The Band Director's Lounge Podcast

“Every student has untapped potential. Talent X Effort = Ability and Achievement” - Andrew Klassen

 Band Director at Menonite Brethren Collegiate Institute, Winnipeg Canada

Welcome back to The Band Director’s Lounge!

Today I am chatting with Mr. Andrew Klassen who teaches at Menonite Brethren Collegiate Institute in Winnipeg, Canada. Andrew and I first got connected through a trip that I was going to be taking with my high school band students this spring and his school was going to host us for part of our tour. Together we had done much of the leg-work to get the exchange day organized and then….COVID hit one week before we were about to depart to Canada. In hindsight, it was good that things played out the way they did with the cancellation of our trip. However based on my interactions with Mr.Klassen from afar I wanted to get to know him and his program and share that with you.

Background

Andrew Klassen has taught 6-12 band at Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute for the past 33 years.

Andrew is a graduate of the University of Manitoba, where he won numerous performance scholarships and competitions. He is the first saxophonist in Canada to be awarded the Royal Conservatory of Music Gold Medal for his ARCT diploma, and is a first prize winner of both the Lawrence Genser and Women’s Musical Club Scholarship Competitions.

Mr. Klassen has adjudicated throughout the Prairies, instructed in saxophone at the University of Manitoba and taught pedagogy at the University of Winnipeg. As a performer, he has played as a saxophonist with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, and as a violist in the Bel Canto String Quartet, and is active in leading worship at Elmwood Mennonite Brethren Church. 

He is a former Artistic Director and guest conductor of the Winnipeg Wind Ensemble. Mr. Klassen has also guest-conducted the University of Manitoba Wind Ensemble and Concert Band, the Manitoba Junior, Intermediate, and Senior Honour Bands, and numerous regional honour bands, community bands, and band camps. Andrew is a recipient of the Manitoba Band Association’s Award of Distinction, the University of Manitoba’s Excellence in Music Education Award, and has presented on music education topics at the Manitoba Music Conference. 

Each August, Mr. Klassen coordinates a highly successful Junior Band Summer Camp which has served over 1200 students from 80 Manitoba schools the past 24 years.

Episode Overview

And that wraps up today’s episode.

If you enjoyed this episode or any other episode, consider leaving a review on any of the platforms that you listen to the show on. Itunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or Facebook. Your reviews, with or without written feedback, help get the word out about the show. Also, if you are able to help promote this program I would greatly appreciate it! Please share episodes with friends and colleagues; a personal recommendation goes a long way in helping out with the show.

If you like what you heard today consider purchasing one of the books mentioned in the podcast. Your purchases through the amazon links on the website help give us a little help in covering costs for hosting the show. You can also head over to TheBandDirectorsLounge.com and donate through our paypal account. Any donation large or small will help cover the operating costs of the program. 

Thanks again for tuning in, I will see you back here next time in The Band Director’s Lounge.

Other Resources

Support The Band Director’s Lounge

“Our job is to inspire students to love music as much as we love it.” - Robert Baca Professor of Music and Director of Jazz Studies at The University of Wisconsin Eau Claire

Welcome back to The Band Director’s Lounge!

Today I am talking with Robert “Bob” Baca. Bob teaches at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire and is an active teacher and performer throughout the United States.

His performance background includes countless performances in both classical and commercial areas including the Milwaukee Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra as well as a past member of the popular radio ensemble for Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion.” He has toured with Frank Sinatra, Buddy Rich, Tony Bennett, Mel Torme, Blood Sweat and Tears and numerous others as well as performing over one hundred Broadway shows and hundreds of recording sessions in Minneapolis, Indianapolis and Chicago.   As a soloist, Robert has performed in China, London, Costa Rica and Europe as well as the United States.

Robert Baca is Professor of Trumpet and Director of Jazz Studies at the all undergraduate University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.  Most recently, he conducted the National High School Honors Jazz Ensemble for the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) at their national convention in Nashville, Tennessee. Other highlights include serving as a faculty member of Conn-Selmer Institute, conducting numerous all state ensembles and presenting at educational conventions. He received the first, “Career Excellence in Teaching Award” presented by the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and was runner up for the "Teacher Of The Year", UW-System Award.  Mr. Baca is a past executive board member for the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE) as the United States Representative. 

Mr. Baca loves to help students of any age reach their whole potential.

He has been happily married to his wife Jodie for over 30 years and has two children, Alec and Nicole and a dog named Chewy.

Episode Overview

And that wraps up today’s episode.

If you enjoyed this episode or any other episode, consider leaving a review on any of the platforms that you listen to the show on. Itunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or Facebook. Your reviews, with or without written feedback, help get the word out about the show. At the end of the day I am doing this podcast to not only improve my own knowledge and skill set but hopefully provide this as a resource to the greater music education community. If you are able to help promote this program I would greatly appreciate it!

If you like what you heard today consider purchasing one of the books mentioned in the podcast or heading over to TheBandDirectorsLounge.com and donating through our paypal account. Any donation large or small will help cover the operating costs of the program. 

Thanks again for tuning in, I will see you back here next time in The Band Director’s Lounge.

Other Resources

Support The Band Director’s Lounge

“You can’t teach excellence without having achieved excellence.” - Scott Guidry, USAF Director (ret.) and Associate Prof. at Bemidji State University

Hello and welcome back to The Band Director’s Lounge! 

This week I am chatting with Scott Guidry, Associate Professor of Instrumental Music and Director of Bands at Bemidji State University. Scott also served and directed ensembles for 20 years in the U. S. Air Force. Today Scott and I talk about his long-time career in the USAF, the need to be genuine and authentic when in front of a large ensemble, and the importance of seeing yourself as a leader in addition to music educator.

His full biography can be found below:

Scott Guidry is Director of Bands and Associate Professor of High Brass at Bemidji State University. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Loyola University in New Orleans, Louisiana, and a Master of Arts degree in Instrumental Conducting from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. His primary conducting teachers include Dr. Joseph Hebert and Professor Anthony Maiello.

Professor Guidry conducts the BSU Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, and Symphonic Band. He teaches Trumpet and Horn, Instrumental Conducting and Arranging, and supervises instrumental student teachers. He hosts an annual high school honor band, jazz festival, and conducts the BSU spring opera. He teaches trumpet yearly at the International Music Camp, where he is a member of the artists-in-residence International Brass Quintet.

A native of Carencro, Louisiana, Professor Guidry joined the U. S. Air Force in 1993. During his 20-year tenure in the Air Force, he performed with a broad range of talented guest artists, to include Kim Nazarian of New York Voices, Canadian Brass alumni Ronald Romm and Fred Mills, Keiko Matsui, Helen Reddy, Crystal Gayle, Wilford Brimley and The Platters. Professor Guidry has presented master classes, clinics and performances with high school ensembles throughout the United States. 

His military career highlights include performances throughout the United States and over 30 nations in Europe and Western Asia. In 2010, he deployed to South West Asia and was Officer in Charge of the U.S. Air Forces Central Command Band, enhancing morale of U. S. and Allied Forces and supporting embassies throughout the theater. As leader of the U.S. Air Forces in Europe Band, Professor Guidry led a jazz band tour of Western Siberia, celebrating 10 years of the U.S. Consulate in Yekaterinburg (Ya-ket-tear-in-burg), and led a ceremonial band in Sofia, Bulgaria commemorating 100 years of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Bulgaria.

Professor Guidry and his wife, BSU Oboe Instructor Heather Guidry, live in Bemidji. They have three grown children and three grandchildren. 

Episode Overview

And that wraps up today’s episode.

If you enjoyed this episode or any other episode, consider leaving a review on any of the platforms that you listen to the show on. Itunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or Facebook. Your reviews, with or without written feedback, help get the word out about the show. At the end of the day I am doing this podcast to not only improve my own knowledge and skill set but hopefully provide this as a resource to the greater music education community. If you are able to help promote this program I would greatly appreciate it!

If you like what you heard today consider heading over to TheBandDirectorsLounge.com and donating through our paypal account. Any donation large or small will help cover the operating costs of the program. 

Thanks again for tuning in, I will see you back here next time in The Band Director’s Lounge.

Other Resources

Support The Band Director’s Lounge

Hello and welcome back to the Band Director’s lounge! 

This week I am chatting with Beth Horton from Tonara. Tonara is an awesome digital learning platform built specifically with the music educator in mind. This is a really cool and easy to use application to help facilitate large group band classes and small group and individual lessons. If you are interested in learning more, I encourage you to check out this week’s episode!

Overview

What is Tonara? How did you (Beth) get involved with Tonara? (01:38) 10,000 foot overview of Tonara (07:45) Practicing, Points, Leaderboards, Groups (33:35) Creative uses and user stories (41:00) 30 day free trial and 10% off, Promo Code: Lounge20 App link: https://tonr.me/KFKG4VigY3 Weblink (only from PC): https://platform.tonara.com/login/sign-up?utm_source=logan How might a listener get setup to try out this application for their own students? (44:30)

Try out Tonara today!!

And that wraps up today’s episode.

If you enjoyed this episode or any other episode, consider leaving a review on any of the platforms that you listen to the show on. Itunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or Facebook. Your reviews, with or without written feedback, help get the word out about the show. At the end of the day I am doing this podcast to not only improve my own knowledge and skill set but hopefully provide this as a resource to the greater music education community. If you are able to help promote this program I would greatly appreciate it!

If you like what you heard today consider heading over to TheBandDirectorsLounge.com and donating through our paypal account. Any donation large or small will help cover the operating costs of the program. 

Thanks again for tuning in, I will see you back here next time in The Band Director’s Lounge.

Other Resources

Support The Band Director’s Lounge

Hello and welcome back to the Band Director’s lounge! 

This week instead of an interview, I will be doing a book review.

I have been gearing up for this episode for quite some time as the book I am going to discuss is near and dear to me. I am often sharing the book with students as it one of the best books on leadership that I have read in my entire life. The book is called “Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy Seals Lead and Win” but Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. Upon first read of the title you might anticipate a machismo-drill sergeant style approach towards leadership to be laid out within its pages, however it is the exact opposite.

U.S. Navy SEALs are probably one of the highest-performing military teams in the world. In “Extreme Ownership”, retired SEAL officers Willink and Babin share the vital leadership principles that have enabled SEAL leaders and teams to achieve extraordinary results, and explain how these insights can be applied to achieve success in all aspects of business and life.

Episode Overview

I’ll post some resources and links to summaries of this book. However if you are interested in picking it up, please consider using the link in the show notes to purchase it through amazon. A small percentage of the proceeds will trickle back to us and help offset some of our operating costs.

Thanks again for turning in! We’ll see you back here next time in The Band Director’s Lounge.

Other Resources

Support The Band Director’s Lounge

Yes, you read the episode title correctly; today we are heading to Prague in the Czech republic! This is the first international interview on the Band Director’s Lounge and it is with a passionate music educator and band director by the name of Lindsey Simondet.

Lindsey Simondet Background

Lindsey Simondet is a native of Minnesota, USA. She graduated from the University of Minnesota-Duluth with a degree in K-12 instrumental music education. She also earned a Masters degree in Education from the University of Glasgow in Scotland with a focus on social justice and radical education. Lindsey student taught in Prague, Czech Republic leading her music education career on an international path to where she is today. She is currently in her 11th year of teaching music and her second year at the International School of Prague where she teaches middle and high school band. 

Unlike many international schools, ISP is a non-profit school. Lindsey’s love for teaching where she is and the students that she works with was palpable in my conversation with her, it is clear that she has found her perfect “career fit” at this present time. I learned so much about what it is like to teach internationally from Lindsey, a two hour conversation has never gone by so fast. I hope that you enjoy this conversation as much as I did, especially if you have ever considered teaching abroad. Let’s jump into the episode!

Episode Overview

And that wraps up today’s episode.

If you enjoyed this episode or any other episode, consider leaving a review on any of the platforms that you listen to the show on. Itunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or Facebook. Your reviews, with or without written feedback, help get the word out about the show. At the end of the day I am doing this podcast to not only improve my own knowledge and skill set but hopefully provide this as a resource to the greater music education community. If you are able to help promote this program I would greatly appreciate it!

If you like what you heard today consider heading over to TheBandDirectorsLounge.com and donating through our paypal account. Any donation large or small will help cover the operating costs of the program. 

Thanks again for tuning in, I will see you back here next time in The Band Director’s Lounge.

Other Resources

Support The Band Director’s Lounge

Hello and welcome to the Band Director’s Lounge!

My interview today takes us to the southern United States.

Jonathan Chance is from Birmingham, Alabama. He attended Troy State University and graduated in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education. He has been the Director of Bands at Luverne High School for the past 15 years and has built the band program to over 200 students’ program wide. He is happily married to Beverly Chance, and they have two daughters Annalee and Brylee.  In his free time he enjoys playing Golf and spending time with his Family.

I think you are going to enjoy hearing about Mr.Chance’s program and some of his thoughts on teaching band and building a successful band program!

Before we get to the interview I want to remind you that there are a number of ways to support this podcast and help ensure that it stays operational. All of these methods are listed in the show notes. Don’t worry, I am not asking for you to write a check for a donation (though you can certainly do that through paypal). 

One of the simplest ways is to check out the Books From Episodes list on TheBandDirectorsLounge.com website. This list of books has been curated from recommendations from fellow band directors that have been on the program and include many of the books they have found inspiring and foundational to their teaching. By clicking through the links on our website and ultimately purchasing those books on Amazon, this podcast receives a small affiliate percentage that helps offset some of the hosting costs of the podcast. It’s a seemingly small task on your part, especially if you are looking for new books, but it helps us out a ton.

Okay, now onto my interview with Jonathan Chance.

Episode Overview

And that wraps up today’s episode.

If you enjoyed this episode or any other episode, consider leaving a review on any of the platforms that you listen to the show on. Itunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or Facebook. Your reviews, with or without written feedback, help get the word out about the show. At the end of the day I am doing this podcast to not only improve my own knowledge and skill set but hopefully provide this as a resource to the greater music education community. If you are able to help promote this program I would greatly appreciate it!

If you like what you heard today consider heading over to TheBandDirectorsLounge.com and use our affiliate links to purchase some of the books mentioned in the show or sign up for a free trial with Audible. Your purchases through these links help offset some of the costs of recording, producing, and hosting this show.

Thanks again for tuning in, I will see you back here next time in The Band Director’s Lounge.

Hello and welcome! My interview today takes us out of the Midwest to the east coast to the great state of New Jersey.

Derek Rohaly Background

Derek Rohaly earned his bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the Pennsylvania State University in 2010 where he studied trumpet under Dr. Langston Fitzgerald III and completed a minor in Music Technology.

Mr. Rohaly began his career immediately after graduation in Quakertown, Pennsylvania teaching elementary band, general music, and high school jazz band in the Quakertown Community School District.  In 2011, he became a band director for Mainland Regional High School in Linwood, New Jersey where he remains an established music educator today.  In his time at Mainland Regional High School, he has taught concert band, all levels of beginning through advanced keyboard and guitar, music theory, and freshman seminar in technology.  To serve Mainland Regional’s growing interest in music, he spearheaded the development of the school’s first music technology class from course proposals, budgeting projections, curriculum development, and implementation. 

In additional to his school-day responsibilities, Mr. Rohaly contributes a significant amount of his time with extracurricular groups like jazz band, pit orchestra, & guitar ensemble.  In his five years of directing the marching band, he has led the Mainland Band to a Tournament of Bands New Jersey State Championship in 2014 & 2015 and consistently earned top tier placements at state and regional contests. Mr. Rohaly currently is the co-coordinator for the Atlantic Cape Honor Band (serving Atlantic and Cape May counties) and is the webmaster for the South Jersey Band and Orchestra Directors Association (www.sjboda.org) 

As a music educator, Mr. Rohaly finds it extremely important to continually perform as a musician.   He regularly performs with the South Jersey Area Wind Ensemble and has performed in the pit orchestras for the Off Broad Street Players theater company in Millville, NJ. 

We are going to dive into our interview in just a second, but first I want to mention that this episode is brought to you by Audible.

Episode Overview

And that wraps up today’s episode.

If you enjoyed this episode or any other episode, consider leaving a review on any of the platforms that you listen to the show on. Itunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or Facebook. Your reviews, with or without written feedback, help get the word out about the show. At the end of the day I am doing this podcast to not only improve my own knowledge and skill set but hopefully provide this as a resource to the greater music education community. If you are able to help promote this program I would greatly appreciate it!

If you like what you heard today consider heading over to TheBandDirectorsLounge.com and use our affiliate links to purchase some of the books mentioned in the show, sign up for a free trial with Audible, or pick up a set of Eargasm Earplugs ( http://bit.ly/2HBge0T). Your purchases through these links help offset some of the costs of recording, producing, and hosting this show.

Thanks again for tuning in, I will see you back here next time in The Band Director’s Lounge.

Other Resources

Support The Band Director’s Lounge

Dr. Elizabeth Jackson Kirchhoff Background

Dr. Elizabeth Jackson Kirchhoff has been active as an instrumental music educator, conductor, and clinician in the United States, Norway, and Canada for over thirty years.  She has enjoyed collaborating with music makers from the elementary level to the university level. She completed a B.A. in Music Education at St. Olaf College, a M.M. in Conducting at Northwestern University, and a Ph.D. in Music Education at The Ohio State University.  Jackson has been teaching at Eden Prairie High School in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, since 1998 where she conducts the Wind Ensemble, the Concert Band, the Pit Orchestra, and is founder of the EPHS Chamber Winds program. Under Jackson’s direction, the Wind Ensemble was selected to perform at the 2010 & 2018 Minnesota Music Educators Association Midwinter Clinic and as a featured band at the Music for All National Concert Band Festival in 2001, 2010, and 2014.  Prior to her appointment at Eden Prairie, she taught music 5-12 in Wrenshall, Minnesota, band 9-12 at Spring Lake Park High School, and band 5-8 in the Hopkins School District. Beginning in 2004, she spent a three-year sabbatical as Assistant Professor of Music Education at the University of Minnesota before returning to Eden Prairie High School in the fall of 2007.

Dr. Jackson has served as an honor band conductor and clinician in Norway, Canada, and throughout the United States.  She has also served on the Minnesota Music Educators Association Board of Directors, is the a past-president of the Minnesota Band Directors Association, and was named the MMEA Educator of the Year in 2010.  She currently serves on the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies Teachers Advisory Council and is a member of the Phi Beta Mu International School Bandmaster Fraternity.

Among the many topics that we cover today, Dr.Jackson shares some incredible insight on her personal music philosophy, important topics for daily lesson delivery, selecting quality lit, conducting, and so much more! Dr. Jackson is a master in her craft and I was very lucky to have her on the program.

Before we jump into the show, I want to mention that The Band Director’s Lounge is an Amazon Affiliate.

And now onto my interview.

Episode Overview

Wow, I am not sure about you but I walked away with several pages of notes from this one. It was a treat to talk with Dr.Jackson and I hope that you enjoyed it too!

If you enjoyed this episode or any other episode, consider leaving a review on any of the platforms that you listen to the show on. Itunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or Facebook. Your reviews, with or without written feedback, help get the word out about the show. At the end of the day I am doing this podcast to not only improve my own knowledge and skillset but hopefully provide this as a resource to the greater music education community. If you are able to help promote this program I would greatly appreciate it!

If you like what you heard today consider heading over to TheBandDirectorsLounge.com and use our affiliate links to purchase some of the books mentioned in the show, sign up for a free trial with Audible, or pick up a set of Eargasm Earplugs ( http://bit.ly/2HBge0T). Your purchases through these links help offset some of the costs of recording, producing, and hosting this show.

Thanks again for tuning in, I will see you back here next time in The Band Director’s Lounge.

Other Resources

Support The Band Director’s Lounge

Today’s guest is John Pohland who teaches high school band in Waconia, MN.

I was really excited when John agreed to chat with me about his program. He has taught in Waconia for 12 years and has built something of a powerhouse in terms of participation, excellence, and overall musical culture. John knows how to connect with kids and get them to play their hearts out. He has also been a professional resource for me, especially during my first few years of teaching. John is a master of his craft and as you will hear, extremely humble and down to earth. 

Before we get started, I need to mention that today’s episode is brought to you by Eargasm Ear Plugs.

And now onto my conversation with John Pohland.

Episode Overview

Background (02:05)

Waconia High School (08:05)

“Big Black” Marching Band (17:23)

Show Choir & Stage Bands (40:00)

Travel Experiences (45:29)

Advice to Young Band Directors (49:37)

What Makes a Great Band Program? (53:50)

If you like what you heard today consider heading over to TheBandDirectorsLounge.com and use our affiliate links to purchase some of the books mentioned in the show, sign up for a free trial with Audible, or pick up a set of Eargasm Earplugs ( http://bit.ly/2HBge0T). Your purchases through these links help offset some of the costs of recording, producing, and hosting this show.

Thanks again for tuning in, I will see you back here next time in The Band Director’s Lounge.

Other Resources

Support The Band Director’s Lounge

Hello and welcome!

If you are listening to this episode in real-time, it is now August and the start of a new school year is just around the corner. This upcoming year may not be your first but if you are like most teachers, memories of your first year of teaching might still feel like “it was just yesterday”. I know that I still get many of the same nerves, and sense of anticipation and wonder on the eve of every new school year upcoming school year just like that first year teaching.

This episode is geared towards the new teacher. For them, their “FIRST” school year is just about to begin and they may need some grounding or words of encouragement before they begin their teaching journey. Are you a seasoned director? Don’t worry, I think that you will find this episode helpful too as it might just bring you back to some of the important fundamentals of our profession.

This episode contains fifteen responses from fifteen different directors. Each director has anywhere from a couple of years of teaching experience to being near or done with their career and enjoying retirement and ranging from elementary teaching to collegiate instruction. 

In the show notes for this episode you can find time stamps with the names of each of these directors AND my full-length interviews with each if you want to go check out more of what they had to share about teaching and band directing. During this episode each response will be shared back to back with a slight pause in between so you can hear each answer without delay. 

I think that you will quickly notice themes and recurring ideas emerging even from this sample of fifteen teachers. I hope that it will inspire you, motivate you, and quiet some of those nerves as they share lessons that they likely “learned the hard way” or wisdom that was revealed to them over the course of their teaching.

The answers are in response to a hybrid of two questions:

“What advice would you go back and give your former self at the start of your teaching career? OR What advice would you give to a teacher in their first few years of teaching?”

Enjoy!

Episode Overview

Conclusion

I hope that you enjoyed this episode format! I am not sure about you, but listening through this it felt like I was sitting at a table with these fifteen awesome educators having a “virtual roundtable discussion”. I hope to be able to sprinkle episodes like this in  as I continue to build my bank of interview questions and responses with directors. So if you liked this format, there will be more like it in the future!

As always if you enjoyed this episode or any other episode, consider leaving a review on any of the platforms that you listen to the show on. Itunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or Facebook. Your reviews, with or without written feedback, help get the word out about the show. At the end of the day I am doing this podcast to not only improve my own knowledge and skill set but hopefully provide this as a resource to the greater music education community. If you are able to help promote this program I would greatly appreciate it!

If you like what you heard today consider heading over to TheBandDirectorsLounge.com and use our affiliate links to purchase some of the books mentioned in the show, sign up for a free trial with Audible, or pick up a set of Eargasm Earplugs. Your purchases through these links help offset some of the costs of recording, producing, and hosting this show.

Good luck with the upcoming school year! Remember to take time to keep yourself recharged and healthy so that you can come back fresh each day for yourself and your students.

Thanks again for tuning in, I will see you back here next time in The Band Director’s Lounge.

Other Resources

 Support The Band Director’s Lounge

Hello and welcome back to The Band Director's Lounge!

If you have been keeping up in real time with episode releases, you will know that there has been a bit of a lag time between the past few episodes due to the wrap up of the end of the school year. However, after listening to today’s guest I think that you will find that the delay has been worth the wait!

Originally from Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, Dr. Heidi Johanna Miller currently serves on the faculty at Gustavus Adolphus College, where she conducts the Gustavus Wind Symphony and teaches courses in music education.

Her previous appointment was as artist-in-residence in Winds at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, where she conducted and coordinated the wind ensemble.  She has also taught classes and conducted ensembles at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Ithaca College, and the University of Minnesota. Her first teaching position was at Spring Lake Park High School, right here in Minnesota!  While working on her doctorate, she and her husband James co-founded the Minneapolis-St. Paul based Sapphire Chamber Consort, which gave several performances in Minnesota and Wisconsin. While in New England she served as the assistant conductor with the Pioneer Valley Symphony Orchestra and Chorus for one year, and continued to co-conduct the Amherst Community Band while on faculty at Williams College.

Heidi is passionate about the intersection between vocal an instrumental music of all types, as well as the interconnectedness of music and art with everything else in our daily lives.  As a performer, she remained active in many community and semi-professional ensembles through the years; as a trumpet player with the Metropolitan Symphony orchestra in the cities, and as a singer, with the Minnesota Chorale, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra Chorale, the Cornell Chorale while in Ithaca, and Novi Cantori and the Flux Ensemble in New England.  She is currently searching for a place to sing, but has been studying ballet to feed her soul artistically.

Heidi is also active as a guest conductor and clinician, having worked with ensembles in Minnesota, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, California, and Scandinavia.  Some of her recent guest conducting includes concerts with the Rhode Island Wind Ensemble this past April, the Gustavus Wind Orchestra on their 2018 tour of Sweden and Norway as well as their performance at the Minnesota Music Educators convention, the 2018 Minnesota Intercollegiate Honor Band, the 2016-2017 Ordway High School Honor Band, and the 2015 California All-State band at Cal Poly.  She presented at the 2019 Minnesota Music Educators convention and the 2018 New England Band Director’s Institute, and has adjudicated numerous large group festivals in MN and New England. She also served as co-conductor of the Encore Wind Ensemble during the 2014-2015 season.

Heidi earned the DMA in conducting from the University of Minnesota, where she served as conductor of the North Star Band and worked as a full-time teaching assistant in the music department.  During this time the University awarded her a Graduate Research Fellowship for her dissertation research on the music of Steven Stucky. Her masters degree is from Ithaca College, and her bachelors – in performance and music education – also come from the University of Minnesota.

Heidi lives in St. Peter, MN with her husband, James, their daughters Linnea and Ingrid, and their two ridiculous cats, Tisbury (“Tizzy”) and Strider (aka “The Kitten.”)  Outside of music her interests include reading, cooking, baking with sourdough, ballet, golf, and running.

Heidi is a musician at the top of her craft and I think that you will find that she has some great thoughts to share on teaching band.

We are going to dive into our interview in just a second, but first I want to mention that this episode is brought to you by Audible.

And now onto my conversation with Dr. Heidi Johanna Miller.

If you like what you heard today consider heading over to TheBandDirectorsLounge.com and use our affiliate links to purchase some of the books mentioned in the show, sign up for a free trial with Audible, or pick up a set of Eargasm Earplugs ( http://bit.ly/2HBge0T). Your purchases through these links help offset some of the costs of recording, producing, and hosting this show.

If you’re wondering what is in store from The Band Director’s Lounge for the rest of the summer, don’t worry there will be new episode releases. However do anticipate a more relaxed release schedule. I am not sure about you, but I have a long list of summer to-do’s both in and out of my classroom and now is the best time to do them. That and my wife and I are getting ready for our baby boy who is due in early July so things will be getting a little more busy on this end of the microphone.

Thanks again for tuning in, I will see you back here next time in The Band Director’s Lounge.

Other Resources

Support The Band Director’s Lounge

Today’s conversation is with Geneva Fitzsimonds who teaches in Edina, MN.

Geneva is a master at teaching band but especially to middle school aged kids. Her bands and jazz bands have performed at festivals across the region including the MMEA Middle Level Conference and the MMEA Mid-Winter Clinic.Geneva has served on the MMEA Board of Directors as a region representative, is past president of the MN Chapter of the American School Band Directors Association, and is president elect of the Minnesota Band Directors Association. As if that wasn’t enough, she is highly involved as one of the conductors of the Minnesota Junior Winds - a high performing auditioned twin cities based ensemble for 7-12th graders.

We are going to dive into our interview in just a second, but first I want to mention that this episode is brought to you by Audible.

Okay now onto my conversation with Geneva.

******************************************************

Background (01:55)

Edina High School (16:12)

Building a Better Middle School Band (17:37)

Creating Success for Double Reed Players (32:00)

Favorite Literature (36:15)

Recruitment (41:26)

Advice for Female Band Directors (46:50)

Book that Impacted Teaching (54:00)

Advice for Band Directors (55:10)

What Makes a Great Band Program? (56:50)

If you like what you heard today consider heading over to TheBandDirectorsLounge.com and use our affiliate links to purchase some of the books mentioned in the show, or pick up a set of Eargasm Earplugs ( http://bit.ly/2HBge0T). Your purchases through these links help offset some of the costs of recording, producing, and hosting this show.

Thanks again for tuning in, I will see you back here next time in The Band Director’s Lounge.

Other Resources

Support The Band Director’s Lounge

Today’s guest is Erik Hermanson who teaches 6-12 band in Cleveland, MN. Erik has built a program over 25 years that has an incredible amount of administrative, community, parent, and student support. He has approximately 90% of the student population in the band program and also serves as his school’s co-head football coach. Erik is a world class community builder, band director, and leader and I think that you will find SO many take-aways in today’s episode. This one was a real treat for me and I am excited to finally share it. You are not going to want to miss this interview!

Minnesota directors likely know of Erik as his band program has received positive press over the last couple of years. You can read all about it in this Startribune Article:

http://www.startribune.com/in-cleveland-minn-pop-715-a-dynamic-band-conductor-has-built-a-powerhouse/414828834/#19

Before we get started with the interview, a quick mention that this episode is brought to you by audible.

Now onto my conversation with Erik!

Background (02:28)

Cleveland, MN (09:15)

Turning the ship around & building a program (11:35)

Co-Head Football Coach (46:10)

Family Life (52:47)

Community & Band (55:02)

Books (63:35)

Advice for band directors (65:35)

What makes a great band program? (66:51)

******************************************

And that wraps up our conversation. Something that I forgot to bring up with Erik in our conversation is his regular use of guest artists. Over the years Erik has brought some incredible big names to Cleveland including: Maynard Ferguson twice, Denis Di Blasio, Peter Erskine, Ed O'Shaunessy, The Horn Heads, Kirk Garrison, Tom Garling, Steve Wright, Frank Mantooth, Dick Oats, Doug Snapp, Adrian Barnett, Eric Zimerman, Evan Bierer, Michael Thursby, and more. Erik has told me that those experiences always help to motivate and inspire the kids so much.

If you like what you heard today consider heading over to TheBandDirectorsLounge.com and use our affiliate links to purchase some of the books mentioned in the show, or pick up a set of Eargasm Earplugs ( http://bit.ly/2HBge0T). Your purchases through these links help offset some of the costs of recording, producing, and hosting this show.

Thanks again for tuning in, I will see you back here next time in The Band Director’s Lounge.

Other Resources

 Support The Band Director’s Lounge

Download Episode!

Today’s conversation is with Pete Guenther from Owatonna High School in Owatonna, MN. Pete and I talk about the program at Owatonna high school and how he navigates leading a large program with a small staff. In addition we talk about his interesting connection with Alex Shapiro and electro-acoustic music and talking about band director health, balance, and the importance of not letting life in the classroom consume your life outside of the classroom. You are not going to want to miss this one!!

Before we get started, I need to mention that today’s episode is brought to you by Eargasam Ear Plugs.

Alright, onto my conversation with Pete.

Episode Overview

And that wraps up this episode. Remember that you can head out to thebanddirectorslounge.com for the links along with books and other resources mentioned in each episode.

If you know someone who would make a great guest on the show, please consider nominating them through this google form. This method will help me connect with directors outside of MN more as I will have an “in” with how to approach them about their programs. By the way, if you know of a great program but don’t know the director very well, you can simply nominate the program too! Many of the fields in the form are optional but just remember that the more information that you share with me, the better I can be about contacting them for the show. The nomination form is also on the facebook page and thebanddirectorslounge.com.

Thanks for tuning in! And we will see you back here next time in The Band Director’s Lounge.

Other Resources

Support The Band Director’s Lounge

Download Episode!

Today I am chatting with Amanda Kaus who teaches 9-12 band at Century High School in Rochester, MN.

The Century bands number close to 300 in a high school of around 1300 students - an amazing level of involvement. On top of great numbers, they are also a high performing band program. Kids are fired up about music at Century High School!

Amanda Kaus directs four curricular bands, a co-curricular jazz band, marching band, in addition to the pit orchestra for the winter musical. She has served on the MMEA leadership team as band vice president and was recently appointed as a Minnesota High School League representative. She is an active member of the local music education community.

This episode is brought to you by Eargasam Earplugs.

If you are looking for quality and cost-effective hearing protection, consider Eargasam Earplugs. Their discreet design allows them to be worn without drawing attention to your ears. Each set comes with two different sizes for large and small ear canals. They are easy to remove from your ears and come with an aluminum carrying case that can be clipped to your keychains making them easy to carry with to pep band events or concerts. These earplugs make all frequencies softer - so they do not hinder your ability to interact with what you are hearing from your band, but they do help ensure that you will be able to continue hearing long after rehearsal is over.

I personally wear these during pep band events and indoor marching band rehearsals and they work great.

Eargasam Earplugs run about $35-$40 and work just as well custom audiologist earplugs. These are perfect for directors who want affordable hearing protection and depending upon your insurance provider - some providers and HSA’s cover the cost.

Use this link in our show notes to purchase your set of Eargasam Earplugs and your purchase will help support The Band Director’s Lounge. Check out the website to see all of the styles available today.

Alright let’s dive in to our conversation.

Episode Overview

That wraps up this episode. If you want to connect with Amanda, be sure to look for a link to her band’s website in the shownotes. If you are interested in checking out any of the books that Amanda mentioned during our conversation, you can find links to these books in the show notes and on the website. Remember if you click thru these links, a small portion of the sales will go towards supporting The Band Director’s Lounge at no additional cost to you!

Thanks for tuning in! And we will see you back here next time in The Band Director’s Lounge.

Other Resources

Support The Band Director’s Lounge

 Hey everyone, I thought it would be good to take a few minutes to give a quick update on the podcast and some of the things that are coming down the pipeline.This is podcast episode #20. That might not seem like a lot but from the production side of things, it is a small milestone in the podcasting world. If you have listened to every minute of every episode by now you have listened to nearly 1,068 minutes or 17.8 hours of content! That’s a lot of content!! I set the personal goal of trying to release once a week since starting the show in the Fall of 2018 and I am not too far off from that. I think that weekly releases are just right for the intent of the show and it gives you the listener the right amount of information to listen to over the course of a given month.

I will let you in on some of the back-end stats because it is very exciting - the listenership for the podcast has grown significantly over the past few months. Each month continues to set new records in terms of downloads and episode views; that tells me that there is continued interest and hopefully value in what I am publishing. The growth tells me that word is spreading AND that you are coming back for more, each and every episode. Regardless - thank you for listening and subscribing to the show! This means a lot and it lets me that this venture is a worthwhile  resource for our community.

Now a little into the business side of things. I have mentioned this in previous episodes, but there is a small amount of operating overhead to run the podcast. These expenses are minimal but they are a constant reminder that few things are free in this world. Being thoughtful and considerate of you as my listener and knowing full well that advertisements can significantly detract and hinder a podcast experience, I have thought long and hard about how to mitigate the hosting expenses and I have a few ideas. Some of these have happened since episode one but others are new and will start in the coming episodes.

First - On this episode and episodes going forward I am going to draw more attention to books and other resources mentioned in the show. The Band Director’s Lounge is an Amazon affiliate which means that if you use our links to click-thru and purchase certain products, the podcast will get a small percentage of that purchase. This does not add anything to your price tag or inflate your prices at all - Amazon just shares a portion of its sales with its affiliate. The margins are very low but the idea is that many small purchases will help whittle down our operating expenses. If you want to help support the podcast, please use the book links found in the show notes of all episodes. The books are also listed in the “Books from episodes” section of the website and some of the most recent book recommendations are shown on the right hand column of the website. Once you click-thru you can continue shopping for other amazon products, just consider clicking through The Band Director’s Lounge first as this will help us out!!

Second - I have found a couple of products that have been immensely useful as a band director that I would like to draw direct attention to. These will be shared in the form of short advertisements read by myself during podcast episodes. I know that you are here for the content and not these advertisements so I intend to be respectful of your time AND to only select products that I have found useful. As of this episode, the products that will be talked about on the show will be advertised as an affiliate. This means that The Band Director’s Lounge will only receive support if purchases done by listeners, not just by listening to the advertisement. I will not be representing products that I cannot stand by or items that I think are not worth your time. I know how precious your time is because I know that music educators are busy people and I will continue to be respectful of that.

Third - If you or someone you know would like to simply donate to the podcast to help cover some of our expenses, this can be done through paypal. The link to the donation page can be found here: paypal.me/pools/c/8dpQAkgwuQ. I set this up understanding that some people like to support things monetarily in the form of a donation. If this is you or anyone that you know- THANK YOU!!

The first product that I want to mention goes by an odd name but I think is extremely useful to people in our profession.

Hearing loss is a real fear for many band directors. I think that we all know a long-retired band director who did not escape the band room or marching field trenches with all parts of their hearing. Thankfully great hearing protection these days is not that expensive.

If you are looking for quality and cost-effective hearing protection, consider Eargasam Earplugs. These earplugs reduce all frequencies evenly, allowing you to still hear blaring trumpets, whispering flutes, and booming bass drums but just at softer and quieter volumes. Their discreet design allows them to be worn without drawing attention to your ears. Each set comes with two different sizes large and small ear canals. They are easy to remove from your ears and come with an aluminum carrying case that can be clipped to your keychains making them easy to carry with to pep band events or concerts.

I personally bought custom-molded earplugs from an audiologist back in college. These have been great! But they set me back about $150 out of pocket - a small price for putting some protection between my hearing and my drumline’s rimshots. Eargasam Earplugs run about $35-$40 and work just as well - these are perfect for directors who want affordable hearing protection and depending upon your insurance provider - some providers and HSA’s cover the cost.

Use this link in our show notes to purchase your set of Eargasam Earplugs and your purchase will help support The Band Director’s Lounge. Check out the website to see all of the styles available today.

Eargasam Earplugs

http://bit.ly/2HBge0T

Okay enough about money, back to useful and relevant content for you! I have a long list of potential show guests and I am slowly but surely working through these awesome directors and arranging times to interview them, however I need your help.

If you know someone who would make a great guest on the show, please consider nominating them through this google form. This form will help me in processing nominations and more importantly in guiding my interview. I have received some nominations over the past few months but I am needing some more information about setting up their interview. If I know a little more about why you think a particular director or band program is special or unique, then I can craft questions to focus on that. The worst is when an interview feels more like a game of minesweeper or battleship instead a focused conversation. In addition, this method will help me connect with directors outside of MN more as I will have an “in” with how to approach them about their programs. By the way, if you know of a great program but don’t know the director very well, you can simply nominate the program too! Many of the fields in the form are optional but just remember that the more information that you share with me, the better I can be about contacting them for the show.

Please nominate guests and programs here.

https://forms.gle/Ugy7PxkQqTV6DRMP9

Don’t worry, this week’s interview is being released concurrently with this episode so you are not going to be duped for an episode. Thanks for taking a moment to hear about what is going on with the podcast. Please continuing nominating and recommending directors and programs and sharing the word about this podcast! This is a fun project for me and I am glad that you are enjoying it.

Alright, time for you to cycle to the next episode. Thanks for listening! We will see you back here next time in The Band Director’s Lounge.

Download Episode!

Today I am talking with two local band director rock-stars, Erin Holmes and Bradley Mariska from Farmington High School in Farmington, MN.

As the Director of Bands at Farmington High School, Erin Holmes conducts the Wind Ensemble, Varsity Band, Jazz I, Birdland Jazz, and is the head director of the Farmington Tiger Marching Band.In 2017, School Band and Orchestra Magazine named Holmes one of the nation’s “50 Directors Who Make a Difference. She is the Jazz Chair for Minnesota Music Educators Association (MMEA) in 2018, she is the first woman in the organization’s history to be chosen for this position.

Bradley Mariska has been the Associate Director of Bands at Farmington High School since 2016. At FHS, he conducts the Symphonic Band, Concert Band, Jazz II, Jazz III, and is the Assistant Director of the Farmington Tiger Marching Band. Mariska has served as an All-State Band Section Coach and has held the position of Director on the boards of several arts organizations including the Austin Area Commission for the Arts, Austin Symphony Orchestra, and Pine Center for the Arts. He also taught at the MacPhail Center for Music at both their Apple Valley and Austin locations. Brad was recently elected as the Minnesota Music Educators Association Vice President.

Today we talk all things Farmington band. There are so many interesting factoids about these two and the farmington program that you’ll have to goto the show notes to see everything that we cover. Let’s jump into the interview!

Episode Overview

Other Resources

Support The Band Director’s Lounge

Download Episode!

Part 2 of 2 (Part 1 can be found here!)

Welcome back to the second part of my conversation with leadership expert Todd Dufault. Today we get into the details about how to select students for leadership roles and how to develop and maintain a leadership team that is effective throughout the school year. At the core of our conversation is a discussion about culture. Culture Drives Results.  Leaders Promote The Culture.Culture can make or break an organization.  The foundation of any organization is Servant Leadership.  The push needs to come from within the organization. Leadership is about influence, serving others, self sacrifice and trust.  It's not about a title, it's about action and making the people around you, BETTER. It starts with the students and their ability to be a positive influence on their peers.   Todd's Leadership training is based around 7 Pillars of Success.

Culture Development Servant Leadership Growth Mindset Trust Relationships Ownership Communication

Episode Overview

That was the second part of my conversation with Todd Dufault. This was only the tip of the iceberg with regards to the importance of student leadership within our band programs. Hopefully it gave you a few ideas about furthering your own student leaders or sparked your interest for learning more about this topic.

I’ve included Todd’s website in the show notes, be sure to head out to his webpage and contact him if you have any specific questions for him. Having heard him present in person, I can say that it is well worth it if you are looking for someone to bring out to your school. His background in sports and fine arts makes him a great person to consider talking with your athletic/activities director about bringing him out to benefit your whole district.

“Student leadership” is a topic that will definitely be revisited in future episodes. I believe it is an under discussed part of our profession and one that many directors do not develop in their programs beyond the student leaders that sort of naturally happen. Hopefully these past two episodes with Todd have illuminated that the best leaders are made and that it is up to us as directors to find a way to foster and develop leadership within our programs.

If you haven’t been out to the newly launched thebanddirectorslounge.com, be sure to check it out! You can find all of the episodes along with show notes and links to books and other resources mentioned on previous episodes. If you are interested in purchasing any of the books listed on the website, if you click the links it will take you to the amazon listing. A small portion of your amazon purchase will trickle back to the Band Director’s Lounge and it will help cover production and hosting costs so thanks in advance for supporting us! As we go forward there will be other ways to support the podcast so stay tuned but consider checking out the list of recommended books already on the website.Alright - that wraps up another episode. I will see you back next time in The Band Director’s Lounge.

Other Resources

Support The Band Director’s Lounge

Download Episode!

Part 1 of 2 (Part 2 can be found here!)

Today’s I am talking with leadership expert Todd Dufault.

Todd Dufault is a master motivator who strives to be a difference maker.  For 35 years, Todd has worked with Fine Arts students on life skills, servant leadership, cultural development,  personal development and how to be the best you can be. Todd works as an educational consultant, motivational speaker and conducts Leadership Workshops around the country.  His proven leadership principles and processes will help improve your culture, enhance communication, create connection, build trust, generate commitment, foster teamwork and deliver sustained positive results in your organization.

MISSION:  To empower individuals and organizations to challenge their status quo,  cultivate exceptional relationships and excel beyond what they ever thought was possible.  

In the first of this two part episode, I interview Todd to find out how and why he got into a career in leadership training and consulting and why student leadership is important for band directors to think about when developing their programs. This is a great conversation and for those who do not know about Todd’s work, it is a great way to learn more about his expertise and the importance of having a solid student leadership core in your program.

Episode Overview

Other Resources

Support The Band Director’s Lounge

Download Episode!

Today I welcome back Jim Callahan for a brief conversation about living in the community where you teach & lessons learned from the first few years of teaching.

If you missed the first episode with Jim, be sure to check out Episode #2 to learn about Jim and his program.

This was recorded on a day where Jim and I both happened to have a snow day for our district so we thought it might be great to check-in, reconnect and talk shop for a little bit.

If you haven’t done so, be sure to check out the newly launched thebanddirectorslounge.com. I just finished importing in the podcast episodes and am populating the website with new information, including a concise location to view all of the books that have been mentioned from each episode. Over the coming weeks and months I hope to grow this website into another resource not only for the podcast but with other band director resources as well.

As always be sure to hit subscribe to the podcast on your podcasting platform and check out thebanddirectorslounge.com for more information. Leave a review if you are able, this will help continue to get the word out about the show.

Thanks for tuning in! We’ll see you back here next time in The Band Director’s Lounge.

Other Resources

Support The Band Director’s Lounge

Download Episode!

Today’s guest is Miles Mortensen who teaches at Minnetonka High School in Minnetonka, MN. There are many great bands in the twin cities, but I would say that the MHS program is one of the premier band programs. Miles is a master music educator so I was grateful to be able to sit down and record an episode for the Band Director’s Lounge. He was also my supervising teacher for student teaching and he really helped me bridge the gap from the theoretical teaching experience of undergrad to real world application. More importantly, Miles has built a band program and culture that fosters musical excellence but that is also engaging and fun.

A Band Director’s Lounge trivia tidbit- the fact that you are listening to this right now is entirely due to Miles. I was sitting on the idea for this show for a good 6 months, trying to decide whether or not it would be a viable and worthwhile project. It was through a conversation with him when we crossed paths at the Minnesota State Fair that he encouraged me to pursue this. Fast forward a few months and here we are able to chat on the show!

Episode Overview

As always, if you haven’t done so, be sure to hit subscribe to this podcast. If you think of it, recommend it to a friend or colleague.

If you know of someone that you think would make a great guest on the Band Director’s Lounge, please send me a message on facebook or to my email listed in the shownotes. Thanks for tuning into this episode! I hope to see you back here for our next conversation in The Band Director’s Lounge.

Other Resources

Support The Band Director’s Lounge

Download Episode!

Dr. James Patrick Miller's Background

Dr. James Patrick Miller is the Douglas Nimmo Professor of the Gustavus Wind Orchestra at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN. James oversees the music education program at Gustavus and in addition to directing the wind orchestra, teaches a number of conducting, instrumental techniques, and culture and music courses. Dr.Miller is an active clinician and guest conductor. He has appeared throughout the United States with professional, festival, and public school ensembles, and has engaged with more than 60,000 high school students since 2009 and in 2018 he was honored as the Captain Lewis J. Buckley Guest Conductor with the United States Coast Guard Band. In addition to a number of other experiences, Dr. Miller has been involved in the commissioning of more than 30 works for a wide variety of vocal and instrumental ensembles.

I first met James during my time as an undergrad when he served as an interim professor for Doug Nimmo. Since James officially taking up a professorship at Gustavus, I have been fortunate enough to see him work with my students as a guest conductor, contest clinician, and honor band host. James is fantastic! So I was thankful to be able to get him on the show.

Fair warning at the front - during the recording of this conversation I was coming down with a cold so my voice liked to cut in and out as I was talking. It is basically gone at this point, however that might account for the residual gravelyness of my voice. The good news about you listening to a podcast though is that there is no possible way for you to catch my cold! I am glad that I can keep you safe. Haha, alright let’s jump into the conversation.

Episode Overview

And that was my conversation with Dr.James Miller. Thanks for tuning in!

As was alluded to in our chat, James has a interest and passion for popular art music, aka movie and video game scores, so we will no doubt be connecting again down the road to discuss that!

As always, if you haven’t done so, be sure to hit subscribe to this podcast. If you think of it, recommend it to a friend or colleague.

If you know of someone that you think would make a great guest on the Band Director’s Lounge, please send me a message on facebook or to my email listed in the shownotes. Thanks for tuning into this episode! I hope to see you back here for our next conversation in The Band Director’s Lounge.

Other Resources

Support The Band Director’s Lounge

Download Episode!

Hello and welcome to the Band Director’s Lounge!

This week we are going to change gears a little bit and take a break from director interviews and explore a book.

Peter Loel Boonshaft is currently on the faculty of Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, where he is Professor of Music, Director of Bands and Director of the Graduate Conducting Program. He is co-author of Alfred Music Publishing’s new beginning method book series, Sound Innovations for Band and Sound Innovations for Strings. However he is perhaps most famous for his books for music educators:

Teaching Music with Passion (2002)

Teaching Music with Purpose (2006)

Teaching Music with Promise (2009)

Teaching with Passion, Purpose, and Promise (2010) (for non-music educators)

Each of these books offers insight and wisdom about conducting, rehearsing, and just generally recharging your music educator batteries. If anyone remember picking up the “Chicken Soup for the _____ soul books” in the 90’s, these books are kind of in the same vein. Boonshaft has written a collection of articles and essays about different facets of teaching music and interweaves inspirational quotes and personal anecdotes.

When I first started teaching, I asked a colleague who leads a great band program in the local area if he could recommend any good books for a young band director and he immediately pulled out these books. In fact, I remember him pulling it out of his desk drawer at school because even after reading it, he continues to revisit the book for additional inspiration.

The nice thing about these books is that they are concise, running around 150 pages from cover to cover. More importantly each of the sections of the book are well thought-out but are short and digestible. The music teachers’ day is long and if you have a family, that day can be even longer. I know that when I lay down to read at night I am sometimes lucky if I make it two or three pages before passing out. If you can relate, than this text is for you! You can still get something out of it in only a couple pages and most of it is immediately applicable to your teaching day the next day.

Rather than spend time telling you about what is in the book, I wanted to read several excerpts from it. There is a lot that is covered concerning preparing for and leading rehearsals, conducting, and just inspirational food for thought to keep you going during the school year.

Download Episode!

Caleb Rebarchak is the Director of Bands at Bellefonte Area High School in Bellefonte, PA. He is a listener to the Band Director’s Lounge and we first connected when Caleb reached out about the show. Caleb has 10 years of teaching music and band under his belt, but this year is his first year as a full-time curricular band director in a public school. In my conversation with him today we talk about the band program at Bellefonte High School and how Caleb’s career lead him to his current position.

Episode Overview

That was my conversation with Caleb Rebarchek from Bellefonte, PA. So much to cover in so little time, but still a lot of content in this conversation. I hope that you enjoyed it!

As always, if you haven’t done so, be sure to hit subscribe to this podcast. If you think of it, recommend it to a friend or colleague. The more listeners there are, theoretically the greater the professional network that we will have to tap into and more interviews that we can facilitate.

If you know of someone that you think would make a great guest on the Band Director’s Lounge, please send me a message on facebook or to my email listed in the shownotes. Thanks for tuning into this episode! I hope to see you back here for our next conversation in The Band Director’s Lounge.

Other Resources

Support The Band Director’s Lounge

Download Episode!

Dr.Douglas Orzolek, is a Professor of Music, Director of the Graduate Programs in Music Education, the Associate Director of Bands and the Associate Chair of the Music Department at the University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Doug teaches a wide variety of courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level, in addition to conducting one of the universities bands. In addition to his time teaching at the collegiate level, Doug has taught at the high school level. His professional is extensive

I first met Dr.Orzolek while in graduate school at the University of St.Thomas. Since then he has continued to serve as a friend, colleague, and mentor during my time teaching band. Doug is an inspiring music educator and I always walk away with new knowledge and insights into our profession after any conversation that I have with him. I was fortunate enough to get him to sit down and chat with me recently and I think you’ll like listening to our conversation. Without further delay, here is Dr.Doug Orzolek.

Episode Overview

That was my conversation with Dr.Doug Orzolek.  Many of the questions we chatted about could have easily been entire conversations by themselves, but I know that I personally left with numerous quality takeaways. I hope that you did too.

I have a lot of interviews in the calendar for this month, so I hope that you will continue checking back as we continue to make our way into 2019. As always, if you haven’t done so, be sure to hit subscribe to this podcast. If you think of it, recommend it to a friend or colleague. The more listeners there are, theoretically the greater the professional network that we will have to tap into and more interviews that we can facilitate.

If you know of someone that you think would make a great guest on the Band Director’s Lounge, please send me a message on facebook or to my email listed in the shownotes. Thanks for tuning into this episode! I hope to see you back here for our next conversation in The Band Director’s Lounge.

Other Resources

Support The Band Director’s Lounge

Download Episode!

For active teachers, the word “retirement” likely stirs up many emotions; hope, joy, anticipation, and a sense of finally arriving at the mythical “one day” that they have dreamed about. But it may also bring about some fear and anxiety about “what do I do now?” My guest today is a recently retired teacher who is reflecting on his 38 years of music education in the public schools and sharing about his life after retirement.

Scott Sater spent his career teaching in Backus, Pine River- Backus, and Shakopee public schools in Minnesota. He has a ton of great insights and wisdom to share from his time teaching and I am confident that you will walk away from this episode feeling refreshed, encouraged, and inspired by what he has to share. Scott is proof that you can have a fulfilling and meaningful career and go off into the sunset on your own terms. This could not be a better way to start the 2019 calendar year. I hope that you enjoy!

A small note- I did some reorganizing of my office during winter break and due to moving things around I reset my microphone placement. I ended up with a bit of an echo and an odd humming sound on my side of this conversation. This has been fixed now, but it did affect our audio quality a little bit. Alright, let’s jump into my conversation with Scott Sater.

Episode Overview

Wow! I am not sure about you, but I have about 5 pages of notes from that conversation with Scott Sater. I hope that you enjoyed it as much as I did.

If you haven’t done so, be sure to hit subscribe to this podcast on whatever platform that you are listening on. If you are on Facebook, head out and hit like the podcast page. If you found value in this episode or any other episodes, consider leaving a review on Itunes, Facebook, or the podcast website. Any resources mentioned in the show will also be found in the show links so you can head out and get copies of the books that Scott Mentioned.

If you know of someone that you think would make a great guest on the Band Director’s Lounge, please send me a message on facebook or to my email listed in the shownotes. Thanks for tuning into this episode! I hope to see you back here for our next conversation in The Band Director’s Lounge.

Other Resources

Support The Band Director’s Lounge

Other Resources

Download Episode!

The conversation today is with my good friend Matthew Potter who teaches middle school band in Chaska, MN. Matt has a lot of great insight for how to lead a band program at the middle school level. In our conversation today we get into the details of how Matt structures his lesson program and co-curricular offerings. In addition Matt talks about what it's like to teach at a middle school in a large school district and the ways he and his colleagues bridge music students together between buildings. There is a lot that we cover so I hope that if any of this interests you, that you will tune in!

Episode Overview

That was my conversation with Matt Potter.

If you haven’t done so, be sure to hit subscribe to this podcast and like the podcast page on facebook. This is a small way to help me gauge interest and the level of engagement with the show. Also consider leaving a review on Facebook or wherever you listen to this program, this helps us get the word out about the show.

If you know of someone that you think would make a great guest on the Band Director’s Lounge, please send me a message on facebook or to my email listed in the shownotes. Thanks for tuning into this episode! I hope to see you back here for our next conversation in The Band Director’s Lounge.

Other Resources

Support The Band Director’s Lounge

Download Episode!

Today’s guest is Dan Tewalt who teaches band at Wayzata High School in Wayzata, MN. Dan is a good friend and band colleague. He is a 2008 Phantom Regiment Alum and brings this knowledge and insight into his band classroom. Today Dan and I cover a bunch of topics including how his time in drum corps has influenced his teaching, how he teaches rhythm, and how he embraces Advanced Placement scheduling challenges with band students. I walked away with a lot of tips and tricks from this one and I think you will too! Be sure to check out our show notes to see an overview of the conversation topics and feel free to jump to the segment that most intrigues you.

I wanted to give you a quick update on what’s going on with the show. We are approaching the 2 month mark since starting the program and the feedback that I have received has been positive. Downloads are steady so that tells me there are directors out there finding value in what we are doing which is great! I am going to be posting some survey-style questions on the Facebook page to continue refining how we do things here with the program to make it more valuable to you as a director and help you get the most out of the show. If you are on Facebook, I would appreciate your feedback and if you weigh in on some of the questions I’ll be posting. Thanks for your help with this! Alright let’s jump into my conversation with Dan Tewalt.

Episode Overview

That was my conversation with Dan Tewalt. Again, check out the show notes for links to some of the resources mentioned in our conversation especially that awesome app Dan mentioned.

If you haven’t done so, be sure to hit subscribe to this podcast and like the podcast page on facebook. This is a small way to help me gauge interest and the level of engagement with the show. Also consider leaving a review on Facebook or wherever you listen to this program, this helps us get the word out about the show.

If you know of someone that you think would make a great guest on the Band Director’s Lounge, please send me a message on facebook or to my email listed in the shownotes. Thanks for tuning into this episode! I hope to see you back here for our next conversation in The Band Director’s Lounge.

Other Resources

Support The Band Director’s Lounge

Download Episode!

Today’s guest is Steve Schmitz who teaches high school band and world drumming at St.Louis Park High School, in St.Louis Park, MN. Steve is a class act and top-notch educator who I think you will enjoy listening to and hearing about his program. In addition to discussing the St.Louis Park program our conversation covers creating success for students of all backgrounds, planning travel and trips for groups, sharing favorite rep, and discussing challenging and rewarding teaching situations. This was a great interview so I hope that you will enjoy listening to our conversation.

Episode Overview

If you haven’t done so, be sure to hit subscribe to this podcast and like the podcast page on facebook. This is a small way to help me gauge interest and the level of engagement with the show. Also consider leaving a review on Facebook or wherever you listen to this program, this helps us get the word out about the show.

If you know of someone that you think would make a great guest on the Band Director’s Lounge, please send me a message on facebook or to my email listed in the shownotes. Thanks for tuning into this episode! I hope to see you back here for our next conversation in The Band Director’s Lounge.

Other Resources

Support The Band Director’s Lounge

Download Episode!

Today I am chatting with Michael Thursby, director of Athletic Bands and Percussion at the Minnesota State University in Mankato, MN. Mike is my first, of what I hope to be many, collegiate guests. In this episode he shares about the athletic band program at MSU, talks about what makes MSU an attractive music school, and shares some great percussion resources. Check out the show notes for more details and links to some of the things Mike has to share. This was a great interview so I hope that you will tune in!

Episode Overview

Other Resources

Support The Band Director’s Lounge

Download Episode!

Today I am talking with Tony Boldt who teaches at Kasson-Mantorville high school in Kasson, MN, just outside of Rochester. Tony is a passionate teacher working to build his dream program. Today Tony talks with me about program growing pains, splitting ensembles, and shares some of his experiences navigating his district’s recent auditorium construction; this and so much more. It was a lot of fun talking with Tony and I think you’ll find our discussion interesting!

Episode Overview

Other Resources

Support The Band Director’s Lounge

Download Episode!

Today I am talking with Rachel Pletke who teaches LeSueur, MN. Rachel is a battle-hardened veteran teacher who has been part of a program that has waxed and waned over the years. The program today is strong due to Rachel’s perseverance and leadership. In our conversation, Rachel talks about time management and how she creates lesson environments for middle school students, her approach to 6-12 literature programming, learning non-primary instruments, and how she dealt with and recovered from a bout of burnout. We cover a lot of ground in a relatively short period of time but I think you will find it worth it!

Episode Overview

Other Resources

Support The Band Director’s Lounge

Download Episode!

Today’s show features my interview with Ian McKnight who teaches in Watertown, MN.  In our conversation, Ian talks about what its like to have two curricular ensembles at the high school level, describes a cool composition project (my words) that he does with his students, and shares some of his favorite literature, useful apps, and other cool tech.

Episode Overview

Other Resources

Support The Band Director’s Lounge

Download Episode!

Today’s episode features my interview with Jim Callahan who teaches in Arlington, MN at Sibley East High School and Middle School. Jim talks about what it's like to teach in a small district, how he uses student leadership in his ensembles, and how he has changed over his 9 years of teaching.

Podcast Overview

Other Resources

Support The Band Director’s Lounge

Download Episode!

Welcome to The Band Director’s Lounge! My name is Logan Burnside and I am a band director trying to build a great program by learning from others and sharing my knowledge along the way.

This is an introduction to the podcast, the rational behind it, and some thoughts about what makes a great band program.

Resources