The Legacy of Dr. King
Today we celebrate the life of one of the most influential figures of the 20th Century, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I have always been amazed by the life of Dr. King. He was strong yet peaceful. He was articulate yet concise. He was charismatic yet thoughtful. Dr. King possessed the characteristics of leadership of the noblest quality. Those characteristics shone brightly in one of the darkest eras of our country. 2018 marks the 55th anniversary of one of the most pivotal ye
The Importance of Listening
I can remember the first Wynton Marsalis recording I ever heard. It was an early evening in the spring of 1991 in the band room of Fairfax High School. I was a junior in high school and the jazz band was not a class. We rehearsed one night a week for a few hours. My Director, Ms. Mary Ulrey, wanted us to hear what she meant to breathe through a phrase. She played “Never Let Me Go” from the Standard Time, vol. 3 album. I had been inundated by the offerings of my peers with t
Music makes better kids! …but we already knew that.
Ask any band director in the US and he or she will probably tell you, “I teach the best kids in the school.” Over my career as an educator, I have been amazed at what my kids have become after graduating and pursuing their dreams. My classroom has been the youthful sanctum of educators, doctors, lawyers, architects, molecular biologists, civil engineers, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, computer techs, political scientists, film makers, college professors, and of
