I’ve just added some new cinematic music to my YouTube channel. Take a listen, give a like, leave a comment. 😁 youtube.com/@donaldsorah

A highlight of conducting the Mountain Empire Band was spending time with former students. Will & Austin Farmer have established themselves as great music educators. Their students were fabulous and so kind. One in particular said it was so great to meet Mr. Farmer’s conducting teacher. 😆

I had a blast conducting the Mountain Empire Honor Band in Wytheville, VA over the past two days! The students and directors were incredibly welcoming. In just a few hours of rehearsal, we brought together 75 individually talented musicians into a cohesive ensemble and performed five compositions.

A big thank you to Dave Eggar and Yifei Xu for premiering my piece “Shadows and Dreams” for cello and piano. Their joyful and passionate performance was a special gift. I’m so thankful to have been part of such an engaging program, and I appreciate Pro-Art Association for supporting this concert.

Enjoyed a visit with the Wired Educator himself, my friend @kellycroy.bsky.social, in Wise today as he was en route back to his home in Ohio. It’s always inspiring to spend some time with this guy. As a bonus, I had the honor of being sniffed by the rock star pup, Jedi! #WiredEducator #ADE

Second composition of the year just completed. I am always so inspired by the wintry landscape.

A frigid start to the day, but I do love the magical landscape of the snow. ❄️

Grateful for my wife for spending part of her snow day helping me create my digital book shelf outside my office door. Now students (or anyone) can scan these QR codes at any time to download each book. #AppleBooks #AppleDistinguishedEducator #AppleEDU

First completed composition of 2025, a work for solo trumpet with string orchestra. Also finalizing a trumpet and organ reduction.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! We’ve put together a little arrangement and video to share as our video Christmas card this year. youtu.be/Ez8FIId3P6I?...

We enjoyed sharing some Christmas music with others on our annual Random Acts of Caroling day. This year, we performed at Wise Heritage Hall, Norton Hi-Rise, GoodTimes Coal-Fired Pizza & Pub, Big Stone Gap Food City, and Big Stone Gap Heritage Hall. Our hearts are full and our chops are tired! 🎶🎺🎄🎅

I have enjoyed spending some quality time in the kitchen this week making sweet treats for the family. Mom would have already made a dining room table full of goodies for us all, as she did every year. It just wouldn’t be Christmas without her peanut butter candy and peanut butter balls.

Now that the holiday performances are over, I am enjoying spending some time in the kitchen. Today’s sweet treats include Scottish shortbread (thanks, @rooferburnett.bsky.social) and cuernitas (thanks, Carrie)! The shortbread is 100x better than Walker’s! And the kitchen smells so amazing!

A few of my friends and colleagues from the Johnson City Symphony concert tonight. So honored to share the stage with them.

Teaching trumpet lessons during Christmas parade season. 🎄

Had a fantastic time at #VSTE24! Day 2 was about making connections, attending inspiring sessions, and a powerful closing keynote by @cinehead.bsky.social I also lead a session on composing w/ found sounds, enjoyed excellent coffee, & took a quick walk to the beach.

Great first day at VSTE! Two presentations, supporting my exceptional colleague Heather B. Askea as she won the Leader of the Year award, hanging out with Michael Hernandez, and some amazing pasta for dinner.

🎶 The Music of Andalusia is here! 🎉 Explore the music of Semana Santa, Flamenco, and Paco de Lucía, with videos, activities, and pronunciation guides. 💡 Free on Apple Books: books.apple.com/us/book/musi... #AppleBook #Andalusia #Spain #WorldMusic #AppleTeacher #AppleEDU #EduSky #AppleEduSky

Excited to share my FREE ebook, The Ins and Outs of Audio! Perfect for music educators, students, anyone curious about audio, it covers MIDI, mics, cables, interfaces, & more—engaging and easy to understand. 💡 Download: books.apple.com/us/book/the-... #AppleEDU #EduSky #MusicTechnology #AppleBook

Excited to attend my first #VSTE Conference in Virginia Beach next week. It will certainly be a busy couple of days, bookended by symphony rehearsals and concerts. #VSTE24

1/3 The first ebook in my Fall 2024 sabbatical series, 'Basic Acoustics for Musicians,' is now available for FREE on Apple Books! 📖✨ 💡 Start learning today! Download your free copy here: lnkd.in/emZ7kG7r #AppleDistinguishedEducator #AppleTeacher #AppleEDU #AppleEDUCommunity #Acoustics #AppleBooks

🎵 My new book 'Basic Acoustics for Musicians' is here! 🎉 Dive into the science of sound—vibrations, resonance, timbre—perfect for musicians & educators. FREE on Apple Books! 📖 ✨ books.apple.com/us/book/basi... #AppleEDU #AppleTeacher #Acoustics #ADE #FreeBook #AppleBooks #Acoustics #Sabbatical

1/4 Just finished ‘Insanely Simple by Ken Segall,’ a book about how Apple made simplicity its core principle under Steve Jobs. It’s a powerful guide for education too. Here’s how I connected each chapter to teaching:

Congrats to all involved with the UVA Wise production of 9 to 5! We were thoroughly entertained this evening! 👏

Such a great session with a great partner presenting at the #GLOWedu conference on Wednesday. Looking forward to many more international collaborations.

Just finished “Creative Schools” by Ken Robinson. He makes a strong case for moving beyond standardized ed to create environments that value creativity, curiosity, and individuality. As a music professor, I’ve seen how SS light up when they’re given the chance to take ownership of their learning.

Join us today at 2:00 EST for our presentation at the Global Learning For An Open World virtual conference. Individual registrations range from FREE to $25. #AppleEDU #AppleDistinguishedEducator #GarageBand #EveryoneCanCreate #iMovie #MusicComposition events.ringcentral.com/events/2024-...

Don’t be afraid to dive in and start connecting here with the #EduSky community! “I don’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones.” - John Cage Whew…that hits home… #tlap #leadlap

This afternoon, I submitted my portfolio for ISTE Certification after finally stopping nitpicking; although the work was arduous, unpacking standards & demonstrating their implementation in my work helped develop areas of deficiency & celebrate successes. Fingers crossed for a positive outcome! 🤞

Some awesome drone photos from last night’s concert with the Johnson City Community Concert Band my son took with the drone he earned at summer camp for doing a good deed, unsolicited. Great stuff all the way around!

Thank you to Dr. Christian Zembower for the invitation to spend Monday evenings this summer rehearsing with the Johnson City Community Concert Band. To the JCCCB, Thanks for your hard work and for welcoming me so warmly into your ensemble. I’ll always cherish the memories we made together.

Enjoyed another opportunity to share the transformative work we and our students are doing with iPads at @UVA_Wise, this time to the Board of Visitors. Go team! 📷: Molly Perry #AppleTeacher #AppleEDU #EveryoneCanCreate #CreationOverConsumption

First day of classes, Fall 2024, sabbatical edition. It’s odd not connecting with my students and colleagues every day, but it’s a great opportunity to complete some projects that have been on the academic and creative to-do list for a while. And no, I don’t dress like this every day. 😆

ADE Content Creation Camp - Doing the work. Love those facilities!

Check out these and so many amazing resources available on the Apple Education Forum. education.apple.com/forum

Presenting “Transforming Education with iPads, Creative Assessment, and Student Feedback” at ADE Content Creation Camp in Austin, TX.