff and were pre-programmed by what I must assume were the people who developed the space shuttle, TIVO, and Tickle Me Elmo. I was drawn to them like a raccoon to a shiny object. And for the last four years I have been paying for it in spades.

This annual struggle has become an annual source of mockery from the neighbors as I do battle with all things LED, but it does not deter me. I stand resolute. I stand strong. I will emerge victorious and light the way for other to follow… literally.

This year after nearly three days and several hissy fits, my neighbor, John, the same one I once called a thief, came over and vowed not to leave my side until they were working CORRECTLY.  His first question, “Did you read the directions?”   

"Of course I did!” I replied indignantly.

“Where are they?”   

"On the back of the box,” I said.

"No, Scott, those are not directions, those are features. I want the directions."

“The directions are inside the box… Why would you need those? It’s like twelve pages of gobbledy gook in six different languages. They are just lights. You just plug them in and hang them up. It's not rocket science,”  I said resentfully.

While he read the instructions, I continued my battle and stewed about the different ways I could repay Home Depot for my multi-year torture when Jim looked at me and said, “It says right here that if you use more than four connector strings with these lights they won’t function correctly. How many connector strings did you use?”

I paused and counted in my head...

“Seventeen!” I replied triumphantly. "After all, more is better, right?”

John laughed and said, “You know you’re an idiot, right?”

“I think we all know that, John.” I said with a sense of pride.

John and I spent the next three hours removing, restringing, and rehanging every single light in the correct manner and I must say, they look pretty darn snazzy. The neighbors even came out and celebrated the achievement with some some bubbly. After all, it has been FOUR years.

You should know that I am not a “direction” type of guy.  Oh, I am fine giving them, not too bad at taking them, but reading them… not so much. This is probably why I became a teacher.

Lighting up a houses and lighting up teenage minds are two very different things. Unlike lights, when dealing with teenagers there are few rules and even fewer absolutes. There are no step by step directions and no 1-800 help line to call to help trouble shoot the problem. Light bulbs can be dealt with through logical and sequential thinking, that's not always the case with young people.

While pundits and politicians try and convince our country that our education system and the students in it are a step by step, fill in the blank, over-simplified easy to solve problem, you and I both know that nothing could be farther from the truth. Even if it was, we all know that teenagers don’t come with directions.

As a teacher you know that lighting up a house is far different than lighting up the young people who live in it. Thank goodness you're used to not following directions.
 
 
Have a great week!

Short and sweet!

It's 11:23 p.m. on Tuesday night. The newsletter should be done, but it's not. I am sitting here pondering different ways to give thanks to you, but I am struggling to find something that is neither formulaic or trite. After all, most of us have been together for over a decade and you already know how much I appreciate you. But how do I express that in a meaningful way? My wife says to keep in short and simple (much like myself).
 
So, here it goes.
 
Thank you for putting the needs of young people above your own.
Thank you for giving students a creative outlet in their day.
Thank you for making students laugh, cry, feel, and think in ways no other subject can.
Thank you for keeping music alive in our country and in our lives.
Thank you for sacrificing your days, nights, weekends, and summers.
Thank you for being the standard bearer of excellence, both in and out of school.
Thank you for being a role model to young people and adults alike.
 
Simply stated... Thank you.
 
This week will be filled with many opportunities to give thanks for all of the blessings we experience each and every day. In that same spirit of giving, I wanted to share with you a small part of our upcoming release Stay In Music.
 
The message of gratitude shared by parents in this video is as timely as it is heartwarming. We hope you enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed making it. Please share it with all of your colleagues, parents, and anyone else who might enjoy.

click here or on the image below to watch

Finally, I wanted to let each and every one of you know how honored and thankful I am that you allow me to be a part of your life. In the coming weeks we will be sharing lots of amazing new stuff, but for now, please accept my most sincere wishes for a restful and relaxing Thanksgiving holiday.
 
With great sincerity and gratitude...
 

Congratulations!

I want to extend my most sincere congratulations to ALL of the young people who participated in Bands of America (MFA) Grand National Championships.  I was particularly excited to see my good friends at Keller, William Mason, Carmel and Broken Arrow high schools for standing tall among the other finalists. They are all living proof that good guys (and gals) do finish on top.

I would also like to send a HUGE shout out to the folks at Music for All for doing such an extraordinary job of celebrating the accomplishments of music education and the young people we serve. Your tireless efforts are greatly appreciated by the tens of thousands of young people you impact!

I am a musical snob!

This is the third and final installment of my series on practicing

I have two brothers, one older and one younger. To protect their privacy from my massive database of readers (my mom and my golden retriever, Rexi), I will disguise their names (John and Kevin).   

I love both of them very much and am confident they love me. Although we live in different places, have different jobs, and lead very different lives, we are connected through music. Yes, both of my brothers love music as much, if not more, than I do.

I am not sure where our shared passion for music comes from as both our parents are tone deaf. Our grandparents, you ask? Well, one had a tin ear and the other owned an organ. You know the kind that if you pressed one key it would play an entire song. That is the entirety of the Lang musical heritage. So yeah, it’s entirely possible we were all adopted.
 
Like I said, we all love music very much. But I believed I was the only musician in the family.

I earned the title of musician. After all, I went to college and received a couple of degrees. I performed in hundreds of ensembles and studied privately from the finest teachers. I regularly attended master classes, clinics, and workshops and I studied music history for an entire year! Yes, they may love music, but I was sure I was the only MUSICIAN in the family.

My brothers, well, they play guitar and think tablature is the way music was meant to be read. I can only assume they also believe War and Peace would have been better off as a comic book. They’ve never meet a chord they didn’t like and there no such thing as a bad key when you have a capo. Life is good when every song can be sang in the key of G!

To my way of thinking, my brothers couldn’t be musicians. Loving music is not enough, you must sacrifice. You must practice endless hours alone in a 6x6 foot practice room. You must master melodic minor scales and use terms like Phrygian and Locrian. You must be able to write a figured bass line, harmonize in four parts and take melodic dictation. Above all, you must suffer and anguish. This is how TRUE musicians are forged. There is no joy in music. There is only art!

When did I become such a musical snob? When did I become the curator of all things music and the patent holder on the term “musician?” When did all of this happen?

I don’t remember the day I decided that music had to equal suffering. I don’t remember making the actual decision that music had to be so serious and that being a musician was a binary state, all in or all out. I’m not sure when I decided that outside of the ten hours a week my students were in my rehearsal that they should practice more. I don’t remember making a conscious decision on any of this, but somewhere along the line, I did. I am convinced that along with that decision I lost some good student musicians.

On a recent trip to Denver I stayed with my little brother Kevin. As I headed out the front door to my workshop I passed him on the porch strumming his guitar and made the snarky remark, “Hey, while I go teach kids about commitment, sacrifice, dedication and what it takes to be a REAL musician, why don’t you just sit here and play your guitar.”

His reply… "Someone has to keep the joy alive while you run around the country trying to motivate band camp refugees."

Yes, I used to believe that I was the only musician in the family. That was until I saw my two brothers making music and having way too much fun.

Is it too late for me to learn guitar? My voice sounds good in the key of G!

Hey Teachers! Leave Them Kids Alone! Part 2

This is part two in a series about getting kids to practice
 
As I have mentioned last week, I struggle with the concept of students and practicing. Maybe I struggle with this because I struggle to practice myself, not just as a musician but also as a teacher. If I am going to be honest, I should start by asking myself:
 
How often did I actually practice my craft as a teacher?
How often did I listen to professional recordings?
How often did I attend live concerts?
How often did I study my scores?
How often did I practice my own instrument?
 
If I were to be TRULY honest, I might have to admit to a little hypocrisy when I asked and implored my students to practice.
 
Like you, I worked hard at my job…VERY hard. Twelve hour days and eighty hour work weeks were more the norm than the outlier.  But I can also remember many a time when I would be leaving school at dusk and see my students still on a at school with their after school team or club. I can remember grabbing dinner on the way home and having it served by a student working an after-school job. I can remember gulping down my early morning coffee as students walked by and talked about doing homework until two o’clock in the morning.
 
Again, I do believe that individual ownership and accountability are part of any person’s musical and personal growth, but with increased academic rigors and outside of school demands, the solution is often times not as simple, "take your home and practice!"
 
Let me just offer a couple of my favorite ideas from my teaching days that might spark your creative teaching juices. Consider the following:
 
Band camp week: One week each concert cycle I would push the kids extra hard. Practice records, before school rehearsals, after school sectionals. I would ask them to eat, breathe, and sleep band. If they would give me this one week, I would accomplish everything else in class for the next six week with no outside class time required.

Targeted tape testing: I know the “tape” part is antiquated, but you get the gist. I would make students submit recordings of specific four measure phrases. I would pick the hardest four measures for each section and ask them to submit a tape test. The students would not only practice for the test, but would usually make 5-10 recordings of it and pick the best one (hint, that just meant more reps). They had to submit a form with a grade they gave themselves and a parent signature. The students were ALWAYS harder on themselves than I was.

Practice bursts: As a way of breaking up the monotony of rehearsal I would allow for one minute “practice bursts.” I would set my stop watch and ask the kids to fix one thing in a given section in sixty-seconds or less. Think about it, with sixty students in class, I got sixty “man-minutes” of practice and only gave up one minute of class time.

Macro/micro block: I would divide the class period and the ensemble in half (usually low reeds would stay with low brass). I would spend the first have of the period doing “macro-block” with the brass while the woodwinds would leave and do “micro-block” (sectional or individual practice). At the midway point of the class, I would switch up the sections.

These are just a couple of different ideas to get you thinking creatively about how we get kids to practice in an effective AND efficient way. But this is just the beginning. I am attaching to this email ALL of the responses I received last week. It was almost overwhelming. I have left the name of the sender so as to give credit and have not edited their suggestions. Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy all of the incredible ideas your peers provided you.

It’s moments like these that I really do feel like we (you the readers and I) are a merry band of brothers traveling together in search of excellence.

Thank you for bringing me along on your journey.  Have a great week!

p.s.  Don't forget to download the attachment below.
 
Practiceideas.pdf

Hey teachers! Leave them kids alone!

As I write this, my son is sitting at the piano, painfully and reluctantly plodding through his technique exercises. I see moments like this as a pathway to future success; he sees them as a cruel and unusual punishment. Tomorrow he will spend his practice time on the trombone, in an act that I am sure is a form a parental torture. Don’t believe me? I have earplugs to prove it.

Like most children, practicing is not his favorite thing and like most parents, I require it anyway. It is a battle of wills that is as old as John Phillip Sousa himself. Practice is my requirement and our daily drill.

I do it with purpose.
I do it with mindfulness.
I do it with the best of intentions.

I am just not sure I am doing it correctly. Yes, he will have the horn to his face for twenty minutes, but trust me when I say that there will be little to no improvement during this time. If you don’t believe me, just ask my neighbors.
 
We all want our students to practice more and improve, but do the two necessarily go together? 

Even as a high school teacher I wrestled with the conundrum of unsupervised practice. Does individual unmonitored practice truly equate to improvement? And, if so, is it a one to one ratio? Does thirty minutes individual practice at home equate to thirty minutes monitored practice in an instructional setting (group lesson, sectional, rehearsal). To be less academic, is the student who practices thirty minutes at home getting thirty minutes of musical growth? Most likely the answer is a resounding “NO." Should we be requiring daily practice? Before you answer, consider the following... Compared to just twenty years ago:

• Most students spend more actual time in rehearsal and have more instructional interaction.
• Most groups have more specialty techs/instructors/private lesson teachers.
• Most students are receiving an improved quality of musical instruction.
• Most students are playing on better quality instruments.
• Most students have access to better technology and instructional materials.
• Most students have better access to recordings and resources.

Knowing all of this, it is not unreasonable to suggest that we re-examine the “art” of practicing and consider a more measured and targeted approach.  We should ask ourselves if there is there a more efficient and effective way to advance student skills.

Listen, I am not in favor of watering down the artistic integrity of the music making process. I believe in setting high standards both musically and personally and I believe that individual practice is a significant part of both of these. I just am asking the question, “Are we going about this the most effective way possible?"

Like every other subject, we want our music students to show improvement and master the fundamentals. We want students to take ownership of their learning. We want them to live up to their individual potential and develop self-discipline. We want all of that and more...

But, I don’t want my son thinking of music the way he thinks of other subjects, because music is NOT like other subjects.

Next week, we will offer some thoughts, tips and ideas about alternative practice ideas. I say “we” because you are going to help me. Aren’t you?  Click here to send me your ideas on alternative practice methods and share them with the rest of the country!

That’s enough for now.  Take care and have a GREAT week!

Scott
 

p.s. Like my new pic?
p.s.sAre you going to email me?
p.s.s.s.  Did you get the Pink Floyd reference?

Music education and the Snuggie

As I write this e-zine, I am at the NAfME National In-service Conference… a virtual cornucopia of all things music education related. Through it’s many incredible offerings by a host of wonderful presenters there is an underlying current of concern, dare I say panic over the future of music education. Through casual conversations and presentations alike I have repeatedly heard the following statement:

Music education is in trouble.
Music education is in danger of extinction.
Music education is going the way of the dinosaurs and the Snuggie.
 
Okay, I made up the part about the Snuggie!

The problem is that these statements are rooted in paranoia more than they are fact. Here are some facts:

• The number of music programs in this country is growing.
• 94% of all public elementary schools currently offer music.
• A similar number exists for secondary schools.
• Instrument sales are increasing annually.
• Recently USA Today ranked “Music Director” as the #3 fastest growing job in the United States.

A conspiracy theorist might suspect that there has been a calculated and systemic campaign designed to trick people into believing that music education was in trouble and I would agree.
 
Who would do such a thing? Who would plot against music and America’s children?
 
Music teachers, that’s who.  (Not you… YOU are an awesome bucket of wonderfulness that is akin to a towel just out of the dryer on a cold autumn day!)  It all the “other” YOU’s that I am talking about.
 
It seems like every time I speak to a teacher, they lament the current state of music education in America. They often speak with a sense of despondence that would make Eeyore seem like a motivational speaker!  Yes, music teachers, the very people in charge of spreading the good news are the ones most often declaring doom and gloom.
 
When did we decide that music education was in trouble? When did we get so down on music education? If you look at the long-term growth of music education, you might scratch your head and wonder why we aren’t all celebrating instead of mourning.  Consider this...

• One hundred years ago music education did not exist.
• Seventy-five years ago it was an after school activity.
• Fifty years ago there were few options for festivals and performances.
• The number of hours in a week kids are playing their instrument or receiving instruction is increasing.
• Twenty-five years ago there were no national competitions.
• The level of demand and achievement for most ensembles is increasing annually.
• Five months ago music was named a Core Subject as a part of the Every Child Achieves Act.

Look, I am not saying it’s all rose petals and sunshine. There are obstacles.  There are issues to be addressed and I do believe teaching music is getting harder but not because it is diminishing, BECAUSE IT’S GROWING. It is growing in quality and quantity.  It’s getting harder because you are doing, teaching, and achieving more than ever before. It’s growing because YOU are incredibly good at your job.  Yes, I am talking to YOU!

If easy were what you were looking for, you would not have survived ear training and class piano, so I figure you're up to the challenge. When it comes to music education, I don’t think the sky is falling, I think the ground is rising.

Have a great week!

I am a loser

This past weekend…

- My high school team lost
- My (son’s) flag football team lost
- My college team (Arizona State) lost
- My pro team (Buffalo Bills) lost
- And BOTH my fantasy football teams lost

I ask you:

1)  Did I let that hurt me?
2)  Do you hear me complaining?
3)  Do you hear me making excuses?
4)  Did I just lay down and give up?
5)  Did I run to Canada, or even Vermont?
 
Answer key:

1.  Yeah! It really did!
2.  Are you not paying attention? Of course I am complaining. I'm doing it right now!
3.  No, but someone is going to get a tersely worded memo about this.
4.  I am writing this from my bed, where I have been in the dark for 42 consecutive hours.
5.  No, but in full disclosure, I seriously considered it.

I may be down and out from all of this looserness, but not you. You are smarter than me.

For many of you, the coming days and weeks will be filled with season ending events in which only one group will be crowned a champion. And though it might not be your ensemble, it will not keep you from making something of the moment. Whether you “win” or “lose" there will likely be tears of joy and sadness. Regardless of where your group may fall on the spectrum of competition, you will see the moment for what it is, an opportunity to teach and educate the young people you work with.  They will learn through your words. They will learn through your actions. They will learn through your hugs, smiles, and perhaps tears. They will learn!

Just because your performance or season is over doesn’t mean your done teaching. In fact, the most important teaching moment is about to happen. Win or lose, teaching continues.

Where there's smoke there's FIRE

My buddy is a fireman and not just ANY fireman. He is a Battalion Chief for a major city fire department. In other words, when it comes to knowing about stuff that burns and what to do about it, he is as good of a source as there is. Well, him and Wikipedia. But Wikipedia won’t have a frosty beverage with me, so I went to him with my question.

So I asked, "What are the three most important things for a fireman to know to keep from getting burned?"

His response was eloquent in its simplicity and brevity.

"Stay low. Remember that you and your gear are not fireproof. And don't let fire get behind you.”
 
When he asked why I wanted to know, I explained that lately I have been talking to a lot of teachers who are getting burned out and I wanted to know how the professionals handled it. I was curious if there would be any correlation with how a fireman might keep from getting burned and how a music teacher might keep from getting burned out. And, I think there is. Let’s look at his advice.

Stay low: Some things are worth fighting for and some things are not worth the fight. I remember him once saying to me, “We will do what is extraordinary to save a person, what’s possible to save an animal, and what’s reasonable to save a thing.”  I think the standard should be similar for music teachers. Be extraordinary for students, do what’s possible for the drummers (see what I did there?) and do what’s reasonable for your building and belongings.   

Remember that you and your gear are not fireproof: Whether you are a first year teacher or a thirty year vet, you are susceptible to burn out. A seemingly perfect year can be followed by a four alarm crisis of a year. Getting burned out is an occupational hazard and you’re not Superman.  In order to save yourself in this profession you have to wear the right gear (have thicker skin), work as a team (connect with your colleagues), and understand that NOTHING is more important than your physical and emotional health.

Don’t let the fire get behind you: By the time you see and feel the effects of burnout, you are already in some serious trouble. Look for warning signs before they erupt into something bigger. Angst, anger, and irritability are signs that the burnout fire is close, so be cautious and respond immediately: take a day off, eat lunch off campus, call a friend, put on your favorite song, go home early, start rehearsal with a joke, bring your dog to work, etc.  When danger is close, it’s time to change course or run the risk of getting burned.

Keep in mind that by and large, your worst day on a podium is better than your best day in a cubicle, so be diligent in maintaining your personal and professional health. Don’t take my word for it, take my buddy's because he is an expert! Heck, if you asked me for my advice it would be something like this…  RRRRRUUUUNNNNNN!

Yes, its true that twelve years ago I ran from MY burning building… But I have been trying to run back into YOURS ever since.

Maybe I should have been a fireman.
 
Have a GREAT week and good luck at your competitions this week.

Crescendo through it!

Based on the flood of email in my inbox and my full voicemail box, it is THAT time of year.

October is the hardest part of the marching band season! It’s when most groups plateau and cease to improve. Sure, they may learn more drill and music but it rarely is cleaner or better executed than it was in September. Keep in mind, more does not necessarily mean better.
 
The problem is not the music or drill, it’s the rehearsal behaviors used to learn them. By now, many groups have settled into rehearsal attitudes that place comfort and convenience ahead of commitment and character. The students are present each and every day but not FULLY engaged or committed to the rehearsal process. The rehearsals are more of a “walk-through” than a “run-through.”

You can’t really blame the kids. After almost four months of grinding it out, the magic is gone.
To that end, I would always talk to my students about the October plateau and "crescendoing" through whatever they do. I explained that with each and every passing minute we needed to raise our expectations for excellence and match it with our level of effort and energy. We called October our crescendo month in which we would:

• Expect to work harder at the end of the rehearsal rather than the beginning
• Expect to work harder on Wednesday than on Tuesday
• Expect to work harder in the second week of the month than the first
• Expect to work harder in November than they did in October

The process of teaching students to push through discomfort and fatigue is not an easy one.  May I suggest breaking rehearsals into thirds and take just a few seconds at the end of each third to ask them to rate their individual/ensemble rehearsal work ethic? Ask them to set a goal for the next third. Repeat this activity at the end of each third of rehearsal. Slowly but surely they will come to understand that the greatest opportunity for growth comes when it is least convenient. This is a lesson that does not end on the practice field and will continue to serve them throughout life.

Many of my former students still remind me that they are "crescendoing" through life.