School of Rock’s Post

This is Part 2 of my 3-part series on John Elliott. John was a formative influence; by far THE most important person in my musical development. He also proved to be a complicated and sometimes difficult individual. This part tells of his influence on my teaching and the creation of my method book, Vertical Truth: Chordal Mechanisms for the Guitar. https://lnkd.in/g8mg9csn

Can following your passions lead to finding purpose? Discovering purpose is often a journey, that builds over time. Aligning your interests, talents and values with meaningful activities and contributions, can help you get there. A personal example, reflecting on my involvement with the Maplewood Glee Club Choir. Singing is a passion, and an activity in which I have a level of skill, but can that lead to purpose? For club leaders who have significant roles within the choir, e.g., arranging and directing music, and managing our scholarship program — all core to the club's mission and vision — purpose is palpable. What about me? I don’t currently have a formal role. My broader vocation is in helping and serving others, whether professionally, academically, or emotionally. However, I’m learning that purpose, like leadership, doesn’t need to have a formal role or title. It can be defined in many ways, and can grow over time. While our choir performances may bring joy to the audience, and ourselves, I've determined that my purpose in the choir is to support fellow members and student choristers, e.g., helping those less experienced during practices, offering tips and encouragement, and creating camaraderie. As I learn more about music theory, or have 1:1 discussions with our growing membership regarding their lives and families, I uncover more purposeful ways to contribute. This informs me that following your passion and talent can lead to purpose, a vocation — and for some — a career. So, friends and colleagues, if you have a passion and talent, keep going! Your energy and desire may lead to opportunities to leverage your skills in a way that brings purpose to you and value to others. What are your experiences of finding your passion and purpose, and how is that related to the work you do? #passion #purpose #personaldevelopment #peopledevelopment Bibliography:  https://lnkd.in/eEvyCFhf https://lnkd.in/emUeTCfJ https://lnkd.in/em_jJEAJ https://lnkd.in/e9cdeS6m

How To Teach A Child To Practice #NorthPhoenixYamahaMusicSchool #Phoenix #Scottsdale #MusicLessons #MusicSchool #MusicInstructor #MusicforToddlers #YamahaMusicEducationSystem #GroupKeyboardLessons #Yamaha

What if I told you there's an undiscovered key to student engagement? Incorporating music just 5 minutes a day can transform the culture of your classroom, keeping your students inspired and engaged. Learn how to harmonize education and music with me. #music #education #teaching https://lnkd.in/g2d87U3F

In the classroom, musical collaboration fosters creativity, teamwork, and a symphony of shared learning experiences. -FloCrit High School Students - Fall Semester 2023 - #teachingspace #CMB #MusicAtlas #MusicIsTheKey #ModernMusicEducation

The Benefits of Teaching Kids to Play an Instrument #NorthPhoenixYamahaMusicSchool #Phoenix #Scottsdale #MusicLessons #MusicSchool #MusicInstructor #MusicforToddlers #YamahaMusicEducationSystem #GroupKeyboardLessons #Yamaha

Choir games are essential! Find them, learn them, if you’re not into the TikTok games let the kids find them and teach them TO you and their peers! They not only teach fundamentals of music but they teach community, patience, and it gives small moments of leadership. I had a choir class of 46 working with small groups today and they had so much fun, AND every single student was engaged, learning and on task! 🥰🎶🤩. Let them be leaders, let them be singers, let them be the movers and shakers of music education. Let it get messy, let them fail and let them succeed.

The widespread 10000-hour rule by Malcom Gladwell is an oversimplification. It's based on the belief that enough practice will make an expert of anyone: you only need 10.000 hours. The truth is that good players practised as much as, if not more than, better players. There is a need to take into account other factors such as quality of tuition, learning skills and perhaps natural talent. It isn't about hours, it's about the complex combination of factors behind each athlete. https://lnkd.in/emt7b-AC

Learning to play the piano can be a rewarding experience! Here are some steps you can take to get started: Continue reading online https://lnkd.in/g_GyAgeC

Improve your students' sightreading skills with a micro approach, focusing on rhythm, pitch, and spatial recognition. Use student-created exercises for collaboration and mastery in this article by Jason Dove. 📖 Read this article from the January issue of #SWMusicianonline at https://lnkd.in/gMdw7pQc "As educators, we tend to distribute our strongest readers to different sections to have them lead as we prepare for UIL evaluation. Would it not be better if we were able to diagnose issues and put best practices in place for all students to contribute? As we consider how to respond to this, I believe we must focus on two areas: what we are teaching (the concept) and how we are teaching it. With that focus, we can differentiate instruction to make simpler tasks more difficult for advanced students to keep them engaged while others are solidifying their grasp of the concepts." #TMEA #ItStartsWithMusic #Choir #Sightreading #MusicLiteracy #MusicEducation #MusicTeacher