Have you taken the enneagram test? It’s basically a personality test. The idea underpinning the test is that each person has certain personality traits that are inborn, and can be boiled down to 9 specific types of personalities. I took the enneagram a few months ago thinking it [...]
For the next installment of our Music Beyond the Classroom series, we caught up with Bend Gundersheimer, affectionately known as "Mister G" to all his fans. Ben is a true entrepreneur and manages his performing career with a successful writing career while he continues to tour and record. [...]
If you had told my 20-something year old self that I would walk away from my “dream job” at the age of 30, I never would have believed you. When I was 23 years old, I was so fortunate to land the job of my dreams. Teaching high [...]
Theresa Thomasulo In recent years, it has become increasingly common for choral teachers to have transitioning and gender-fluid singers in their choirs. A quick online search will reveal some excellent literature centered on vocal pedagogy and transitioning voices. However, we should also consider the statistics [...]
While we are in the business of selling eBooks, it doesn't mean that we don't love our physical books! During my 12 month teaching sabbatical last year, I had more time to read, discover, and write. I've taken some of my favorite books and placed them on [...]
This week, we're highlighting Jose Valentino Ruiz in our music beyond the classroom series. Not only is Jose one of our authors at F-flat books, he is an incredible musician who wears many hats. University professor, Latin Grammy and Emmy-winning producer and engineer, multi-instrumentalist, dad, husband---these all [...]
There was a subtle but noticeable change when I received my PhD. I was not treated the same. I noticed parent emails were slightly more forgiving, and my opinion seemed to be more valuable than before those three letters followed my name. I noticed a similar change with [...]
For the next installment of our Music Beyond the Classroom series, we're interviewing master-of-all-trades, C.J. Blair. In a whirlwind career in the music industry, C.J. has worn many hats: guitarist, guitar tech, front of house sound, engineer, and, most recently served as the production manager for Khalid's national and international [...]
“I’m so shocked.” My previous principal spoke that phrase nearly 20 times when I told him I was leaving the school and the profession. I couldn’t help but wonder, “How can he be shocked?” None of my coworkers were. Though many expressed authentic gratefulness for my time and [...]
This year I stepped out of my comfort zone. I started an Instagram account dedicated to teaching middle school music (@musicalmiddles). Admittedly, I considered deleting it almost every day for the first week. I had seen countless teacher Instagram accounts, many with tons of followers [...]