Falling Forward and My Impending Heart Attack

As I write this, it's Monday, and frankly, the week is off to a miserable start. There is a chill in the air (and by chill, I mean it was 67), the stock market is in a free-fall, and Covid-19 is dominating the airways. To add insult to injury, my cold had returned (for the second time in as many months), AND I am at a 24% increased risk for a heart attack. 

Yes, heart attack!

So, I spent today glued to my bed, television, and heart rate monitor.

Why the increased concern with the condition of my ticker? Lack of sleep!

A 2014 U.S. study showed that the one hour of sleep lost during the daylight saving time "spring forward" raised the risk of having a heart attack the following Monday by 24% compared to every other Monday. By contrast, "falling back" later in the year when we gain an extra hour of sleep, heart attack risk fell 21% on the following Tuesday after returning to standard time.

Your heart is not alone in its vulnerability. The change in Daylight Savings Time has also been linked to lack of appetite, mood changes, car accidents, and an increased risk of stroke.

Seriously, can someone explain the reason behind this time shifting madness? It's killing me, LITERALLY!

It's amazing the impact one little bitty hour of sleep can have. And remember, it affects more than us; it affects our students as well.

We have long known the impact that sleep can have on student achievement, musical and otherwise. Study after study shows that our school-aged teens are wandering our campus in a sleep-deprived zombie-like state. School, activities, homework, repeat.

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Teaching and learning don't exist in a bubble. It is part of an educational and natural ecosphere that is affected by things outside of our classrooms. And, as hard as we might try to ignore it, nature almost always wins, so we had better pay attention.

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We have long been able to tie the effect that nutrition and physical health have on brain development and mental cognition. But there is new and an ever-growing mountain of evidence that suggests the correlation between our environment and our cognitive function is even higher than we initially thought.

Need more evidence? Read on.

In a recently published paper entitled Air Filters, Pollution, and Student Achievement, academian, and author Michael Gilraine, looked at the surprising consequences of the Aliso Canyon gas leak in 2015.

In response to the disaster, the local school district didn't re-engineer the school buildings or make dramatic education reforms; they just installed $700 commercially available filters that you could put into any room in the country, and test scores shot up.

This rural community is not alone in its findings. There is a growing body of evidence that ties air quality to improved cognition. 

That got you thinking? If so, you must be breathing clean air. But wait, there's more.

In New York City, schools are installing washing machines to improve student hygiene, and are seeing remarkable results. Attendance is up dramatically as is academic performance, as we all know, you can't teach a child that's not there.

As a profession, we long ago discovered that teaching and learning are not isolated to a school or classroom. What has been more recent is our understanding that it is also not limited to just the cerebral cortex or the temporal lobe. It's affected by the lungs, the eyes, and the ears. 

Yes, the ears.

There have been hundreds of studies on the impact of music on brain function. But what is less known, or less documented, is how the effect of making music affects our desire to engage, interact, and learn in the aftermath, but I believe it does. 

You can't ignore the fact that cleaner air leads to higher academic performance or that cleaner clothes increases reading scores. The evidence is clear.

But what about music? We know that students participating in music are more academically successful, but why? Could it be in part because of what they hear? Just because we can't quantify it or cite a causal relationship doesn't make it any less valid.

Making and hearing great music helps to make a great kid. How can it not? If what we eat and breathe affects us, how can what we see and hear not have the same impact? 

Let me say it again, making and hearing great music helps to make great kids. I would bet my life on it.

And I live in one of the only places where Daylight Savings Time isn't observed, so my life has a 24% greater chance of being here tomorrow!

Have a great week.

Our (not so) Super Tuesday and Wonderful Wednesday!

As I sat down to write this week's e-zine, I couldn't find my groove. A tough week of travel and other writing deadlines had me uninspired and lacking inspiration, which is kind of my jam.

I was a motivational speaker missing his mojo. 

I decided to take a break. I sat down on the couch and turned on the TV in hopes of finding something to write about. ANYTHING to write about. Writing deadlines are my nemesis.

The first channel was sharing the initial results from Super Tuesday. 

Imagining this to be another all-night process, I switched to another channel only to find that the coronavirus is continuing to spread virtually unchecked. Channel three? It turns out the stock market and my 401K are actually 911. NOT OK! 

So tonight's attempt at soul-enriching fulfillment; death, politics, and poverty, the Holy Trinity of depression.

I shut the TV off.

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As I got up to stare into the nutritional abyss that is my snack cache (yes, I self medicate with snacks), the home phone rang. You know, the phone that we keep solely for 911 and telemarketers?

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I grabbed it and prepared to use this opportunity to make my unsolicited caller sorry that they had chosen this exact moment to reach out to me. 

"Hello?" I said in a brusk voice.

"May I please speak with Scott Lang?" the faint male voice said.

Not recognizing the voice or long distance number, I was getting ready to tell him that Scott had passed away in a tragic lunchtime accident involving a vat of peanut butter and a Carly Simon album. Still, my better angels reached out to me, and I said, "This is he, how can I help you?"

He responded, "My name is Oscar, and I am driving from Chicago to Minneapolis and I found an electronic watch in my rental car. Not knowing how it worked, I played with it until I found a home button, and it pulled up your name. Did you, by chance lose a watch?"

"OMG, yes! It was a Christmas gift from my wife and got lost when my backpack flew open while running for a workshop. I also lost a set of AirPods my wife gave me for Valentine's Day!" 

Did I mention it was a rough travel week?

After a long and thankful conversation, Oscar said he would look for my AirPods and mail my watch to me. 

There was the inspiration I was looking for and needed.

People are good. They are smart, honest, and given the opportunity, will go above and beyond to do the right thing.

So, to stem the tide and save what's left of your day, I am saying goodbye to Super Tuesday and hello to Wonderful Wednesday.

These stories listed below are ones I have been holding on for use in future e-zines, but I think today is the day to share. I have copied and hyperlinked them directly to their source.

Enjoy. 

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U.K. Patient Plays Violin During Unusual Brain Tumor Surgery

Surgeons at King's College Hospital in London removed a brain tumor from a woman who played the violin during the procedure. Doctors for violinist Dagmar Turner, 53, mapped her brain before the surgery to identify areas that were active when she played the instrument. 

They then woke her mid-procedure so she could play to "ensure the surgeons did not damage any crucial areas of the brain that controlled Dagmar's delicate hand movements," the hospital said in a statement.

(I guess sometimes you get a song stuck in your head, and this is the only way to get it out.)

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Drumming makes your brain more efficient

Over years of practice, drummers appear to modify the way that the two sides of their brain communicate. According to a recent study, the cabling that runs between the two hemispheres of a drummer's brain is significantly different from non-musicians.

A recent study hunts for brain changes associated with playing the drums.

Playing drums is a unique skill. Drummers can complete different rhythmical tasks with all four of their limbs, simultaneously. The coordination required is impossible for non-drummers.

(Say what you want, but I think there's hope for me yet.)

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High Schoolers Build Prosthetic Hand for Friend Who Wants to March

Tabetha Noel-Ratcliff and Clark Strong didn't know each other until a few weeks ago. She was born with a hand deformity and had a desire to be a part of the marching band. Clark wanted to help, so he made her a prosthetic with a 3D printer that would allow her dream to come true.

If you are looking for more pick-me-up type stuff, be sure to sign up for our #YouMatter campaign, an irregular and irreverent look at the power of music education. 

#YouMatter

• Scott

p.s. I received the following from a teacher (Lauralyn A) just a few weeks ago. Thought I would share. 

This past weekend I was disheartened to hear that one of my new 6th grade beginning trumpet players had faced a terrible tragedy. Their family home had caught fire and burned completely. The family lost everything......Well almost. 

This morning as this cute kiddo came to school I was surprised and delighted to see his trumpet in his hands as he entered the band room. 

With a big smile on his face, I asked him "Hey dude...That trumpet looks like it's in perfect shape, how did it manage to escape the fire?" "It's all OK, Mrs A," he replied, "When I was running from the house to get out, I made sure I grabbed my trumpet." 

This kid lost everything this weekend that belonged to him but his trumpet. I was extremely touched to think of all the possessions he could have grabbed and ran out with, that his trumpet was right at the top of his list. 

I'm lucky to teach such great kids, and truly inspired by them. 

Astro-Fixicist and Our Profession



For most of us, when we think of an Astrophysicist, we picture a super genius who spends her days using super-computers to model how galaxies operate. These are people who spend their days working on complex algorithms and theorems to describe how our universe operates, and the impact of two stars colliding in the Andromeda Galaxy.

People who excel in this complex field are considered rock stars and are revered by experts and laypeople alike. Giants like Stephen Hawking, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Carl Sagan have helped shape not just the way we view outer space, but the way we see our planet and ourselves. 

These people work for the most forward-thinking organizations and are doing work that is critical to our safety and survival - places like DARPA, NASA, the Department of Defence... And Stitch Fix.

Stitch Fix? Yep, Stitch Fix.

Started in a Cambridge, Massachusetts loft in 2011, Stitch Fix is a personal styling service that has grown into a two billion dollar subscription service and is changing users closets in every corner of the United States and Europe.

Including mine!

For Christmas, in a thinly veiled attempt to update my style, my wife gave me a trial subscription. Now, I know what you are thinking, "But Scott, you are already my fashion icon and style maven!" (You thought that, right?)

And yes, while I pride myself on a dapper appearance, there are two unavoidable and undeniable things:

1. I tend to wear the same type of stuff all of the time.

2. An astrophysicist has never dressed me.

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Yep, that's right. As we speak, I am personally styled by someone 
much, much smarter than myself. 

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It turns out that more so than personal stylists, Stitch Fix has been on a hiring bender for anyone and everyone willing to abandon science for swag, and they are not alone. Netflix, Spotify, and Google are searching for the same type of people to help grow their businesses.

According to Wired Magazine, "Even at elite universities, fewer astrophysics PhDs go on to take postdoctoral fellowships or pursue competitive professorships. Now, more of them go straight to work in Silicon Valley."

These companies, and more, are looking for people who are well versed in predictive analytics in hopes that they can better understand and help with what people need and want.

The concept for Stitch Fix is simple, use the best and brightest to help you be your best and brightest.

I think we need a "Pitch Fix" for music education. Someone or something that could:

• Hear your rehearsal and give you real-time feedback on issues related to pitch and rhythm.

• Listen to your ensemble and recommend appropriate literature.

• Study your recordings and provide relevant technique building materials.

• Read your memos/documents and recommend better voicing.

• Analyze your storage facility for optimization.

• View your profile and guide you towards jobs best suited for your skill sets.

• Push you towards taking more risks in programming.

• Recommend rehearsal pacing based on the day, week, or month.

But more than anything, music educators could use someone to objectively view you as an individual, and help YOU see YOURSELF in a new and unique way.

Setting aside National Standards and best practices, teaching music is a HIGHLY personalized activity. Our ability to choose our literature, and set our scope and sequence sets us apart from most other curricular areas. Add to that the highly subjective and artistic nature of our curricula and the uniqueness of each school community, and you find yourself with an activity that is taught nationwide, but seldom in the same way.

Is this good or bad? I could argue either way, but I will say that it creates a very unique set of challenges to address and obstacles to overcome. More importantly, it makes the activity more dependant on the teacher than the curricula, which makes teacher development critical to the success of our profession, and most districts and schools lack the resources, personnel, or time to do this.

Which means as a profession, we are in a Fix, with no one to Stitch.

Listen, we all need a set of fresh ideas, someone to show us our blind spots, and help us avoid the potholes of our profession. But perhaps most important of all, after years (and years) in the same space, with the same kids, teaching the same subject, we need someone to help us see OURSELVES anew. We need someone to challenge our old ways of thought and help us grow as we grow older.

Who is that for you?

If you need someone, let me be your guy. Today at 1:00 pm MST, I will sign onto a Zoom chat roomand do two things:

1. Open up my new Stitch Fix box live and let you determine what I keep and send back.

2. Listen to anything you want to share and answer any question you have.

Come see me and let's chat. 

I am certainly no Neil deGrasse Tyson, but then again, what does he know about music education?!

See you in a couple of hours. Join me, it might be fun.

VISIT SCOTT

p.s If you want to try Stitch Fix, you can use this unique url to get a free $25.00 credit.

p.p.s I reached out to Stitch Fix to see if they wanted to offer an additional coupon or prize. They declined. :(

February's No Good Month and Our Factfulness

February is a no good, awful month. It's cold, dark, and everyone I know is sick and tired. SICK AND TIRED OF FEBRUARY THAT IS! 

What? You think February is the month of love and celebrating our past presidents? Well, my kids hijacked my Valentine's Day (since when did kids get gifts from Cupid?), and as for Presidents, without my wallet in front of me, I can't name more than a handful.

In fact, it's not just February I'm tired of. This whole year has been a stinkbomb. 2020 has underwhelmed my expectations while overwhelming my delicate sensibilities, and I say we get a do-over!

Oh, how sweet, you are a Pollyanna and see the good in everything? Well, in just seven weeks we have had:

• Toxic politics.

• An Impeachment trial.

• Uncontrolled Fires in the Australian Outback.

• The passing Kobe Bryant's and eight friends.

• Massive melting glaciers.

• Crop eating locust swarms.

• And the creme-de-la-creme, the Coronavirus.

And don't even get me started on the whole Prince Harry and Princess Meghan Brexit! That's BANANAS!

All of this tragedy has me sitting in a corner, sucking my thumb, and mumbling to myself in a way that my wife calls "deeply concerning." 

Yes, as far as I can see, 2020 stinks!

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But not everyone agrees with me. It turns out there is a family of well regarded Nordic researchers that believe the world is not going to heck in a handbasket but that it is actually getting better. And they have facts to back it up.

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In the landmark book, Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World-and Why Things Are Better Than You Think, authors, and TED Talks phenomenon, Hans, Ola, and Anna Rosling offer a radical new explanation of why we forgo positively oriented data in favor of negatively biased opinions.

According to the New York Times, Factfullness, "...reveal[s] the ten instincts that distort our perspective—from our tendency to divide the world into two camps (usually some version of us and them) to the way we consume media (where fear rules) to how we perceive progress (believing that most things are getting worse)."

As the author Rosling put it, "Our problem is that we don't know what we don't know, and our guesses are informed by unconscious and predictable biases."

To prove their point, they gave a ten question test to tens of thousands of people about the state of affairs in the world today compared to our recent past, and the results were alarming. What was so troubling was the average person's complete lack of understanding about the world around them. In fact, our ineptitude was so laughable that they gave the same test to a group of chimps, and the chimps scored higher! CHIMPS!

You can take the test here. 

It turns out that we modern humans are a dark lot and are wanton to believe the worst in people and our world, even when evidence to the contrary is as abundant as it is obvious.

For instance, did you know that in our world:

• Literacy is at an all-time high?

• Female educational levels are at an all-time high?

• Childhood vaccinations are at an all-time high?

• 80% of our world now has a liveable income?

• 80% of our world population lives in a first or second world country?

• In the last 20 years, the number of people living in poverty has been halved?

• The number of deaths due to natural disasters has been halved?

• There are fewer deaths due to global conflict than ever before?

Despite what politicians and pundits would have us believe, our schools, our country, and our planet are doing better than we give it credit. And the evidence supports it. EVEN THE CHIMPS KNEW THAT.

Yes, there are still very real and pressing concerns that we as a people face, but let us not forget that our ability to innovate, communicate, and collaborate is limitless and has served us well in dark times before.

I think what happens in the world also happens in music. I think sometimes we tend to see the bad in our profession instead of the good. We focus on our feelings instead of our facts. We see our jobs and our students with the filter of what's not right instead of what is. We look for what we want and not what we have.

It might be human nature, but it's not natural. Remember, the CHIMPS were able to figure this stuff out.

If Dr. Rosling were here, he would remind us to take a breath, turn off the news, and go hang out with some kids. That should cheer us both up. 

But he passed away last... February. 

UGH. I need my blankie.

Have a great Febru (er...) March everyone!

-Scott

Mumbai to Noise and Hello to the Sounds of Silence

New Dehli, India is home to the most crowded and treacherous streets in the world. A trip to the local market more closely resembles the movie Ford vs. Ferrari than it does Driving Miss Daisy. For many of the city's residents, the commute is as dangerous as it is maddening.

Picture it: Three-wheeled rickshaws whirl out of the roundabouts straight at you, packs of stray dogs dash into the road, and all the while you are merging with huge buses who feel no compunction to cede the right of way. To compound the problem, every side street has a slew of bicycle rickshaws, little taxis, fat Mercedes, and Uber drivers riveted to their screens. 

So many people. So many cars. So many emotions and only ONE way to communicate. The ubiquitous car horn.

In a world such as this, the car horn is more than a courtesy reminder; it is a survival tool and a weapon. People use them regularly — to berate, to warn, and especially to get sluggish drivers to move. But it has all proved to be too much as decibel levels at certain high traveled intersections are routinely exceeding 120db's all day and night.

And then the Mumbai Police Department decided to do something about it. 

Jeffery Gettlemen of the New York Times writes, "At certain vital intersections, they installed slightly sinister devices that detect horn noise. When people honked at red lights, which they often do to get other drivers ready to go, the lights stayed red. The police put up a few signs — 'Honk More, Wait More' — and while at first, not everyone understood what was happening, the signs had an impact." 

Now, people on every corner of India are laughing about it,
while officials in other cities and countries are scrambling to replicate it.

Pretty clever, huh?

At first sight, the experiment seems ingenious. Reward the behavior you want and punish the ones you don't, a concept as old as time itself (and one my 10-year-old is still trying to master).

It's no different in schools. Whether you are looking at in-school suspension or AP Calc, the process is the same. Create a series of accolades and accountabilities to drive individual behavior. We see it in academics, discipline models, dress codes, attendance policies, etc...

But it's a little different in music classes. In music (education), there is an underlying set of principals that serve as both a motivator and accountability measure. It's called...

A sense of belonging.

This intrinsic sense of identity serves both as an accountability device and a personal incentive for excellence. It meets the child where they are at, embraces them and re-orients their academic compass to point towards a home rather than a series of numbers and coordinates (GPA's and class rankings).

It does all of this by instilling a personal pride that encourages students to:

• Place a premium on the group identity while sacrificing their own individuality.

• Seek group collaboration over personal success.

• Raise their own (self) expectations while helping others to meet theirs.

• Seek more significant challenges, not for personal gain but for personal growth.

• See life through a wide-angle lens instead of a microscope.

Yes, our job as (music) educators is to prepare these young people for their life ahead. The unanswered and more critical question is, "Which life are we to prepare them for? The one they have, or the one they want?"

I would side for the latter.

Oh, as for the decibel meter in Mumbai? It turns out it doesn't work as well as they had hoped. After police removed the sign, the honking returned. What they learned was:

NO reward? NO change. 

NO GOOD! 

Have a great week! 

Dr. Stock, Nyquil, and My One Question

The Book of Questions by Gregory Stock has long been a part of my teaching tool belt. As a part of my daily teaching regimen, I would post a daily thought or question on my whiteboard. It was the first thing the students would see as they entered the room. And while the idea would come from a variety of sources, my go-to guy was Dr. Stock. 

For those of you unaware, The Book of Questionsby Dr. Gregory Stock was first published in 1987 and has sold over one million copies. It is a source of both entertainment and reflection as it often asks questions that are too bold, provocative, or embarrassing to come up with yourself. 

As a part of the book, you will find questions related to integrity, honesty, money, love, and anything else you can think of. But perhaps more important, it asks the tough questions that get to the heart of who we are and what matters to us.

Even today, some thirty years after I first came across this book, I still use it. In fact, it's right next to me as I type this. Sometimes I use it as a quick respite between emails. Other times it entertains me while I am eating lunch at my desk. Occasionally, when all else fails, I even use it as a source of inspiration for this newsletter. Today is one such day.

This week is full of noise. The Super Bowl, Impeachment, Iowa Caucuses, State of the Union, and coronavirus are just a few of the many things that are on the front page and are also front of my mind. But I don't want to write about any of that. I'm just sick of it all. I am sick of the dark, dank, and dreary news. I'm sick of the fighting and bitterness. I am sick of the smug commentary and self-righteous remarks. And on top of it all, I am SICK. (General wondering: If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we make a cough syrup that doesn't taste like cherry flavored motor oil?)

What to do? Ahhh, yes, hit up my go-to guy, Dr. Stock, and his book of questions.

When using the book, I always open up to a random page. This is a technique I learned from my favorite book, Illusions, The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah. In Illusions, Bach states, "Hold some problem in your mind, then open any book handy and see what it tells you." 

So I grabbed the book, closed my eyes, and opened to a random page and found this:

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"If you were to choose 100 random people from your high school graduating class, how many do you think would be leading a life more satisfying than yours?"

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To be clear, I am not sure my high school graduating class is a fair barometer for success, but I suspect I am not alone in this respect.

As with most questions in this book, the right answer is as unknowable as it is irrelevant. What Stock is really asking is, "Are YOU satisfied?"

This is not the first time I (or likely you) have thought about this, and for me, I would answer his question with one of my own. 

Would I risk starting my (professional) life over to become something new if it meant I might lose everything I currently have?

For instance, if I started over, I might have had better music groups, but I wouldn't trade it for the groups I had. If I started over, I might have found a different, more lucrative profession, but I would not trade it for the one to which I dedicated my life. If I started over, I might avoid the mistakes I previously made but could be exposed to ones with even graver consequences. If I started over, I might gain a skill or trait that I lack, but might lose one that I already have.

For me, the answer has always been, "No." In short, I am not willing to risk the "what if" for the "what is." So yes, I am satisfied.

Teaching (music) is hard. It's a never-ending grind. And February is a no-good, rotten month. But through it all, would you risk trading all of your experiences, memories, and impact for what might have been? In this world filled with famine, plague, poverty, and civil unrest, would you roll the dice of life in hopes of being someone or something new?

I wouldn't. 

Too much to lose and not enough to gain. So yes, I am satisfied. 

Charles Kuralt, Huey Lewis, and the Case for Music



This weekend, amidst the political circus that is the impeachment trial, and the clamor of Super Bowl LIV, the CBS News Sunday Morning Show will quietly celebrate its fortieth anniversary. 

Initially conceived as a Sunday newspaper supplement by journalist Charles Kuralt, the idea was to counterbalance the hard-hitting and edgy weekday news shows with softer stories and long-form journalism.

This weekend, my brother called and asked if I watched the show. I responded with some snarky comment along the lines of, "No, because I am not a geriatric with 16 cats and a therapy chicken named Elvis." His response was, "You should, because it's the best show on television. It's like 60 Minutes but with happy tears. And besides, this weekend's edition was all about music."

"Music, heh? OK, let me check it out." So I got out my laptop and watched. And my brother was right. It was all about music.

Or the lack thereof. 

The first story, Strike Up the Band, was a heartwarming piece about nine-year-old Henry Boyer who, after attending a University of Michigan football game, fell in love with the band. Honestly, it was like watching myself forty years ago. His exuberance and passion for the Wolverine Marching Band is as sweet as it is authentic. Bravo to the folks in the Michigan Band department to make his dream come true. (Spoiler alert: he gets to live out his dream).

The next story featured the iconic eighties pop band, Huey Lewis and the News, who were having to call it quits after nearly forty years when Huey Lewis was diagnosed with Ménière's disease. For those of you who don't know, Ménière's disease is a disorder of the inner ear that is characterized by episodes of feeling like the world is spinning (vertigo), ringing in the ears (tinnitus), hearing loss, and a fullness in the ear. 

What started as minor symptoms came crashing down during a performance in Dallas, on January 27, 2018. Lewis said, "As I went on stage, it was horrible. I couldn't hear anything. I sang out of tune. It was the worst night of my life."

The sudden onset and subsequent disability not only forced the cancellation of their most recent tour but ended the band's forty-year career of making music.

The final segment featured well-known conductor Gustavo Dudamel and his groundbreaking music-making program El Sistema. Founded in 1975 by economist and musician José Antonio Abreu, this innovative Venezuelan program designed to help eradicate poverty is thriving in cities and countries throughout the world.

In a recent piece by Bob Simon from 60 Minutes, he states that "El Sistema is less a music program than a profound social movement that takes kids off the streets, away from crime, drugs, and despair."

It was not the first time I had seen this interview, and I am sure, will not be the last. It is touching in every way.

What I found interesting about these three stories was that, intended or not, they were not about how music was positively changing the lives of people, but was about those who did not have access to it and were desperately wanting it. A subtle but important difference.

Frequently we approach the subject of music from the standpoint of "look at all of the good it does," instead of the perspective "this is something the human soul can't live without." 

Think about the difference in the approach.

We don't validate feeding the hungry by saying, "Look at all the good food does." We unconditionally understand the need for proper nutrition as a part of human existence.

We don't validate clean water by touting all of its many benefits. We accept it as a understood and a universal truth.

We don't talk about sleep in terms of better mental acuity or lucidity; the human body requires, dictates, and mandates it as a part of our daily regimen. 

Why treat music differently?

I am not saying that music is akin to food, water, or sleep but, I am saying that perhaps by trying to rationalize or justify the need for music, we are unintentionally marginalizing it. We unintentionally treat it as an after-thought and a luxury, instead of a primary need that cannot be ignored. 

Perhaps, by arguing for the BENEFITS of music, we are arguing against the NEED for music. Again, a subtle but important difference.

I guess my brother was right, CBS Sunday Morning had celebrated both the existence and the absence of music in our lives. And that brought a tear to my eye, both happy and sad.

Have a great week. 

NAMM and My Inner Mowgli



Rudyard Kipling was a prolific author who published 21 books and dozens of other literary works. He was a best selling author with an international reach. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907 for his "power of observation, originality of imagination, virility of ideas, and remarkable talent for narration." 

And while the entirety of his writings allows him to stand among the greats of his time, for most of us, he will always be fondly remembered as the author of the timeless childhood classic, The Jungle Book. 

Kipling's life was not always an easy one. He endured multiple hardships, including illness, bankruptcy, and the untimely loss of those he loved. But through it all, he wrote, and wrote, and wrote until he passed away in 1936.

The Jungle Book is a beautifully written story about self-discovery, family, and finding a home. It helps us to understand that being a part of a pack does not mean you all look, act, and think the same way, just that you share the same mission, passions, and are willing to act in the best interests of those you love.

This lesson is driven home when the loveable Baloo sits Mowgli down and explains to him The Law of the Jungle. Baloo explains:

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"NOW this is the Law of the Jungle - as old as true as the sky; And the Wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the Wolf that shall break it must die. As the creeper that girdles the tree trunk the Law runneth forward and back - For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack."

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This is as true in the jungle as it is on a jungle gym.

Last week, after a few in-service events, I spent the remainder of the week at the National Association of Music Merchants Convention (NAMM). For those of you who are unaware, the NAMM Show is described as "the world's largest trade-only event for the music products, pro audio, and event tech industry."

To say that the event is overwhelming would be an understatement. Vendors build two-story booths complete with soundproof meeting rooms, twenty-foot video walls, and fully operational television studios. All of this for a four-day event.

The amount of time and money spent is as impressive as it is staggering.

As I walked amongst the hoards of people and towering displays, they served as a stark reminder of how big this industry is. And yes, just because we don't use flash pots and stage rigging (yet), we are still a part of the same industry.

Maybe it's just me, but events like these always make me feel small (insert short joke) and disconnected, which is ironic, because the whole purpose of the event is to make connections. 

I am Mowgli, seeing the city for the first time. Yes, this is my industry, and many of my colleagues and friends are here as well, but this is not the jungle I grew up in.

This Mowgli sees his new pack, and it is different than what he is used to.

While much of the NAMM show is geared towards professional gear, audio, lighting, and instruments, that does not make them foreign. They are a part of our pack, just as we are a part of theirs. We don't always act like it, but it is true.

I wish our two worlds were more intertwined. I want to understand them better. I wish we collaborated more. I want to get to a place where we ALL speak with a singular message and a unified voice.

MANY amazing organizations are doing incredible work in advancing the cause of music education. And, they are making a difference and having an impact. Truly they are. 

But I can't help but wonder if we wouldn't all be a little better off remembering the words of Rudyard, and Baloo, when they remind us that, "The strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack."

It just seems like this would be the Bare Necessity.

Have a great week.

- Scott

p.s. If you haven't signed up for our #YouMatter campaign, you should. It's pretty nifty.

Content, Context, Content...

In 2002, the nationally renowned author Dave Eggers ("A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius," "The Circle," "What Can a Citizen Do?") started a nonprofit organization with educator Nínive Calegari dedicated to helping kids learn how to write well. The program pairs middle and high school aspiring writers with journalists, teachers, and creative writers. In the eighteen years since it's inception, student authors in the program have written and published over one thousand books on subjects from baseball to botany.

One of the most successful elements of the program is their student magazine. Over the period of a semester, middle and high school students decide on the topics, research the contents, and write (and rewrite) every word in the magazine. They are guided through every step by professionals, teachers, and mentors, but in the end, it is the students who do the work. There is no set curricula or format, and it can change from issue to issue. The objective of the program is to get excited about writing because they are writing about things that they are passionate about.

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The program has produced noteworthy results and is making an impact on the next generation of writers. If this approach can affect the language arts, could the same hold true in the musical arts?

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I have always been a fan of integrated thematic instruction. One of my most memorable teaching moments was a nine-week project my students and I worked on called a Concert of Heroes in which the students chose their personal heroes and then researched, communicated with, and created artistic representations of people they admired. Several years ago, Richard Saucedo and I collaborated to recreate the project with original music called Heroes Near and Far.

In my observations, we as a profession are getting better at context. Program notes, the internet, self-publishing composers, and commissions are allowing students greater access to information and a better understanding as to what the piece is trying to say and how it is being said. But I wonder if we did a deeper dive, if it would result in a different or better experience for our students.

To be clear, I know that the vast majority are already doing this. But, if you will permit me to think out loud for a bit, we might come up with something interesting. For instance, what if we asked our students to:

• Write a poem about how the music makes you feel? 

• Take a segment and write lyrics/words to the melody?

• Create a piece of media or art centered around it?

• Copy their music with colored or torn paper?

• Rehearse in a room with minimal or colored light?

• Create a dinner menu or recipe with ingredients inspired by the music?

• Create a photo essay inspired by the various movements?

• Write a short story using the title or elements from the piece?

• Improvise/rewrite the melody in a small section?

• Performed outdoors, in the cold, or the heat, in front of an audience rich and poor?

We are only limited by one's imagination. But the hope is that by allowing time and energy to spend on peripheral exploration and understanding, it's possible that the students will not only grow in their knowledge of the literature but become more attached and emotionally connected to it as well.

In other words, with better or different context comes better or different content.

Creating music is different for every individual and piece of music. We consume, internalize, and create in a way that is unlike any other class or curricula. This presents both opportunities and obstacles that are unique just to music. As teachers, this is where we can connect and impact our students in profound and meaningful ways that will help shape their personal and emotional identity long after the music has faded away.

Just something I've been thinking about. 

Have a great week.

Block Chain Reduction

The "retail apocalypse" is the term coined when closings of brick-and-mortar retail chains became a noticeable national trend. The downward started in 2010 and reached a fever pitch in the latter half of this decade when thousands of physical stores were closed in otherwise high-density malls and retail locations. 

Whether you blame the Great Recession, stagnant wages, changing consumer buying habits, or online retailers, it doesn’t change the fact that our once packed malls are filled with empty storefronts. Iconic American brands such as Sears, Tower Records, Circuit City, and Dean & Deluca are gone.

Well, gone for us.

You see, it seems that these brands are not just surviving, but thriving, across the Pacific Ocean on the tiny island of Japan. Yep, that’s right, these companies, and more, are posting record profits and have plans for rapid expansion not just in Japan, but all across the Pacific Rim.

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Yes, in many Japanese cities, you can sip a cup of joe, grab the latest Taylor Swift vinyl, and listen to it on your new turntable, all of which can be purchased from once blue-chip American brands that no longer exist in the place they were born: America!

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And this isn’t the only thing our friends from across the pond have taken a shine to. Japanese are crazy about baseball and basketball. They have long been admirers of our fashion and beauty trends. And, if you’re looking for some of America’s best bourbon, then grab a plane ticket and make your way to the land of the rising sun. In fact, Japanese designers are re-engineering and, in many cases, improving our very own culture in loving detail, including music education.

Yes, that’s right.

In David Hebert’s book, Wind Bands and Cultural Identity in Japanese Schools, he states, "Japan has become a world center for the production and consumption of "Western" music where the All-Japan Band Association Annual Competition draws 700,000 participants. The number of Japanese children who not only play wind band instruments, but do so well enough to participate in this contest brings home how staggeringly mainstream the playing of Western musical instruments is in Japan.”

And it doesn't stop there. The Japanese are embracing all facets of music education and the pageantry arts, including indoor winds, winter guard, and even drum corps. 

They have taken our national pastime and adapted it to their cultural values, and while the instruments and literature may be the same, the experience can be very different.

So, given their incredible success, why don't we all mimic ways of the Japanese? Because we are not Japan. As my friend Jason Shian states, "to implement such ideas simply because that's how Japanese bands do it, without consideration of cultural contexts, previous training, etc., unintentionally devalues American music education."

Each country approaches music education in a unique way. The notes and rhythms we play may be the same, but the way we teach them can be very different. The same differences can even occur in the same country from town to town, school to school, and program to program. What works for the inner city might not work for the suburbs, and a meaningful experience in an orchestra might look and feel very different than one in a choir or band.

Music education is as varied as music itself. And just as we celebrate and learn from all types of music, we should celebrate and learn from all types of music education. Our differences don't make us inferior or superior; rather, they celebrate how our varied and unique approaches make us who we are. 

Yes, our world and our profession are a complex, complicated, and diverse space, which is just as it should be.

But I would like Tower Records back. 

Welcome back and have a great week.