Imagine living with no smart phone, no computer, no email, and no car. I encountered someone living this life today and they were in great distress. I found myself full of empathy for this person trying to make their way in a world that requires these things.

At one point in my life I was very critical of marching productions, always seeing the flaws and poor design choices. But as I've gotten more experience, and especially as I've had 11 years of podcast and webinar conversations, I've learned to look at it all differently.

We all have experiences where a misunderstanding caused hardship from a misunderstood text.

Watch this short 2 1/2 minute video for two great tips!

First and foremost, we are a musical activity.  Band directors study music education to teach music and build musicians.  I want to remind everyone to trust their music and put it first.

To do better work we all need to take time to play also.

Paul Richardson made the powerful statement, "Every time you say YES to one thing, you are saying NO to something else." I found this very profound and very helpful.

There are many tools to help us stay healthy and feeling good, and one of my favorites is my roller. Trust me on this, purchase one and spend some time making friends with it each day. You will thank me later.

Often we want to make changes in our life, be more successful, learn new things, and begin new journeys. But the scope of the task can be intimidating and paralyzing. There is an old German proverb: "Begin to weave and God will give the thread."

One of the advantages of having been on this planet for a good while is that you gain perspective that can be very helpful. I tend to over-react less, stop and think more, and often remember something from my past that calms me down. And I also look back and realize all the times that I didn't understand something initially, only to finally "get it" later.