A Music Educator's Summer Reading List

Summer is the time to get away from from school - preferably in the beautiful outdoors - to decompress and recreate mind, body and spirit. If you’re like me, summer reading is part of the recharging process, offering renewed focus in preparation for the coming school year.

The following list contains compelling books, old and new, with special messages for music educators. Each book, in my humble opinion, conveys one or more important themes of use to music educators and does so in an engaging way. Though ALL the books are by incredibly bright authors, I’ve intentionally avoided overly academic publications: you get enough of those in your grad classes!

Teaching Music with Passion by Peter Boonshaft

Peter Boonshaft has a knack for sharing pedagogy and technique that’s useful for music educators while simultaneously reminding us that, at its core, teaching is a relational endeavor whose ultimate aim is blessing those we encounter. If you’ve ever sat in on one of Boonshaft’s popular music educator conference sessions, you may have heard some of this book’s chapters (i.e. The 33 P’s of a Wonderful Rehearsal) and quotes (i.e. “To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but dream; not only plan, but also believe.” -- Anatole France) . Nonetheless, this little book is packed with practical, actionable tips and inspiring exhortation.

Pass the Baton: Empowering All Music Students by Theresa Hoover and Kathryn Finch

Authors Finch and Hoover (practicing K-12 music educators) offer a well-organized battle plan for increasing student agency in music education classes and ensembles. The “empowered music student” has a voice, a choice, creates and consumes, asks questions, is connected, and exhibits ownership in the process. Chapters move thoughtfully from an accessible presentation of pedagogical philosophy to actionable application, and conclude with helpful tips and teacher profiles. A welcome book on a timely topic!

This Is Your Brain on Music by Daniel Levitin

A great discussion of how we perceive music, addressing sophisticated cognitive science but made accessible by an author whose prior gigs (before his current role as university professor and author) included rock guitarist and recording engineer. Topics I find especially compelling include why we like certain music and the importance of repetition to musical understanding. Every student or teacher of music should read this.

An Ethic of Excellence by Ron Berger

Among other things, author Ron Berger is known for his work with Project-Based Learning and methods for improving the quality of students’ work. This little book is for educators interested in getting the big picture right when using project-based learning and creating a culture of excellence with students. It’s core lesson - refining and revising to improve one’s work - is of value to all.

The Painted Word by Tom Wolfe

A witty indictment of the avant-garde art world where artistic ‘school’ and fashion cue critics and patrons as to what they should like and why. It’s “The Emperor’s New Clothes” story but set in New York City’s Soho gallery scene. Of course, music lovers will see the obvious and provocative analog to some aspects of the new music world, related deftly by the celebrated author of Bonfire of the Vanities .

Aaron Copland by Howard Pollack

A thoughtful biography of one of America’s greatest composers, with a fascinating explanation of how the “Copland” sound - long associated with the sound of mid-Twentieth Century America - grew out of the sonic environment of the composer’s youth (i.e. Hebrew/Yiddish folk music and New York City jazz/blues).

Gödel, Esher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter

Hofstadter delivers an erudite and aesthetically satisfying explanation of the connection between a philosopher-mathematician, a mind-bending graphic artist and a composer of singular genius. A big theme of this Pulitzer Prize winning book is the nature of human thought and artificial intelligence. Each chapter begins with a dialogue between literary characters (Tortoise, Achilles, Crab, and more) whose discussions present an amazing, accessible analog to the chapter’s often heady contents. Rife with sophisticated puns, acrostics, clever dialogs (in the style of Lewis Carroll), and hidden meaning puzzles, Gödel, Esher, Bach is itself an impressive work of art.

Brunelleschi’s Dome by Ross King

I threw in this one for those of you looking for a rewarding but quick read while relaxing on the beach this summer! It’s not about music, but it is about something musicians encounter routinely: contributing to something greater than ourselves. Author Ross King recounts compellingly the story of the construction of the dome to the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy (known simply as “la Duomo”) - an amazing architectural feat for its time, and even today. Central to the story is the audacious and visionary designer/builder, Filippo Brunelleschi who had to innovate new technology to complete a timeless architectural masterwork.

If you read (or have read) even just one of these, drop me a line to let me know what you think! Most of all, have a restful, restorative summer doing things you like with those you love!