Winter Lullaby by Andrew F. Poor

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jump Start Part 2: Helping your beginning students succeed in the first few weeks (Brass Edition)

Image
Introduction Here is an overview of some concepts I have found to be helpful when starting beginning brass players. During the first year of study, I start students on all five primary brass instruments--trumpet, horn, trombone, euphonium, and tuba--and we start on these instruments from the beginning of the year. Currently, our classes at South Forsyth Middle School are in homogeneous groups by instrument family; brass in one class, woodwinds in the other and percussion evenly divided between the two classes. NOTE:  I have used these same techniques in heterogeneously grouped classes, but the instructional pace is much slower in this grouping.  Helping the Students Select the Correct Instrument Helping your students select an instrument that matches both their interests and aptitudes is an essential prerequisite to their future success in music. This process may be even more important for students selecting an instrument from the brass family of instrumen...
Read more

This one time in drum corps... a reflection on teaching the Spirit of Atlanta in 2017 (Part 1)

Image
A reflection on teaching the Spirit of Atlanta in 2017 2017 Spirit Brass Staff at DCI World Championships 1. I really do not like doing drum corps in Louisiana, but we found a way to get better anyway I think one of the things drum corps teaches us is how to push through barriers or walls. During the summer, you are constantly challenged to push yourself mentally and physically harder than most people have pushed themselves in their regular lives. Lousiana presents many challenges that test the strength of your will, including, extreme heat, high humidity, terrible facilities, and fields which resemble mud pits or fire ant city. These were some of the toughest days of the summer, but the drum corps got better and was an important turning point for the corps during the summer. The Nacy SEALs have 40% rule: you are only at your 40% physical capacity when your mind wants to give up. You have more strength and capacity then you realize and drum corps help remind us of t...
Read more

The Pack Mindset and Keys to Understanding Team Dynamics

Image
The Pack Mindset Keys to Understanding Team Dynamics  " For the  strength   of   the   Pack  is the Wolf, and the  strength  of the Wolf is the  Pack ." ― Rudyard Kipling.    Inside the ancient parts of our brain, we are wired to mirror the other members of our pack. Our fight/flight/freeze instincts are connected to this innate awareness of our surroundings. Ever notice one person yawns, and you suddenly have an uncontrollable urge to yawn. If I am whispering to you, it would seem exceptionally odd to yell back at me. We see somebody in danger and panicked, and our instinct is to quickly move to help them. Our mirror instincts are at play when we get into an argument, and it quickly escalates. The inverse is also true. When upset, a calming and reassuring voice can quickly change our mood. These reactions are a part of this instinct, which have helped our packs survive and thrive over millennia.  This instinct is unive...
Read more