Check out the second portion of my chat with John Denis, Assistant Professor of Music Education at Texas State University, as we continue our chat about some of the simple concepts your band can implement next year to take it to the next level!

If you missed the first portion of this podcast, you can find it by clicking here!

Have a question about something on the podcast?  Feel free to contact me by clicking here!

To access more valuable podcasts on this subject, and more, visit Program Notes: The Beginning Band Director Podcast by clicking here!

It’s that time of year.  Your first football game is behind you.  Your first contest is around the corner.  You can perform a good two thirds of your show without anyone running into each other.  Things are on track!

There’s just one problem.  Now things have to actually get better.  They have to look better, and they have to sound better, in a hurry!  It’s not just ok anymore to recognize the song… the song has to sound good!

So, what do you do?

I spent some time with Marching Roundtable host Tim Hinton talking about these very issues!  They are experiences I had year after year after year as a band director.  Now, as a full time composer, arranger, and educational consultant, I have the privilege of helping band directors everywhere discover some of the simple techniques and philosophies that will help you start to tackle this very issue.

And it’s really not complicated!

Take a listen to Tim and I’s conversation below!  I promise you’ll take away with several ideas you can implement in rehearsal, today!

Big thanks to Tim Hinton for the opportunity to join him, and for all he does to advance education in the marching arts!  You can find this podcast, and more wonderful tools to help you and your students succeed at MarchingArtsEducation.com!

I had the pleasure to chat with John Denis, Assistant Professor of Music Education at Texas State University.  He has a real passion for helping young teachers be successful, and as such, not only does he mentor some of the brightest young students entering the teaching profession, but has taken to the podcasting community to reach a wider audience!

“Program Notes: The Beginning Band Director Podcast” isn’t just for directors of the beginning band (6th Grade), nor is it for purely new to the profession teachers.  His podcast site is chock-full of awesome information and thoughtful interviews on a variety of subjects that might be the very thing you need to climb over whatever teaching “wall” is currently in front of you!

In Part 1 of this multi-part podcast from 2018, we cover a few topics, including the basics of how to learn drill, and creating an environment where your students are willing to take risks for the sake of their own improvement, among other side-topics and “rabbit trails”.  I had a great time chatting with John, and I hope you’ll have a good time listening in!

Have a question about something on the podcast?  Feel free to contact me by clicking here!

To access more valuable podcasts on this subject, and more, visit Program Notes: The Beginning Band Director Podcast by clicking here!

When you’re considering how to program a marching band show, there’s a lot to consider! Commissioning custom arrangements and designs can be expensive and time-consuming, though buying pre-designed projects might not be the right thing for your program either. One thing’s for sure: you’ve got limited resources (both time and money) to expend to get the best result for your students and community.

Join me, along with Matt James and Scott Koter, as we discuss the vast array of options available when considering programming for your upcoming marching show! Tim Hinton, from Marching Arts Education and the Marching Roundtable, moderates our conversation in addition to injecting some very valuable insight of his own!

For the full video, click here!

Have a question about something on the podcast?  Feel free to contact me by clicking here!

To access more valuable podcasts on this subject, and more, visit Marching Arts Education!

Jason Robb (band director & program coordinator) and I have found success creating effective arrangements together.  In this webinar, we walk through the why and the how we go from “blank page” to “effective arrangement”.

Big thanks to Tim Hinton for the opportunity to talk about this important idea!  You can check out more about Tim and tons of other great educational content by visiting https://marchingartseducation.com/collaborating-to-create-an-effective-music-arrangement/

Check out the second portion of my chat with John Denis, Assistant Professor of Music Education at Texas State University, as we continue our chat about some of the simple concepts your band can implement next year to take it to the next level!

If you missed the first portion of this podcast, you can find it by clicking here!

Have a question about something on the podcast?  Feel free to contact me by clicking here!

To access more valuable podcasts on this subject, and more, visit Program Notes: The Beginning Band Director Podcast by clicking here!

It’s that time of year.  Your first football game is behind you.  Your first contest is around the corner.  You can perform a good two thirds of your show without anyone running into each other.  Things are on track!

There’s just one problem.  Now things have to actually get better.  They have to look better, and they have to sound better, in a hurry!  It’s not just ok anymore to recognize the song… the song has to sound good!

So, what do you do?

I spent some time with Marching Roundtable host Tim Hinton talking about these very issues!  They are experiences I had year after year after year as a band director.  Now, as a full time composer, arranger, and educational consultant, I have the privilege of helping band directors everywhere discover some of the simple techniques and philosophies that will help you start to tackle this very issue.

And it’s really not complicated!

Take a listen to Tim and I’s conversation below!  I promise you’ll take away with several ideas you can implement in rehearsal, today!

Big thanks to Tim Hinton for the opportunity to join him, and for all he does to advance education in the marching arts!  You can find this podcast, and more wonderful tools to help you and your students succeed at MarchingArtsEducation.com!

I had the pleasure to chat with John Denis, Assistant Professor of Music Education at Texas State University.  He has a real passion for helping young teachers be successful, and as such, not only does he mentor some of the brightest young students entering the teaching profession, but has taken to the podcasting community to reach a wider audience!

“Program Notes: The Beginning Band Director Podcast” isn’t just for directors of the beginning band (6th Grade), nor is it for purely new to the profession teachers.  His podcast site is chock-full of awesome information and thoughtful interviews on a variety of subjects that might be the very thing you need to climb over whatever teaching “wall” is currently in front of you!

In Part 1 of this multi-part podcast from 2018, we cover a few topics, including the basics of how to learn drill, and creating an environment where your students are willing to take risks for the sake of their own improvement, among other side-topics and “rabbit trails”.  I had a great time chatting with John, and I hope you’ll have a good time listening in!

Have a question about something on the podcast?  Feel free to contact me by clicking here!

To access more valuable podcasts on this subject, and more, visit Program Notes: The Beginning Band Director Podcast by clicking here!