When Is It Time To Relocate? Personal by Joel Wagner - March 20, 2009June 30, 201018 On the one hand, I love my job. I absolutely love the kids I work with and am on pretty good terms with the rest of the band staff. On the other hand, my life is pretty boring. I have never been a crazy partier or anything (I don't drink alcohol or much caffeine for that matter). I don't go out to clubs and can't stand the bar environment. But in a relatively small town (less than 50,000 people) that is over an hour from the next closest reasonably sized town, life can get to feeling pretty isolated. A question I have for those of you out there who have been in this type of situation: When did you feel
The Vitality of Collaboration Music Education by Joel Wagner - May 30, 2007July 5, 20100 Most of the band staff went to lunch today. We spent about an hour and a half at a pizza buffet, mostly talking and not eating pizza. Collaboration is a good thing, if done correctly. Here are some key elements that I observe when I work with colleagues: Have fun Relax Focus on positives Don't spend all the time talking about work Don't spend much time talking about negative things Do spend time discussing teaching strategies that work for you Don't take yourself too seriously Learn something from everyone you can, even if you learn what not to do Planning is good. Planning as a group is one of the most effective ways to plan. No matter how