If student demand is any indication of quality, this music “re-telling” of classic folk songs is already destined for success! Shortly after receiving a copy of “Old MacDonald Had the Blues” from its composer, Rebekah Maxner, a student asked me what it was. I played him a sampling of some of the pieces and he’s […]
Monday Mailbag – Scheduling Breaks
I’d love to hear how you “schedule” your year. I’m teaching through the Christmas holidays. Always have. But now that I’m in it I sure would love a break to spend more time with my own children. In the summer (June, July, August) I teach every week as well unless I am out of town, and […]
Inspiration from a Scientist
To close out our week of inspirational New Year beginnings, I thought I would share a quote from a book I just finished reading: “My dear children, I send you my best wishes for a happy New Year – that is to say, a year of good health, good humor and good work, a year […]
Inspiration from a Home Magazine
Somehow I started receiving a subscription to Traditional Home a while ago. Magazines are one of my weaknesses, so I usually like to skim through it and see if anything catches my eye! Well, as I was making preparations for my Christmas recital about a month ago, I was contemplating what sort of design to […]
The Greatest of These Is Love
At the beginning of this school year, Lisa McCluer, a dear friend of mine who is also the president of the Kansas City Music Teachers Association, wrote a wonderful article for her association newsletter. This has served as such an important reminder to me in my teaching this year that I asked her if I […]
Flops, Failures, and Fortitude
“The young teacher finished arranging the game pieces for the first planned activity of the evening just as the doorbell rang. A few minutes later, the first student was seated on the floor, eagerly anticipating the fun he would have during the group class. He was soon joined by another cheerful face, and the teacher […]
