To help the field of teaching artistry grow, I have long sought an analogous profession as a comparative example, to clarify our identity and potential.

All dedicated music educators share the same DNA, and even share much of the same heart, gut, intuitions, and sets of skills. We share core beliefs, common aspirations, and many similar practices.

Starting a new arts organization brings a jumble of challenges. Leaders of startups find themselves dealing with a crazy-quilt of issues every day, from details like the nutritional content of snacks, to advocacy presentations for parents, and data collection for funders—all in the same afternoon.

The purpose of this document is guidance. These ten fundamental elements described (which are continually being refined) are neither a checklist nor a set of requirements, and they certainly overlap.

The moment you totally commit to something, everything changes.

Interactive performances succeed to the degree that teaching artistry moves onto the stage and into concert traditions. And probably the boldest kind of interactive performance is the Very Open Rehearsal. Take a deep breath…you can do this.

On my first trip to observe El Sistema, I was dazzled by the sheer enormity, astonishing quality, vibrant joy and aliveness, and mind-boggling implications of this accomplishment in Venezuela.

Bookstores place the bestsellers out front. Even online, the bestsellers appear on the homepage. Well, duh. It’s Marketing 101.

Here are two scenarios used in recent child development research. A four-year-old child is handed an unfamiliar toy and invited to play with it. The child is delighted to discover it squeaks when squeezed, and keeps trying different things with it,

Over the years, I have asked many education professionals the following question: If you were to place all your chips on one key idea upon which to stake American school reform, which gamble seems best to take?

Reflection and self-assessment—two basic, ancient, essential human processes. Do you think of them as essential to all musicians and composers?

We know a lot about the ways to spark, support and sustain the learning of students in our school residency programs.

Notes on Creativity