Pass the Baton:

Empowering All Music Students

Transform your students from passive consumers to vibrant creatives!

All too often, the music classroom stifles students with one-size-fits-all curricula and repertoire. In Pass the Baton, authors Kathryn Finch and Theresa Hoover turn that paradigm on its head, offering a vision of music education that empowers students as critical thinkers who exercise voice and choice to question, discover, connect, and play like never before—in and out of the classroom.

Pass the Baton offers readers a comprehensive guide to crafting engaging music lessons that transform students from passive consumers to vibrant creatives. Whether you’re looking to rethink general music or overhaul your ensemble groups, Pass the Baton is chock-full of generative, actionable, and impactful tools. Finch and Hoover have drawn on deep research and years of experience in the music room to provide a guide for all music educators to create a learner-centered environment and give students the opportunity to truly own the creative process.

This book is a must read for teachers who want to empower students to become self-sufficient lifelong learners. It is a guidebook for creating a vibrant classroom where student learning is the first priority.
Kristen Gomez, MA
Orchestra Director
Pass the Baton is the perfect, adaptable resource we have needed in music education! Kathryn Finch and Theresa Hoover have achieved the ideal balance of thought-provoking, accessible guidance and practical resources and activities. Music educators looking to facilitate their students having more autonomy, buy-in, and voice need to check out this book! We need to take a step back so our students can take a step forward; this book gives us the tools to do so!
Scott Edgar, PhD
Associate Professor of Music, Lake Forest College
Pass the Baton is a must-read for all who desire to provide their students with access and opportunities to a lifetime of music making and a deep love of music. With an emphasis on the artistic processes of creating, performing, responding, and connecting, the authors have done an outstanding job at presenting concepts and connections to build a culturally responsive, relevant, and meaningful music education that is collaborative and student centric. 
Scott sheehan
NAfME President
Episode 44
Empowered Music Students

Episode 44: Empowering Students With Empathy Projects

ByTheresa

This week, instead of interviewing a guest, Theresa interviewed Kathryn about empathy projects she has done with her elementary music students! Kathryn currently teaches K-5th grade general music in Northbrook, Illinois. Besides being a co-author of Pass the Baton: Empowering All Music Students, Kathryn also writes with Abigail Blair as part of the Blair Finch…

Why everyone should take time to reflect
Empowered Music Students

Episode 43: Why Everyone Should Take Time to Reflect

ByTheresa

This week Kathryn and Theresa had the opportunity to talk to Lori Schwartz Reichl about an invaluable topic – reflection! Lori taught middle school band in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Currently, she provides professional development for music educators, does guest conducting and adjudication work, and writes for music educators and administrators. Lori also recently completed a…

Episode 42: Scaffolding Peer feedback for student ownership
Empowered Music Students

Episode 42: Scaffolding Peer Feedback for Student Ownership

ByTheresa

This week, Kathryn and Theresa talked to Michelle Rose. Michelle teaches middle and high school general music at a virtual school in North Carolina. She’s been teaching music online since before the pandemic! Michelle is also a PhD student at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Michelle is no stranger to Pass the Baton! She…

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

KATHRYN FINCH & THERESA HOOVER

With over 40 years of combined experience in the music classroom, Kathryn and Theresa share their passion for music education and student empowerment in ways that will inspire meaningful change in the profession.

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“When you empower students, the focus shifts. Students become the driving force, making the learning more personal, meaningful, and powerful.”

ARE YOU READY TO PASS THE BATON?