Almost Everything I've Learned About Teaching Band

This episode is a little different. In this podcast, I'm sharing a presentation I made on The Story Project, a show similar to The Moth for those who have heard that on NPR. In the presentation, I u…

In this episode, I interview Wendy Reeves, band director at Sells Middle School. Wendy shares tips with us on how to reduce the amount of time spent on paperwork, classroom management, equipment, tra…

I have made ALL of these mistakes - and MORE. You can learn from me and others and move ahead in your career faster.

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If you have a basic rhythm section - a good bass player and set player at minimum - you can make almost any combination of instruments work for a jazz band. These 7 strategies will provide you with …

The longer I teach - 22 years and counting - the more time I spend on fundamentals. You may be surprised at just how much time!

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Tu-Ning - that great Chinese song that nobody seems to play right. Tuning is not an act - it's a lifestyle. Join me as I share some tips and strategies to help you with tuning your ensembles, no matt…

We all have the same 168 hours per week. The key is NOT to spend more time at work, but to use your time more wisely. These tips helped me gain 5-8 hours of my week back!

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It's normal - after achieving a goal or spending a lot of time in an activity - to feel some post-season blues.

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When percussionists get bored, they tend to get in trouble. Plus we have the most active students placed in the back of the room - and we give them sticks! These tips can help keep them engaged and …

Oh the mistakes - so many - I made as a young director going to festival. I share 16 things I learned the way, tips that can help you do better.

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Repertoire selection can MAKE or BREAK your band's performance! Focus on musicianship, not those gems you played in college. In this episode I share some tips and huge MISTAKES I made.

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Do you struggle with what to say - or not say - at the concert. There's a fine line between being informative and helpful, and just rambling. Here are some tips to help.

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Dare I say that a positive student teacher relationship is even MORE important than teaching music skills? You may not agree totally with that statement, but you have to agree it is an important pie…

When beginner trumpets have a hard time changing partials, it's almost always about the air. We as music educators know what we want the students to do, but they often don't understand what we are a…

This was my first year back teaching beginning band after a 14 year hiatus while I taught at a suburban high school. My first experience 14 years ago was at a prestigious private school where the st…

Traditions are such an important part of every band program, and traditions need to be unique to you and your school. When I started at one of my schools, they only had one tradition, and it was ter…

The dreaded "I want to switch instruments." Although there are occasionally legitimate reasons for kids switching instruments, most of the time you have to become a psychologist and dig deep to find…

Join me as I interview Marc Gelfo, musician and creator of the Modacity Practice App - an all inclusive practice aid that also includes a recorder and drone.

Find out more and download the app at …