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New Food
Sometimes when you’re looking for something to eat, you just need to take a chance and try something new. Recently my wife and I found ourselves with an opportunity to enjoy each others company for a meal without our kid. Unlike most nights out for a meal in which we deliberate where we should go,…
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Sia is my kid’s spirit animal
The idea of a spirit animal is a cool concept. If you look online you might find a test that might match you with a creature which may best represent you. However, the topic at the moment is Sia and how my daughter has committed every song in her catalog to memory. I can’t explain why…
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The Bronx Pyramid
I ran across an album with a face I recognized from long ago. It’s not like this artist is difficult to find, however I think this is his first project as the leader of this recording project. His name is Carlos Henriquez and he is the bass player. His latest project The Bronx Pyramid is…
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Late to the party
As the title suggest I feel late to the party currently in my soul. These days I feel like I discover a fantastic new artist every where I look. The Brazilian singer Luciana Souza has just invaded my mind and I am looking forward to having her occupy space there for some time to come.…
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Song Exploder Podcast
A few days ago I found a new podcast to add to my rotation. And apparently, I love this podcast! Song Exploder is hosted by Hrishikesh Hriway and it’s super interesting if you are into deconstructing modern songs. I downloaded 3 episodes which included artist I admire and listen to often. I was blown away with…
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Quick Warm Up
Having a quick warm-up at my disposal has been a very useful to me. Somedays I have 40 minutes to get my face ready for a day of playing. Unfortunately too often I get only 10-15 minutes to play in the morning. And that’s it! So when my private student informed me that they didn’t have…
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Wynton Marsalis Teaching Teachers
If I ever need reminding about the struggle of being a band director and why it’s important to do what I do, Wynton Marsalis sums it up in this talk. All of it applicable to those who learn and those who teach.
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Messy
I forget sometimes how disorganized learning can be for middle school kids. When I teach I tend to offer more help than seems necessary for some kids. With all the educational plans for individual kids and accommodations that need to be made, I forget that learning is a messy business. Some confusion for kids is…
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A Reminder of Why I Teach
Sometime I listen to a podcast called Snap Judgement hosted by Glynn Washington on NPR. The show melds fascinating stories with a hip-hop backdrop. Last week I listened to a story by Joyce Lee called “Dropping The Ball” about her experience with a former student. It gave me pause and reminded me of why I…