Almost Everything I've Learned About Teaching Band
Quick and easy tips to help you be a better band teacher.
- Update frequency
- every 8 days
- Average duration
- 10 minutes
- Episodes
- 327
- Years Active
- 2014 - 2025
Episode 90 - Retention and Recruiting Ideas
Relationship is really important to retention and recruiting, but you can also plan and organize some fun musical events that will improve retention. Here are 8 ideas that have worked for me and othe…
Episode 89 - Dealing With Student Profanity
What should you do if a student drops the "f" bomb? I'm working on an app that would deliver a strong electric shock to any student who does this, but until that is perfected, here are some strategie…
Episode 88 - Tuning Tips
Tuning is one of the hardest tasks to teach and accomplish, especially for a brand new teacher. You can and will get better at it, but it's not an event...it's a lifestyle.
Some tips to help you in t…
Episode 87 - Italian Pronunciation of Music Terms
It drives me crazy when I hear weird pronunciation of the Italian terms we use in music! Maybe because for many years I mispronounced them.
Here's a quick guide to help you on your way.
Ciao.
Episode 86: 7 Things Your Middle School Director Wants You To Know
Many times, High School band directors are quick to put the blame on their middle school. Often they have not even met their middle school director.
I am fortunate to work with an outstanding directo…
Episode 85: How To Organize Your Music Library
When I started at my current position in 2005, I inherited a stack of music three feet tall that was mostly SINGLE sheets of music that had not been filed. The school was first opened in the 1970s. I…
Episode 84: 5 Performing Groups in 62 Minutes
Have you ever wondered how to get a bunch of groups to perform in a short amount of time? I remember when my two oldest kids were in high school. The concerts were great, but they seemed to drag on a…
Episode 83: HowTo Be A Great Guest Clinician
Being a great conductor does not make one a great clinician. Besides having a lot of music knowledge, a great clinician will be a people person, adaptable and have the ability to inspire. Join me as …
Episode 82: Create a Yearly Task List
I learned a long time ago that there's no way my brain can remember everything I need to do. I created what I call a "Yearly Task List" to help me remember what I need to get done and WHEN I need to …
Episode 81: Make Your Marching Band Rehearsal More Efficient
Did you know many of our top marching bands in the country are under what's called the 8 hour rule. They are only allowed to spend 8 hours a week practicing their marching band show. How do they do …
Episode 80: Getting Sax Players To Play With Good Tone
As a professional sax player myself, I am sometimes deeply disturbed by what I hear coming from the sax section, even in my own band! But it doesn't have to be that way. In this episode I share 8 tip…
Episode 79: 14 Tips on How To Get Better At Fixing The Music
The main thing we do...fixing the music! How do we get better at that?
In this episode, I share 14 tips that I have learned over the years, including an acronym from the Army Band (DIAC) and what NOT…
Episode 78: Answers to Listener's Questions
I take a slight turn in this podcast and answer a few listener questions. I hope to do more of these. If you would like to submit a question, please go to the contact page at www.jamesdivine.net and …
Episode 77: How and Why You Should Start a Tri-M Chapter
Like me you probably think you don't have time to run a Tri-M chapter. I'm here to tell you you don't not have time! A 2-hour investment per month can yield hundreds of hours of influence. It's simpl…
Episode 76: What to do (and eat) the night of a concert
In my younger days, I didn't have a plan for preparing myself for a concert (besides the music). It ultimately led to a few - shall we say - uneasy rumblings while on stage. I have developed a routin…
Episode 75: The Student Led Rehearsal
What is a teacher to do when he has to be gone and the sub knows nothing about music! Have the students lead the rehearsal...after all, they probably know more than the sub.
A student led rehearsal i…
Episode 74 - Teaching Guitar Effectively: Interview with Bill Swick
Join me as I interview Bill Swick - master guitar teacher. We dig into several strategies for how to effectively teach guitar, especially if you are a band teacher.
When I started at my current schoo…
Episode 73: Creating a Marching Band Schedule and Plan
In this episode, I share some tips regarding when I schedule marching band related dates. Our first one - to pick our marching show for next year - is already coming up!
Episode 72: Incorporating Writing & Math Without Giving Up Band Time
In this episode, I share a quick strategy that will give you up-loadable evidence to show that you are incorporating writing and math into your curriculum. The best thing about it is that it is proba…
Episode 71: How To Practice, with Professor Jimmy
In this episode, James brings on his twin brother - who is a college professor - to provide instruction on how to practice. Professor Jimmy is fun to listen to, but even more fun to watch.
Watch he…