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Podcast Episode #2: Do You Want To Get Better? Interview with Jessie Carmichael
Jessie is a 2014 graduate of Hays High School and was a member of Chamber Singers and President of National Honor Society. In this interview, Jessie reminds all of us about three important ingredients to “getting better.” 1. Preparation — Jessie took the initiative to find vocal coaches that could help prepare her to reach her […]
PERFECT PRACTICE: Three more Feedback Rules
Rule 27: Limit Yourself I just had a recent experience where the speaker for that day did a 45 minute knowledge dump. At one point, about 20 minutes into the sermon, I wrote to my wife, “What is the purpose of his talk? What is the take-a-way from his sermon”? It was clear to me […]
Choir Trips: Educational…Really?
Are those “music trips” educational or are they merely fluff? I get this question on occasion and if not the actual question at least some of those looks from non-believers who think us music teacher’s use these trips to manipulate students into signing up for choir. The trip is certainly a highlight of the year; […]
Podcast Episode #1: Introducing Matlock Music Works
The podcast is where I will endeavor to enrich and expand the voice of music in our larger community of Hays and beyond. Over the 26 years of my teaching, I have heard from so many inspirational voices, most of which were right in my classroom. The insights from my students, observations and depth of […]
Matlock Music Works Launch: Web Site, Blog, Podcast
Matlock Music Works: Do I need “one more thing”? …but the excitement that this endeavor might be a fresh link with my choir members, especially my students, parents, and community is making me take the leap. I am learning how to build a web site and do a podcast!! The learning curve is steep. Each […]
PERFECT PRACTICE RULE #25: SHORTEN THE FEEDBACK LOOP AND RULE #26: USE THE POWER OF POSITIVE
Baggage claim can be stressful. Did my luggage make it? You think that it is yours and as you go to grab it another person snags it up. If you miss your bags, not to fear, it will come around again. Some uncomfortable moments. Feedback can be uncomfortable but is vital to improvement. I want feedback with my students to be like the baggage conveyor … a constant loop between my choir and myself. I need feedback from them and they need feedback from me. So, how do you create and maintain a productive feedback loop? (more…)
PUBLIC EDUCATION — OUT OF FUEL?
Educators, do you feel public education has gotten bogged down? Are we spinning our wheels? I do. It’s like we are sitting in the cockpit of a big jet airplane loaded with passengers. We have been trained to fly. We have read the flight manual but we can’t get off the ground. So we invite […]
PERFECT PRACTICE RULE 23: PRACTICE USING FEEDBACK (NOT JUST GETTING IT) AND RULE 24: APPLY FIRST, THEN REFLECT
Last summer, I had the privilege of attending the Choral Director’s Workshop attached to the Oregon Bach Festival. Several sessions were devoted to tweaking one’s conducting. Dr. Sharon Paul, of the University of Oregon, led the sessions which consisted of each participant conducting a piece and receiving feedback. In preparation, I felt confident that […]
TEACHERS — LEADERS FOR CHANGE
Two things were imprinted on my brain from childhood. I lived on a farm with my grandparents across the road. When I would leave for a ballgame, school trip, or going out on a date, my grandpa would say, “Remember those little folks are watching you,” and my dad would say, “Son, remember who […]
TEACHING IS NOT A JOB; IT’S A CALLING!
I write this at a time when funding for public education has reached an all-time low, a general lack of respect for what I do grows, and I seriously ponder a question that would have been unthinkable to me twenty years ago, “Who would want to be a teacher”? When I think of the word […]