In concert with Mr. L.

OK. So I'm still full of last night's concert at school. Take that into account, if you must, in discounting my observations and reflections. I stand by them.

Mr. L. is an instrumental band teacher with over twenty years experience teaching students. He is in his prime.

He not only teaches individual students (from 4th grade through 12th grade) to play individual instruments, he teaches them (allows them, inspires them, challenges them?) to be something together.

He not only teaches them to be something as an Elementary Band, an Intermediate Band, an Advanced Band, and a Jazz Band, he "moves them up" on selected numbers so that they get to play with older more accomplished musicians, mentors, big kids.

And last night he, the leader/conductor, demonstrated what he's been teaching by bringing in and playing with the fifteen-piece professional Big Band that he has belonged to for several years; displaying his personal passion and commitment for the "subject" he teaches.

Enough? Not yet. All through the night students and these pros sat along side each other within each other's bands making music together, being peers, being part of something bigger than themselves.

Mr. L. did so many things right, that I lost count. He had, in fact, created a fabric from these threads of students, lessons, individuals, bands, artists. They were all actually "doing" music; not just studying and practicing a "subject" for a grade, but actually being in the discipline.

As classroom teachers and a school, we would be remiss not to tap his expertise on how he weaves such a diverse group of kids from lessons and practice, to team-members dependent on each other, to musicians excited and inspired to do more; that leap from studying science (almost from the outside) to "doing" science, from studying Global Studies to participating in the global conversation.

It was a bravura performance. One to remember and to learn from. Encore.