Full disclosure, I am very biased, and I realize my experience is not the standard (and as usual, I use that term lightly). I am willing to accept that there is a time and place for an online course, but I am hesitant to accept the notion that it is the future of education. Its… Read More Online Classes
What kind of a name is that anyway? Everyone knows those are the classes for the kids who aren’t even going to college. And what does that make “honors”? And if it’s really honorable to be in an honors class, who should really be taking Advanced Placement? Maybe it’s just a matter of relabeling, but… Read More College Prep
I touched on it when I looked at common core, and again with independent education, but I still strongly believe that our current method of preparing students for non-student life in the mystic lands of Real World is fundamentally flawed in the belief that everyone is equal under one contrived code of ethics and standards.… Read More Potential
A couple weeks ago I addressed sports in a not so friendly light in comparison to music education under the headings of funding and academic practicality. It was a little hard given the context to justify the amount of money thrown at sports year after year when there is not sufficient scientific evidence to suggest… Read More Healthy Competition?
Most people’s experiences fall dramatically short of a disappointing weekend in the woods with sweaty classmates and kitsch campfire crafts. Outdoor education sums up to learning what clouds are called in elementary school because it’s an excuse to go outside and lay on the damp grass while the unrelenting sun plays peekaboo behind a few… Read More Outdoor Education
FYI: No music today. If you’re like me, all you’ve ever heard about the new common core standards are parents and students moaning on and on about how difficult the math homework is, how the math tests make kids cry, and how the stuff they’re learning today just isn’t the math we grew up with… Read More Common Core Makes Young Minds Sore
Put down your boxing gloves, pack up your mallets. This isn’t meant to be incite-ful, just insightful. Let’s keep it civil. Bad puns aside, the heat between jocks and band geeks has existed since time immeasurable, on the field, in the classroom, and in administrative offices. Last week we examined the benefits of music, why it… Read More Sports Vs. Music
As a musician, I can’t help but cringe when I see and hear stories of school districts slighting their music programs. Often for budgetary reasons, they fail to see the intrinsic enrichment music places on the lives of every child fortunate to receive such a proper education. I attempted to tackle this topic in another… Read More Why Music? (And Who Cares?)