continued from Solfège: Part 2: The Legacy of Guido d’Arezzo Solfège: Part 3 Teaching Music with Solfège This is a simple but somewhat thorough description of the syllables for movable do solfège with la-based minor and how I applied them in my work as a teacher. I do not claim this method as […]
Off The Podium
Off The Podium: Unsolicited Advice
This week on Off The Podium we will take a break from our regularly scheduled solfège episode for a collection of well-intentioned, wholesome advice. I hope this is helpful. It’s May, and commencement season. As schools around the country struggle with how to honor their graduates and send them off to their next adventures while […]
Off The Podium: Keep Calm and Stay Home
I have read the New York Times every morning for much of my adult life, although lately there have been mornings when I have put this activity off until later in the day…there just hasn’t been much good news. It’s difficult to find articles that aren’t directly or indirectly related to our current shared situation. […]
Off The Podium: BWV 106 “Actus Tragicus”
During the eleven-day period from March 21 – 31 it has been my practice for many years to spend some time each day reflecting on the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, as I have written about here. Our friend Sebastian was born this time of year in 1685 – on March 21 or March 31, […]
Off The Podium: Herring’s Head
Herring’s Head is a cumulative folksong that I taught to and sung with students of all ages at many schools over the course of my teaching career. It features humorous lyrics that deliver a conservation message about whole animal or “nose to tail” eating (mindful consumption). Herring’s Head‘s call-and-response structure, extroverted attitude, and whimsy made it […]
Off The Podium: Universal Music Education
As we enter the third decade of the twenty-first century, the time has come for music educators to stop pussyfooting around and advocate for Universal Music Education. Indeed, it is long past time. We should stop wasting valuable time – time that belongs to us and to the children in our care – we should […]