6. SUBSCRIBE! “Talk does not cook rice.” – Chinese proverb. You know what you want to change or where you want to go…But it can be difficult taking the next step and activating our internal navigation system. One easy trick I’ve learned is to start subscribing to email newsletters. They’re often free and you’re not [...]
5. SMALL CHANGES THAT GO A LONG WAY “Talent is highly developed intrinsic motivation.” – Peter Tambroni Here are several little ideas for you to consider. Try one or all!
4. PORTRAY THE POSITIVE Smile – it works! “No work of art is really ever finished. They only stop at good places.” – Robert Henri
Peter Tambroni
3. STRETCH Loosen up! “The more you practice, the more the impossible becomes possible.” – Peter Tambroni
but you can’t make him drink… However you can salt the oats! – T. Lindsay
This article is a work in progress but since it’s such a hot topic I wanted to post as I write. _______________________________________________ Rubrics tend to look something like this: 0-5 points =bad, 6-10 better, 11 – 19 good, 20-30 points = great or really just:\ Bad, Good, Very Good, Outstanding
SET ABSOLUTE PRIORITIES Have 3 Daily MUST – DOs “There is no easy or difficult, only familiar and unfamiliar.” – Kenny Werner It’s all about setting priorities and adjusting your outlook on your daily tasks. We often place too high of a priority on things that don’t really affect. And the little things that do [...]
Here is a great article on intrinsic motivation. Although it is based on athletics, it could just as easily been an interview with a great a conductor. It discusses three main points of intrinsic motivation: 1. Autonomy 2. Competence 3. Relatedness
LIGHT YOUR FIRE Find your motivation “Success is not far away; it is an everyday occurrence.” – Dr. James E. Loehr An internal fire will propel you forward! What is yours? What motivates you? What gets you going? It doesn’t have to anything wildly prophetic or complex. It can be very simple. For example, I [...]
As educators we have a desire to ‘make a difference’ or to be ‘that teacher’. And there’s nothing wrong with except it’s selfish, lacks depth, and is myopic. Wanting to make a difference is selfish? YES! It means you’ve turned the students learning into something YOU want and you’re own need to be recognized. If [...]
I stopped admiring people a long time ago. People are fallible and will continually let you down. However, people do have great qualities that you should model parts of yourself after. But rather than try to be like someone else, I pick and choose those qualities from lots of people and incorporate them into myself. [...]
It’s never too late or to soon… As a music teacher, I’ve had students of all ages. One inspiring tale happened one summer by chance. I was teaching at a summer camp just north of the beautiful Adirondack Mountains in northern New York state. What a fantastic place! Anyway, I was walking through a hall [...]
Check out the new CD by my longtime friend, Elliot Szabo.
When I introduce myself to new students I say, “My name is Mr. Tambroni. You can call me either Mr. T. or Mr. Tambroni. Whichever you choose. What is your name and what name do you like to called?” This gives the student a choice as well as eliminating issues with them making fun of [...]
I’m currently reading Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel and came across some passages I wanted to share. “Practice, repetition, and repetition of the repeated with ever increasing intensity are…the way.” p. 40 “Shunning long-winded isntructions and explanations, the [teacher] contents himself with perfunctory commands and does not reckon on any questions [...]
What’s Wrong – and What’s Wright – with Rubrics by W. James Popham from Educational Leadership / October 1997
What I learned from playing Starcraft: Have multiple sources of revenue Fortify your home base Sometimes your enemies are really friends
Check out a cute gift a student gave me a few years back.
Here’s a great blog post I found about working with negative people.
Last week I blogged about inspirational teaching stories. You can visit and post your own on that page. Then it was suggested to have funny or awkward teaching stories. I thought, GREAT! Oh wait, I already have a page for that. So, be sure to check that out and post your own. And here’s a [...]
Hello fellow educators and readers! I am adding stories (yes, true stories) of inspiration and of students that have surprised and inspired me. I am going to open up comments and ask you to share your inpsiring stories and pass the link on to other teachers, friends, family members, etc. I just ask that if [...]
03/12/09 – I had two viola players today ask who should play the melody in their chamber ensemble. They asked me to audition them. I told them to audition themselves! I gave them a portable MP3 recorder – This empowered them to actively listen, make meaningful decisions, and they both fixed details in their playing. [...]
“Knowledge makes everything simpler.” from The Laws of Simplicity by John Maeda, p. 33 That’s why we teach. Learning new skills makes existing skills, future skills, and the acquisition of skills easier. We don’t know what skills we may need so by laying a broad foundation for our students they can be better prepared for [...]
If emotions are at the core of learning, why do music educators and ensemble directors consistently ignore the student’s emotions? Nearsightedness and for their own emotions. Or perhaps we should be thinking about future emotions.
