James Divine – Music Educator and Motivational Speaker

If you’ve ever opened a piece of sheet music, you’ve almost certainly encountered Italian words such as allegro, andante, forte, piano, crescendo, or ritardando. Whether you’re a beginning band student or a seasoned conductor, Italian musical terms are part of the language of music. But have you ever wondered why? Why not English? Why not …

Less is More – Focus on performing two songs really well rather than filling the time with three songs. In many cases, less time on stage will also result in more clinic time (for festivals that do a clinic afterwards).  Not too easy; not too hard – Select repertoire the students are able to make …

12 Rehearsal Room Hacks Mark The Floor With Tape for Easy Chair Set-upI like my rows of chairs neat and orderly, but I don’t like to reinvent the wheel each time I set the chairs up. I often mark the floors with tape. Not the entire floor – I usually just put one small piece …

There’s an old Newhart Episode where Dr. Switzer is seeing a counseling client. He offers her profound words of wisdom for her problems. “Stop It,” he says. That’s my advice to you. Earlier in my career, I often found myself comparing myself to other teachers. Look at their facilities… I wish I had their students… …

I’m now closer to 100 than I am to 1. I can remember the days when teachers were respected almost 100% of the time. Parents always had a teacher’s back. Admin always supported the teacher. It was a trinity of leadership to support making the young person a better human being. Although we no longer …