Have you ever heard the saying that in 5 years you’ll be the same person you are except for the people you meet and the books you read? Change who you’ll be in 5 years – hey, change you you’ll be in 1 month – by checking out one or more of these books.

These ‘books for band directors’ cover a wide variety of subjects including music, education, psychology, science, poverty and inspiration. All of these have many, many applicable lessons to teaching band. (Our full list of recommended books can be found HERE.)

Quiet by Susan Cain

Click on the image for more information

The book that started the Quiet Revolution
At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over working in teams. It is to introverts—Rosa Parks, Chopin, Dr. Seuss, Steve Wozniak—that we owe many of the great contributions to society.

In Quiet, Susan Cain argues that we dramatically undervalue introverts and shows how much we lose in doing so. She charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal throughout the twentieth century and explores how deeply it has come to permeate our culture. She also introduces us to successful introverts—from a witty, high-octane public speaker who recharges in solitude after his talks, to a record-breaking salesman who quietly taps into the power of questions. Passionately argued, superbly researched, and filled with indelible stories of real people, Quiet has the power to permanently change how we see introverts and, equally important, how they see themselves.

A Whole New Mind by Daniel H. Pink

Click on the image for more information. (This book was on sale for $9.75 when we posted it!)

The future belongs to a different kind of person with a different kind of mind: artists, inventors, storytellers-creative and holistic “right-brain” thinkers whose abilities mark the fault line between who gets ahead and who doesn’t.

Drawing on research from around the world, Pink (author of To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Motivating Others) outlines the six fundamentally human abilities that are absolute essentials for professional success and personal fulfillment–and reveals how to master them. A Whole New Mind takes readers to a daring new place, and a provocative and necessary new way of thinking about a future that’s already here.

The Joy of Inspired Teaching by Tim Lautzenheiser

Click on the image for more information.

This book, Tim’s latest, is about what it takes to become a truly great teacher, about the unique role of teachers and shapers of human potential, and about meeting the challenge of the day-to-day teaching routine. This very special book touches our core values, tantalizes us with fresh insights, and sustains us with the knowledge and courage to become the truly outstanding mentors we aspire to be.

Tim Lautzenheiser, one of the most sought-after speakers on education and leadership in the United States, brings his insights as a music educator to bear on three major areas: a philosophy of music education, achieving excellence in teaching music, and student leadership. This is the kind of book you’ll want to keep at your bedside to read again and again and again. Enjoy!

The Element by Ken Robinson

Click on the image to see more information. (When we posted this it was on sale for $11.54.)

The Element is the point at which natural talent meets personal passion. When people arrive at the Element, they feel most themselves and most inspired and achieve at their highest levels. With a wry sense of humor, Ken Robinson looks at the conditions that enable us to find ourselves in the Element and those that stifle that possibility. Drawing on the stories of a wide range of people, including Paul McCartney, Matt Groening, Richard Branson, Arianna Huffington, and Bart Conner, he shows that age and occupation are no barrier and that this is the essential strategy for transform­ing education, business, and communities in the twenty-first century.

A breakthrough book about talent, passion, and achievement from one of the world’s leading thinkers on creativity and self-fulfillment.

Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin

Click on the image to see more information.

Asked to explain why a few people truly excel, most people offer one of two answers. The first is hard work. Yet we all know plenty of hard workers who have been doing the same job for years or decades without becoming great. The other possibility is that the elite possess an innate talent for excelling in their field. We assume that Mozart was born with an astounding gift for music, and Warren Buffett carries a gene for brilliant investing. The trouble is, scientific evidence doesn’t support the notion that specific natural talents make great performers.

According to distinguished journalist Geoff Colvin, both the hard work and natural talent camps are wrong. What really makes the difference is a highly specific kind of effort-“deliberate practice”-that few of us pursue when we’re practicing golf or piano or stock picking. Based on scientific research, Talent is Overrated shares the secrets of extraordinary performance and shows how to apply these principles. It features the stories of people who achieved world-class greatness through deliberate practice-including Benjamin Franklin, comedian Chris Rock, football star Jerry Rice, and top CEOs Jeffrey Immelt and Steven Ballmer.

Teaching with Poverty in Mind by Eric Jensen

Click on the image to see more information.

In Teaching with Poverty in Mind: What Being Poor Does to Kids’ Brains and What Schools Can Do About It, veteran educator and brain expert Eric Jensen takes an unflinching look at how poverty hurts children, families, and communities across the United States and demonstrates how schools can improve the academic achievement and life readiness of economically disadvantaged students.

Jensen argues that although chronic exposure to poverty can result in detrimental changes to the brain, the brain’s very ability to adapt from experience means that poor children can also experience emotional, social, and academic success. A brain that is susceptible to adverse environmental effects is equally susceptible to the positive effects of rich, balanced learning environments and caring relationships that build students’ resilience, self-esteem, and character.

Drawing from research, experience, and real school success stories, Teaching with Poverty in Mind reveals
* What poverty is and how it affects students in school;
* What drives change both at the macro level (within schools and districts) and at the micro level (inside a student’s brain);
* Effective strategies from those who have succeeded and ways to replicate those best practices at your own school; and
* How to engage the resources necessary to make change happen.

Too often, we talk about change while maintaining a culture of excuses. We can do better. Although no magic bullet can offset the grave challenges faced daily by disadvantaged children, this timely resource shines a spotlight on what matters most, providing an inspiring and practical guide for enriching the minds and lives of all your students.

Read a Book Outline Teaching with Poverty in Mind here!!!

Audiobook Option!

Are you ‘not a big reader’ or just don’t have time to read as much as you’d like? Do you have a long trip coming up? Here’s an option for you! With Audible you can load audio books in seconds to your phone (or other devices) and have them to listen to anywhere, anytime! It’s a great way to learn new things every day even if you aren’t able to sit down with a physical book.

Click on the banner right above for a 30-day free trial and get 2 free audio books! 

We hope you will enjoy these books, enjoy your summer and be refreshed and inspired when you greet your students in the fall!

BandDirectorsTalkShop is an Amazon/Audible affiliate.  When you purchase through a link from this site a small percentage is returned to us to help us maintain and improve our site.  We appreciate the support!

If you would like to receive our weekly newsletter, sign up here. 
Don’t forget to like us on Facebook too!

Related Reading
Teaching with Poverty In Mind
Dig Deeper
Professional Development for Band Directors (Self-Study)

Learn. Share. Inspire.
BandDirectorsTalkShop.com