Almost Everything I've Learned About Teaching Band

For years I have listened to interviews where people grew up in an award winning program, decided to be a teacher, went back to the award winning program to do their student teaching, found out the …

With 23 years of teaching and ten as a professional musician, I have learned a lot over the years - much of it the hard way.

Not every technique works for every band every single time, but in this…

Do you keep a planner, either electronic or old school? It's not enough just to "keep" one. Make it a tool to help you plan your life and keep you balanced.

In this episode, I share seven strategi…

Do you feel safe behind the podium? Get out from behind there! It's not the best place for you. In this episode we talk about the podium, pacing, and getting 100% of students to participate.

Has t…

Do you want to make your first week of school great? Do you want to make band fun? Get the students doing something musical from day one!

EVERY OTHER TEACHER is going to spend the entire first day…

You’ve just performed your last concert and there are two weeks left in school. Now what?

Has the show benefited you? Would you consider supporting the podcast with a $5/month pledge through patre…

There is nothing about a lost life that is easy. I experienced a huge loss in a community I served a number of years ago. I navigated it with great difficulty, anguish of heart, and much prayer. Hope…

A parade can be a lot of fun - or it can be stressful and annoying. The choice is really up to you. These tips can help it lean more towards the fun side!

Has the show benefited you? Would you con…

Air will get you there! I learned this from one of my mentors when he would come to work with my band - and even as a professional musician - when taking lessons - I was told to USE MORE AIR. In thi…

I recently taught these exact same lessons to my 6th, 7th, and 8th grade bands. It didn't take them long to get the hang of playing notes the proper length and acquiring a swing feel. In this episod…

It has been a crazy year for teachers! Even though I KNOW I am where I am supposed to be, I still found myself looking at job postings at least 100x the last year. Listen in as I share from my heart…

It's that season, where band teacher jobs are listed and many people change schools. Make sure you change for the RIGHT reason. Here are some tips that helped me a few years ago when I changed posit…

College is great, but we don't learn everything we need to know there. In this episode, I share seven things I wish I knew BEFORE I started teaching. Learn from my experience.

Has the show benefit…

There is life after teaching band. It MAY be something still in music, but it may be something totally unrelated to music. You have many options!

To get my free resource 40 Ways to Make Money as a…

You are not going to be the best teacher you can be if you don't put your needs first - physical, relational, spiritual. When you take care of you, you are more equipped to serve your students. Ever…

In this podcast, I share some great tips and ideas that you can use to create traditions and develop a great culture in your band. You must be intentional in this. The traditions you create will oft…

What do you think when your principal tells you she would like for you to incorporate reading into band? Do you inwardly groan? Do you dread the thought of giving up an entire day of music for readi…

Even though teaching may look differently for a while, you can still engage your students!

In this episode, I share five tips that have worked for me.

Has the show benefited you? Would you consi…

These are trying times! Even though I currently don't teach marching band, I am considering starting one at my middle school (I started and taught marching band for a decade or more at my previous s…