Contributors: Sarah Ball, Scott Casagrande, Lafe Cook, Chuck Cushinery, Roy Holder, Mike Howard, Chadwick Kamei, Alex Kaminsky, Diane Koutsulis, Scott Laird, Ed Lisk, Stephen Massey, Elizabeth Reed, Jeff Scott, Andy Sealy, Christopher Selby, Kim Shuttlesworth, Susan Waters, Alfred Watkins, Darcy Vogt Williams

Throughout this edition, you will read numerous accounts by some of the most accomplished and experienced music-makers in the profession. Through the use of imaginative, collaborative music making strategies, they provide students with meaningful musical experiences that illuminate the magical and expressive power of music.

Topics covered include: 

• The Personal Meaning of Music
• How Music Making Affects Young Students
• Providing Musical Experiences
• Strategies for Musical Expression
• Strategies for Active Listening
• The Selection of High-Quality Music
• The Collaborative Process
• Creativity, Expression, and Imagination
• The Music Educator/Teacher
• The Conductor/Ensemble Director

Everyone in the group is involved in selecting the repertoire.

—Dr. Charles Cushinery, Director of Orchestras,
    Ed W. Clark High School, Las Vegas, Nevada

As conductors, we are generally good at telling players what is wrong, but not always good at telling them when they do what we want.

—Roy Holder, former Director of Bands,
    Lake Braddock Secondary School, Burke, Virginia

Giving students the tools and energy to express themselves and make creative decisions in their own music-making is key to the education of the ‘whole person.’

—Mike Howard, Director of Bands
    Vandegrift High School, Austin, Texas

For some of my students, making music gives them a place to belong, a sense of value, or a means to learn self-esteem.

—Jeff Scott, Director of Bands,
    Cario Middle School, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

Music can stimulate imagination and creativity. It is the ultimate form of self-expression.

—Alfred Watkins, former Director of Bands,
    Lassiter High School, Marietta, Georgia

Music means that we can express together, experience emotions together, and affect the human spirit on a deep level.

—Darcy Vogt Williams, Director of Bands,
    Stiles Middle School, Leander, Texas