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
Creating a Culture for Student Empowerment
Empowered Music Students

Episode 31: Creating a Culture for Student Empowerment

ByTheresa

Welcome to season two! In Episode 31, Kathryn and Theresa spoke with Dr. Matthew Arau, a professor of music at Lawrence University Conservatory in Appleton, Wisconsin. Prior to teaching at Lawrence, Matthew taught middle school and high school band in Loveland, Colorado. Matthew earned a master’s degree from the American Band College and a doctoral…

Top Five Episodes
Empowered Music Students

Top Five Episodes From the Pass the Baton Podcast

ByTheresa

Looking back, this was a great season for the Pass the Baton podcast! Since August 2021, we’ve interviewed 18 amazing music educators from all over the world. While they all have unique teaching situations, they have one thing in common: they’ve found creative ways to put students at the center so they can take ownership…

Episode 30
Empowered Music Students

Recap and Highlights

ByTheresa

Thanks to everyone who has joined us this season for the Pass the Baton podcast! This week, to wrap up season 1, Kathryn and Theresa begin by recapping their school years and then discuss some highlights from this season on the Pass the Baton podcast.  Season 1 Highlights Throughout season 1, there were several recurring…

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?