Gratitude Month and the Next Four Emails

Gratitude Month and the Next Four Emails

Hey friends:

In the Spring and Summer, I sent out pre-written emails for you to use. I do this in part to save you time and effort, but also to provide a gentle reminder to show gratitude for the people and events that enrich your life. 

As always, these are templates. You can copy and paste as is, or modify to suit your individual situation better. READ TILL THE END

I hope this helps in some small way.

EMAIL #1: To site administrators: (Send to all admin including district officials)

Dear Admin Team: 

November is National Gratitude Month, and I just wanted to drop you a quick note to tell you how much I appreciate you and your daily efforts on our behalf. The last eight months have been among the most challenging of your career, but you have steered the school through this time with intelligence, grace, and compassion. This year has been filled with many personal and professional challenges for most of us as we work twice as hard and yet experience half of the joy. 

Through it all, you were there in the trenches with us and working hard to ensure that WE were experiencing some success. As we approach the season of giving thanks, please know that I appreciate each one of you. 

The battle is not over, and we will continue to face new and unprecedented challenges. Still, with your leadership, this faculty, and our tremendous students, I know we will come out on the other side triumphant and proud of what we have achieved. And while our students will return, it will likely be under very different circumstances.

I am an employee and a member of this faculty. I am also a human being who just wanted to say, "Thanks."

Sincerely, 

(insert name) 
(title)

EMAIL #2: Email to Parents/Guardians

Dear Parents, Guardians, Friends, and Families:

I hope this email finds you happy, healthy, and SANE! Being cooped up in a small space with a teen is tricky at best and a nightmare at worst. Just know that I would GLADLY take your kids off your hands more frequently if I could.

In case you were unaware, November is National Gratitude Month. You know how much I appreciate all of your continued support. The instruments, the lessons, carpool, reeds, sticks, etc... You do so much for your children, and I am confident that it seems underappreciated and overlooked, but I assure you it is not. 

I usually am able to acknowledge and thank you at parent meetings, concerts, in the parking lot, and at events. But, these are not normal times, and words of appreciation have remained mostly unsaid. So, let me say them here and now.

I appreciate you. For the things I see you do and the things I don't. I appreciate your support, patience, and understanding. I appreciate your willingness to allow, encourage, and insist that music be a part of your child's life. It will be worth it in the end, for you and your children.

At some point, this will end, and we will return to normal and I will once again shake your hand, look you in the eye and show you the appreciation you deserve. Until then, please let this email serve as my personal, "Thank you" and acknowledgement of our National Month of Gratitude.

Sincerely,

(insert name)
(title)

Email #3: Email to Your Governing Board/Superintendent

Dear Board Member/Superintendent (Insert name):

The last eight months have shown us that running a school without students in normal workflow is twice the work and half of the fun. As we approach the end of the semester and the Thanksgiving Season, I wanted to let you know that I appreciate you and the work you are doing to ensure student safety and instructional continuity.

I want you to know that I believe that music is more important than ever for our students. Music and the arts are not just creative outlets; they are safe spaces and facilitators for social-emotional learning. Our students have gaps in their academic knowledge and emotional growth, and every study known shows that music can help with both areas.

As you continue to make the hard decisions regarding student safety and instructional delivery, please know that your support of our arts and music programs has played a vital role in helping students cope with emotional issues related to the ongoing pandemic.

November is National Gratitude Month, and so it seems appropriate to end this email with a simple, "Thank you!"

With great sincerity,

(insert name)
(title)

(I have a student activity for this coming early next week)

Email #4 to YOU...YES, YOU!

Dear Scott, ,

How odd is it that this upside-down world is starting to seem normal? What was once considered unimaginable has become almost mundane. You have taught from a cloud, from a classroom, from home, and just about every other place where you could find good wi-fi. Whatever it took, you never stopped TEACHING.

This is not what you trained for, planned for, or wanted. You lacked the training, equipment, curricula, and space to do this on a meaningful level, but that did not deter you. You changed everything at a moment's notice and never stopped looking for teachable moments that would impact. More important than WHAT you taught, you showed the students HOW to behave in a crisis.

I am confident that if your camera were on 10 minutes before class and 10 minutes after, we would have seen our share of tears, fears, frustration, and desperation. How could we not? You are human and have limits as to what you can take. But, when that camera came on, you hid it all, lit up the room, and became the Super Hero our students needed you to be, a confident, fearless, and tireless advocate for kids.

November is National Gratitude Month, and I can not think of someone who is worthy of my gratitude more than you. You are a role model, and will be remembered by one and all as someone who "ran towards the fire." 

This is NOT our finé. It is just a brief intermission. We will see each other face to face again, and when we do, I will simply say, " Thank you!" 

Your former colleague and current fan,

- Scott

p.s. We had 1200 respondents to our survey in just 8 hours. It's not too late to make your voice heard. Just click the button below.

Empty Chairs, Empty Tables, & Being Les Misérables!

For the past week or so, I have been making a concerted effort to reach out individually to clients, colleagues, and friends. I wanted to check-in and see how they are doing. Motivated in part by last week's e-zine, I felt like it was essential to connect on a more personal level. I wanted to hear their voices, see their faces, and learn their pandemic stories. 

Some connections were by phone, some by email, and others by video chat. The conversations were as enlightening as they were entertaining. 

Interestingly, regardless of the age group (HS/MS/ES), or content area (B/C/O), the same sentiments came through time and time again: sadness, frustration, exhaustion, and futility.

In short, they were all Les' Misérables!

Because of the pandemic, everyone is doing more with less, working harder, and not necessarily smarter. More time spent in front of a screen time means less time making music. They are teaching harder, but students are learning less. Full Zoom rooms mean Empty Chairs and Empty Tables, daily finding themselves wondering, "Am I On My Own, or have I just Dreamed a Dream?" 

Sound familiar? Feel familiar? Well, it should, because we are all feeling it. 

Yes, ALL! You are not alone. Not even close. Yes, all of the positive posts on social media by your colleagues about how happy they are to be back are a ruse. They are putting on a fake smile and masquerade what they are REALLY feeling, which is like crud. 

It's okay to feel like crud. We are living in a cruddy time. Have you ever heard of a pandemic during good times? Nope, pandemic defined means "default to crud." (Editors note: That is not true; he just made it up.) And, the natural result of being in cruddy times is that people feel like crud. 

And to be clear, the election isn't exactly picking up anybody's spirits. After a day of remote learning, we all Look Down and ask ourselves, "Who Am I?" and "What am I doing?"

Your personal and mental health are critical and need to be considered in all of this madness. It's okay to feel mad. It's normal to feel frustrated and overwhelmed. It is expected that you will feel sad. What is not okay is to feel those things and do nothing about it.

Last week, I wrote about the importance of connectivity, and as early as last June, I sounded the alarm on persona/professional mental when I wrote an Industry in Grief and Finding Meaning. 

At the End of the Day, none of us are feeling good. No one ends a Google Classroom session thinking, "Now THAT was a kick-butt rehearsal." No one is editing a virtual ensemble thinking, "This is what I was dreaming of when I got my music degree!"

In My Life, I never thought I would see something like this. Kids in masks spread six feet apart, or worse, kids on screens spread six miles apart. But, it seems like I have been saying, "I never thought I would see something like this," a lot lately.

While these are not normal times, these feelings are perfectly normal. It does not matter where you went to school or how long you have been teaching; you weren't trained for THIS!

In fact, we were trained for the exact opposite of this!

Our profession (music education) has clearly and repeatedly reaffirmed the notion that if we want more — we need to do more. More drill, more music, more choreography, more notes, more performances, more contests, more staff, more meetings, more money, more, MORE, MORE!

But what we're discovering is that in this pandemic and life, the answer to getting more of what we want isn't addition at all, but subtraction. The Harvard Business Review article: Want to Be More Productive? Try Doing Less helps us discover that we might all be better off if we just stopped, took a break, and aspired to do less. (I've been trying that. It's not working, and I'm too lazy to try harder…)

Recent evidence shows that if we want to increase both our productivity and satisfaction level, we should actually be doing less. David Rock, the author of Your Brain at Work, found that "When you stop doing the things that make you feel busy but aren't getting you results (and are draining you of energy), then you end up with a sense of peace and spaciousness that you are seeking."

As teachers and people, our days and lives are full: kids, careers, friends, passions, logistics, and more. How can we apply the wisdom of doing less to give ourselves more time and alleviate stress without jeopardizing our results? Change the results you are looking for. 

In a recent conversation, when I asked a director how she was doing, she replied. "I am itching to get back to normal, but I am enjoying being home more. I am enjoying the break from the grind associated with competitions. Honestly, this has been the least stressful fall of my career." That is a result I can get excited about!

Life is not something to "survive." Neither is music. For our students or us. While we would not choose to be in these circumstances, we can choose to see the good in it when possible. Our programs and our lives should be a place where we thrive and say, "YES, One Day More!" 

Will you do me (and yourself) a favor? Do less today. Prep a little less, teach a little less, work a little less, cook a little less, and let the laundry wait until tomorrow. Do something fun, indulge your inner laziness, and for one day, let the to-do list go and focus on a Heart Full of Love. Do it for yourself. Do it for your students. Just do it!

Victor Hugo reminds us that, "To love another person is to see the face of God." He just forgets to also say, you can't love someone else until you first love yourself. 

At the End of the Day, if this doesn't work, shoot me a Zoom link, and you can Drink with Me. Then we will both be a little less Les Misérables!

Have a GREAT week, everyone.

- Scott

p.s. Give me some props; I was able to get 14 of the 18 songs in this email. I stopped at Lovely Ladies and Master of the House. I didn't see that ending well for me.

CONNECTIVITY, 5G, & E.T.

In case you missed it (and with so little going on in the news, I don't know how you could), last week NASA announced that it is planning on installing a 4G network on the moon. Yep, the moon's surface is now going to get better service than I can get here on Earth. Set aside the fact that I would have hoped that I would get at least two bars in my living room before expanding to other planets, it clearly demonstrated that E.T. really does need to phone (or FaceTime) home.

The program, called Artemis, has the stated goal of providing connectivity among astronauts circling the planet and their home base in Houston. The broader goal of the program is to build a "lunar infrastructure capable of supporting human life. In other words, by 2028, NASA wants astronauts to be able to live on the moon."

To achieve this goal, NASA is spending 370 million dollars with various private companies, including SpaceX (Elon Musk), Blue Origin (Jeff Bezos), and now Nokia, who failed to create a successful phone here on Earth. Nokia's device, and the network, gives astronauts on the moon the ability to make voice and video calls and transfer important data. It is interesting to me that among the first steps in achieving human survivability is establishing connectivity. It stresses the importance of communication in distant places and strange times. This is as true on our orbital friend as it is here on Earth.

Distant learning and strange times have shown that communication is more critical than ever before. When the pandemic started, we scrolled through Instagram as a distraction from our new reality. Recent studies have shown that we are reaching for our electronic leashes in different and essential ways.

• Searches related to mental health & students going back to school has been 4.3 times higher over the past month.

• Calm, the meditation app, has seen a 29% increase in downloads from March to August. 

• Between March and May, one-third of U.S. adults reported experiencing "stress, anxiety, and great sadness that was difficult to cope with by themselves." 

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And according to Adweek, "Meaningful media, or media that makes us experience a true connection, has become what people are craving.

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Furthermore, the infectious germ that has invaded our nations, inflicted our communities, and infected our air has made further inroads into our lives. Now it's in our heads. According to a recent Washington Post article, there's been a bum rush on feeling bummed. "Some groups have been hit harder than others. Rates of anxiety and depression were far higher among younger adults, women, and the poor. The worse scores in young adults were especially notable, given that the virus has been more likely to kill the elderly or leave them critically ill." The article further states that approximately one-third of all Americans currently suffer from anxiety or clinical depression.

The solution to much of this centers around connectivity. The global pandemic has left our nation's young (and old) feeling isolated, alone, and filled with angst. When will it end? Will things ever return to normal? Will I, or someone I love, be impacted? There is a saying in politics and economics that states, "Americans can handle anything but uncertainty." (I am paraphrasing). And, I cannot remember a more uncertain time in my lifetime.

Yes, music matters. Perhaps now more than ever. It not only provides us with a creative outlet and a personal escape, but it gives us a chance to communicate in both musical and other meaningful ways. It is a shared experience among our peers that connects us to our normalized path and provides hope for a return to normal by connecting us with our peers in a way we once took for granted. However altered, making music, at school, with our teacher guiding us, removes some uncertainty. And that matters.

And anyone who doesn't believe this doesn't believe in science because the countries pre-eminent scientists at NASA are going to great lengths to ensure that they don't get a "CALL FAILED" message when they are 239,000 miles from home.

Here's to today's weekly connection with you. I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great week.

- Scott 

p.s. If you're an astronaut who pre-ordered the new iPhone 12, don't worry—NASA says the moon network will eventually be upgraded to 5G. 

SWEET 16 AND THE LITTLE THINGS

My good friend's daughter is turning 16 today. She is a great kid and is deserving of a grand celebration. But, the pandemic has put a kibosh on a party, and like so many other teens, she will be celebrating her big day with just immediate family. To make her day special, our friends asked us all to send a card for their daughter to open on this momentous occasion. I sat down last night and wrote my message, and it got me thinking about my sixteenth birthday.

At sixteen you do not get the right to vote. You are two years removed from being considered an adult and five years away from having your first adult beverage. Heck, you can't even see an R rated movie without your parents, and who wants to do that? What can you do? DRIVE, BABY! Yes, for no other reason, your 16th year on this planet brings with it a glorious gift… FREEDOM.

Thinking about this monumental year got me thinking about not just my sixteenth, but all of my big days.

I remember most of the big days to some degree or another. I remember my tenth birthday and the thrill of hitting double digits. And while the specifics have faded from memory, I do remember the thrill of driving away from the DMV when I turned sixteen. Turning twenty-one? Not so much, but I do remember what it felt like the next morning. I do not wish to repeat that experience. I also fondly recall the milestones of thirty, forty, and fifty; with each one, the allure and angst seem lessened.

I also remember the big professional moments. 

I remember my first "real" job as a one-semester replacement for a teacher on sabbatical. He did not return to the position, and I would do the same.

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I remember the thrill of my first concert, although the adjudicators did not find it as memorable. I remember the day I questioned whether I was in the right profession and the day I discovered that I was. I remember the seminal performances, grand events, and concerts for adoring parents.

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Outside of the classroom, I have climbed the ladder into supervisory and administrative roles only to find that I did not enjoy the view, and decided to climb back down. I have been handed a few diplomas and don't relish the thought of being given any more. I have spoken in front of large and small groups, written some words people have read, and started a business or two. Yes, I have had some pretty BIG days.

At the ripe old age of 53, I realize that my life's biggest days have likely passed me by and are in my rearview mirror. Not because I do not have a great deal in front of me, but because as I get older, I define BIG in very different ways.

I will turn 60, 70, and hopefully 80+ one day, but birthdays hold less allure with each passing year.I will likely write another book or two, but nothing beats the thrill of seeing your first work in print.I will conduct on a stage again, but will not be as nervous as I once was. I will likely see grandchildren, but nothing can compare to the birth of your child.

None of these events will be as big as what I have already experienced, but they will be better.

Better because I am trying to appreciate each day and not wait for the birthdays.Better because with each book, I become a better writer and have more wisdom.Better because I can concentrate on making music and not right and wrong notes.Better because I can see the joy in my sons' eyes as they become fathers of their own.

As I mature, I strive to require less affirmation, adoration, or attention. I spend less time pontificating and more time observing. I can see beyond my own classroom and into the broader landscape of music education. I try to talk less, listen more, and be less concerned about being right than doing good.

I don't want to be bigger. I want to be BETTER!

These are challenging times for everyone associated with music education, and no one wants to be in the situation we find ourselves in. For most, if not all of you, the global pandemic has taken away some very BIG moments for you and your students. But, if you look hard enough, you will also find some of your very best moments in its wake.

And we all know that bigger is not always better.

Have a great week.

- Scott

p.s. Happy Sweet 16 L.D.

Music Education - Just Do It!

Just Do It! 
The Most Interesting Man in the World. 
Dilly-Dilly. 
Think Different!
Happiest Place on EarthWhere's the Beef?

As you read these tag lines, you are likely envisioning the products they represent.

In fact, you probably are experiencing more than just a memory. You might even be having an emotional response to one or more of them. Why? Because even decades later, they don't just remind you of the product, they remind you of what it did for you and how it made you feel.

The first newspaper ad in America occurred in 1704 when homeowners were trying to sell their house on Long Island. Since then, businesses large and small have been vying for your time, attention, and dollars. 

Good advertising does more than establish a brand or persuade you to buy a product. At its best, advertising connects with us on an emotional level and changes how we think, act, and communicate. 

To thrive in a competitive landscape, you have to understand and have the ability to market your product. Whether you are a large corporation like Target or a mom and pop coffee shop, the knowledge to communicate clearly and succinctly what it is you do, and what makes your product better can be the difference between survival and failure.

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This is as true for music education as it is for Starbucks.

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In other words, successful directors are also successful marketers.

Schools are an increasingly crowded and competitive landscape, not just in terms of enrollment but also in how students spend their time. For students, their time is finite, and they and their families have to make hard decisions about how and where to spend this precious and dwindling resource. Other activities, athletics, and academics all have an allure and create a draw for students seeking something to do or looking for a place to belong.

One of the marketing gurus I follow is Donald Miller. His straight forward and folksy approach makes him as approachable as he is knowledgeable. He is the creator and CEO of Story Brand Marketing and works with many Fortune 500 companies in developing and implementing their marketing strategy. 

His mantra is, "If you confuse, you lose." 

As a part of his "website wireframe," he challenges clients to define who they are and what they do in five words or less. He say's "If you can't succinctly and clearly define who you are, how can you expect anyone else to?" I took the challenge.

Scott Lang: Leadership Solutions for Music Education.

Hopefully in these five words, I have clearly told you who I am, who I serve, and what I do. Pretty powerful for five words, right? 

As I said, being a successful music educator means being a marketer. It's that simple. You can't teach an empty chair. You can't impact a child that is sitting in someone else's classroom. You can't balance an ensemble of 14 students, especially when twelve of them play the saxophone. 

Now, more than ever, YOU HAVE TO MARKET. It's as critical for your survival as it is for the students' success. You know why music matters. You see the impact that it can have on a child. But none of that matters unless you can effectively communicate that to your audience and school community.

Do you want more students? 
Do you want more balanced ensembles? 
Do you want to impact more lives? 
Do you want to enjoy your job more? 

Then take the Donald Miller challenge and describe what you do in five words or less. If you wanted to clearly and succinctly say one thing about who you are and what you do, what would it be?

(Insert the name of your program): (five words that describe who you are, who you serve, and what you do).

And this applies to things to our entire profession.

On a more holistic level, I have always believed (and written about many times) that we should have a unified value statement as a profession. Regardless of the curricular area (b/c/o), age level (es/ms/hs), business (publisher/manufacturer/retailer/events), or genre (rock/classical/mariachi/jazz/etc...), we ALL need to speak the same language when it comes to the value of music education. We need to do so in a clear, concise, and concrete manner so that it is hear loud and clear.

NOW MORE THAN EVER WE NEED TO SPEAK AND ACT AS ONE. Yes, what we say is important, but perhaps not AS important as the fact we say it together. So what is our 

As Donald says, "When you confuse, you lose." So…

Music: (five words that describe who we are, who we serve, and what we do). 

I have my answer. What's yours? 

Hit me back if you are so inclined.

Have a great week!

Talking to Yourself and Living Your Best Life.

I have long been a "self-talker." You know, someone who wanders around and muddles things under his breath. Except, I don't muddle. I have full-on, full-throated conversations with myself, complete with gesticulations. Just so you know, this is not a once-in-a-while thing; I do it ALL THE TIME! 

My family marvels and mocks at my ability to carry on long conversations with myself. I hold court on subjects large and small, important and not, alone and in the presence of others.

I want to blame my quirky habit on the "speaking for a living thing," but to be honest, I have been doing this my whole life. Truth be told, while my family believes I require serious professional help, I see it as perfectly normal.

But lately, my conversations have changed.

My friend, Jeff, recently turned me on to a man named Bob Goff. Bob is a self-described "recovering lawyer" who walked away from his law firm partnership and millions of dollars to devote his life to helping others. His story is as fantastical as it is inspiring. You really should check him out.

Suffering from a little "pandemic fatigue" and always on the lookout for inspiration, I Googled Bob's name and came upon a podcast he did with Lewis Howe 

Within minutes I was hooked, and by days end, I was headed to the local bookstore to get a copy of his latest book. As I write this, I am just starting the book that launched it all Love Does.

Mr. Goff is a man after my own heart. He is a cross between a spiritual sherpa and the crazy uncle you loved as a child. You know, the one who was full of life, served you ice cream for breakfast and was always a willing and available participant in whatever adventure you were concocting. Bob Goff is life personified.

As part of the podcast, Bob admitted that he, too, is a self-talker! YES! Validation of my condition and proof that I was not alone in my craziness. Furthermore, I can use his fame and notoriety to throw it in my family's face and prove to them that my self-chats indicate intellectual prowess and general good looks.

Yes, like me, Bob is a self-talker. But, unlike me, Bob doesn't talk to his current self. He talks to the person he will be ten years from now.

What?!

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"If you can think of who you're gonna be ten years from now, let that person inform what you're doing right now." – Bob Goff

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His rationale is, "How can you be the person you want to be unless you know where they are and how they got there?" His theory is that you become a different version of yourself every ten years, and at 62, he is version 6.0. He has little interest in version 6.0; he already knows who and where that person is. He wants to know where version 7.0 is. That's the good stuff! Version 7.0 is the better version—the more enlightened, smarter, gentler, wiser, and better version of his current self.

The moment he said that, I was hooked. At 52 (v 5.0), where was Scott v 6.0? What did he know, and how did he get there? What changed, and what remained the same from the previous version? 

Most important, was he proud of Scott v 5.0?

For the past five months, this has become my mantra, my mission, and my driving force. Make Scott 6.0 proud! Through this pandemic, I attempt to live my best life and do my best work every day. No fear, no regret, no angst, and no doubt. Just an unyielding pursuit to make my future self proud. It hasn't always been easy, but it has made an impact on my life.

The danger, physical and otherwise, of COVID-19 is real. The collateral damage to our personal and professional lives is undeniable. Your program (and you) are likely currently struggling in a way that was unimaginable just seven short months ago. There is no denying or changing this fact. But, we can change how we approach and respond to it.

You have every right to be concerned. You are justified in fearing for the future of your program. It would be understandable if you ended every day curled up in a corner, wondering how you can possibly teach this way one more day and wondering if it will ever end. That is a rational and normal response to the isolation brought upon us by COVID-19. 

Except, you are not isolated. You are not alone. You have a friend and an ally in YOU! 

Yes, the next and better version of you is alive and well, cheering you on, and showing you where to go and how to get there. They are unwavering in their support and are your biggest cheerleader. They are proof-positive that you will get through this, and there are better days ahead. They are you; smart, tenacious, caring and committed.

I believe that. I am trying to live that. So, if you see me driving down the road or hustling through an airport, it is entirely likely you will see me having a full-on conversation with myself, not the current me, but the me I want to become. Through all the words and gesticulations, I am likely asking one fundamental question:

"Am I making you proud?"

As long as the answer is "Yes!" I know I am living my best life.

Have a great week.

p.s. At the end of each of Bob's books, he publishes his cell number in case you want to chat. Mine is (480) 577-5264. Feel free to use it when needed.

Finding Your True North and Magnetic Declination

We don't know precisely when the compass was invented. However, historians know it was used ubiquitously throughout Europe as early as the twelfth century, and even earlier in China. 

The idea of letting the Earth's magnetic field guide your travels has been a time tested foolproof way of getting from point A to point B. Whether traveling by land, air, or sea, compasses exist in virtually every vehicle that travels from one place to another. 

Even with the advent of modern global positioning satellites, adventurers, young and old, rarely leave home without their trusty directional companion. 

Except it is not foolproof. The compass is a little faulty.

Starting with its first use, early navigators noticed that the compass did not always align with Polaris (the North Star). The degree of variation would change, but the inconsistency remained an unexplained constant for over five hundred years. The mystery remained unsolved until the early 1830's when British scientists initiated what became known as the Magnetic Crusade - a worldwide survey meant to measure and track the deviation, now known as Magnetic Declination. 

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It turns out that true north and magnetic north are not the same things. At least not at this moment as magnetic north is a moving object and changes locales every year, whereas true north is fixed. As of today, the two are separated by approximately two hundred and fifty miles.

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For everyday use, the difference between the two is insignificant. When using a compass to walk a mile, the variation between the two might cause you to miss by a couple of feet or yards—traveling one hundred miles? Well, you might miss by a half-mile or so. A thousand miles could have you in a different state or country. The greater the distance you travel, the more significant the gap between the two. Use magnetic north to get to the gas station? No problem. Use it to get from Los Angeles to Hawaii, and you will likely miss the entire chain of islands. 

Navigating by your true north matters, not just in your travels, but in your life and profession as well. 

For our students (and ourselves), magnetic north is all of the fun and exciting things that draw them in. Halftime performances, trips, competitions, uniforms, etc. are the things that consume our thoughts, drive our efforts, and guide our decision-making processes. We set budgets, rehearsal schedules, and a host of other things based on this false north. Still, our true north lies slightly adjacent to its magnetic counterpart and centers not around performances and crowds, but building character, making music, and creating memories.

Remember, over short trips and small distances, true north and magnetic north are virtually identical. But in the seven months, since the pandemic struck and distant learning began, the time and length have the two destination feeling miles apart. Through it all, it's essential to navigate yourself and your program by your True North because…

Magnetic north changes from year to year, but TRUE north is forever.

I'm Back. Kids Are BACK. MUSIC IS BACK!

After a lengthy medical delay (a severe case of writer's cramp), I'm BACK! 

I never really left or even stopped communicating, but my new book and COVID related communications and webinars delayed the return of my weekly Wednesday missive. (Fun stat: I have sent 245,729 emails in the past 30 days. Now, do you understand the writer's cramp?) With kids going back to school, it's time for me to get back to writing. 

I'm not the only thing that's back... Music is back, and it's back in classic form.

Wanna be a Juke Box Hero? Got stars in your eyes? (someone explain this classic Foreigner lyric to the under 40 crowd) You're not alone. In the past six months, guitar, keyboard, and drum set sales have hit record high numbers. A music store company executive recently compared sales on a summer day to that of Black Friday. This six-string comeback started with the pandemic and stems from people's need to stop bumming and start strumming. 

The growth isn't limited to making music. It expands to listening as well. Vinyl records just eclipsed CD sales for the first time since Van Halen was, well...Van Halen! In fact, despite the pandemic's impact, the music industry as a whole turned a small profit during the first half of the epidemic. So no bailout for Beyonce and Cardi B can forget about the PPP (someone explain that to the over 40 crowd).

In these times, music has struck a chord and is resonating with Americans in ways we once thought were long gone (see what I did there with the musical puns?). 

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As Alex Williams of the New York Times puts it in his article Guitars are Back, Baby!, "It's not just graying baby boomer men looking to live out one last Peter Frampton fantasy. Young adults and teenagers, many of them female, are helping to power this guitar revival, manufacturers and retailers said, putting their generational stamp on the instrument that rocked their parents' generation while also discovering the powers of six-string therapy." 

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In other words, music is proving not just to have healing powers, but is helping to address issues related to gender discrimination and female empowerment.

Yes, for nearly all musicians young and old, concerts are canceled, rehearsals are postponed, and audience seats are empty. But that has not stopped the music from being made. Yes, it make look and sound a little different, but it is still music.

Through all of this, numbers are showing that music not only survived but in some instances, even thrived. And so will music education.

The recent sales data shows that there is not just a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, but we have grown in unexpected and meaningful ways through the experience. A chance to return to a simpler time when we made our own music and listened without earbuds. A time without pitch correct and sampled instrumentation. Real people, making real music, in real-time. Difficult does not necessarily mean better (Adagio for Strings) and more notes and drill does not always equate to more learning. We do not teach music. We teach CHILDREN.

Our jobs have changed, mine included. They have become more distant and difficult. But, kids are still kids, and music is still music. It will not be the same, but that does not make it worse. We did not sign up for easy. We survived music theory, ear training, and classes that meet six days a week for one credit. We achieved a college degree with a 70% drop/failure rate and teach in a profession with an equally high departure rate. We fight with parents, administrators, and even mother nature. We are strong, battle-tested, and resilient. 

Our students need us, so we will meet them where they are, when they are there, and show them what is possible! Recent events and trends show that neither music or students are going away. So neither am I!

My mask is on, and my plane boards in five minutes! 

See you soon!

A Note of Gratitude

My dear friends and colleagues, 

Maybe you haven't noticed or even care, but another Wednesday has passed, and my weekly emails are still absent. 

Traditionally, I give teachers a break from the first week in June until the last week in July, but this year has been anything but traditional. I've been writing. In fact, I've been writing so much that even when I'm not in front of a screen, my fingers default to the QWERTY configuration. But, I have not been writing to YOU. I feel guilty.

Today my two boys began their school year. It is delayed by two weeks and spent in front of a computer, but it is school none-the-less. 

I know you are sad, angry, and FRUSTRATED! I imagine that from time to time, you feel them all simultaneously. Let's be clear, Zoom is not in-person, and Google Classroom is not a real classroom, no matter what you call it. This is not what you signed up for, and it's not necessarily fun. But it is here, and I wanted you to know something.

I am thankful for YOU.

Because of YOU, they went to bed at a reasonable hour, and got up early. Because of YOU they were not on an iPad or Xbox for hours. Because of YOU they were able to interact with another adult other than my wife and me. But mostly, because of YOU for the first time in five months, there was structure, purpose, and a sense that we are FINALLY moving forward. 

Yes, I am thankful for YOU!

I know that many of you are not likely going to clean drill, adjust a violin bridge, or practice vocal warm-up anytime soon. But perhaps more than ever before, you are making a difference and having an impact, not just on your students but their entire family. You brought order to their day, purpose to their house, and an optimistic belief that we are closer to the end of this than the beginning.

I will be back to our Wednesday chats soon, I promise. But in the meantime, I will offer these resources.

• Click here to learn more about my new book (we're going to make another big announcement)

• Click here to receive free online leadership curricula. 

• Click here if you would like to view any of my COVID webinars. 

• Click here if you need to set up your own free website for recruitment and retention. 

In addition, I hope you join me this Friday as we take a more in-depth look into Music FUNdations. I promise you will be glad you did. Bring your administrator and show them the power of what you are teaching in addition to music. 

Take care; let me know how else I can help. 

- Scott

Red, White, and Really Blue.

Typically, as America moves towards the Fourth of July weekend, we are filled with patriotism and pride. A time to give thanks for the freedoms we enjoy and pay tribute to those who have sacrificed. Think of it as a patriotic Thanksgiving, if you will.

Plus, we get to blow stuff up. And lot's of it.

With widespread civil unrest, a global pandemic, and a national Presidential election, you would think that patriotism is low. But apparently, it's not, at least if you measure patriotism by gross tonnage of black powder.

A recent article in the Chicago Sun-Times revealed that "Calls for fireworks complaints have skyrocketed this year in Chicago. From January 1st to June 21st, there were 7,042 calls to 911. There were just 842 calls during the same period last year. That's an increase of more than 736 percent."

On the same day as the Sun-Times article was released, an unrelated, but equally important, the Associated Press published a survey stating that Americans are the unhappiest they have been in almost fifty years. We are red, white, and BLUE.

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Do you think those two facts are related? Do you think we are blowing stuff up in record numbers because we are filled with unfettered joy and national pride? Or is it because we are scared and angry?

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As I mentioned last week, fear and anger are part of the grieving process, and we are all grieving. I would be concerned if you didn't feel that way. 

The impact of COVID has been far and wide and is not even close to being over. Its effects on your program will likely be significant and pervasive. It will impact the way you rehearse, where you travel, who you hire, and how you perform. It will change your budget, facilities, and enrollment, both now and in the future.

If directors are as human as the rest of the world (and I would challenge that assertion), 50% of you feel pretty blue right now, and it's not the red, white, and star-spangled kind.

But before you go looking for a blanket to crawl under, consider the following:

• You likely still have a job—a way to feed and provide for your family.

• You are not likely sick, nor will you become sick in a way that would compromise your life.

• You will still get to see great kids and make great music.

• You get a chance to reinvent a part of yourself and your program in a meaningful way.

• You get a chance to experiment with new instructional models with virtually no consequences.

In the grand scheme of things, life ain't so bad, and in fact could be much, much worse.

You still get to do what you love with young people you care about and make a real difference in people's lives.

So as our country approaches its national birthday party, what do you say we blow less stuff up and spend that energy taking broken things, and people, and putting them back together?

That's a red, white, and not so BLUE that would make Sousa proud.

Have a great week. I am taking a break next week, so you may or may not hear from me. I suspect you will all be fine (if not better off) without my supervision.

- Scott