Those who had the honor of meeting or studying with Leonard Bernstein (1918-90) will never forget his passion and his dedication to teaching. He communicated through physical expression, enthusiasm, and a gift for making the most complex musical topics easy to understand. Thirty years have passed since the end of his Young People's Concerts with the New York Philharmonic, which spanned 1958 to 1972. These programs showcased his abilities as a teacher and communicator. Considering this series to be "among my favorite, most highly prized activities of my life," Bernstein taught millions of television viewers all over the world about such diverse topics as impressionism, sonata from, orchestration, and folk music. Each program was written by Bernstein himself and was often inspired by the New York Philharmonic's upcoming sea son's repertoire. Undoubtedly a gifted teacher, Bernstein still serves as a model of teaching who effectively communicated his love of music. While Bernstein's talent may not be reproducible, important aspects of his teaching methods are. An analysis of the "Bernstein Formula" may provide further insight into what is possible in our own classrooms. On January 18, 1958, Leonard Bernstein conducted his first Young People's Concert with the New York Philharmonic only two weeks after taking the helm as music director. This first program tackled the important question, "What Does Music Mean?" The script of this program shows an emerging pattern of instruction that remained consistent throughout his long career. Music teachers today can apply aspects of this pattern, which is summarized in this article, and in the Lessons from Bernstein sidebar, to their classroom instruction. (Contains 23 endnotes.)