Wind Conductor

Attrition is a concern in any program. Every band director continually develops new ways to engage students and encourage them to continue their studies in music and be a part of the band. However, a growing concern for everyone is how the school closures during the COVID pandemic are going to affect our programs. In a recent conversation with Eric Bachmann, award-winning band director at Emerson Middle School in Niles, Illinois, I discovered how much more challenging overcom

Last week, I had the opportunity to connect with Tim Hinton (Composer, Arranger, and Host of the outstanding padcast, Marching Roundtable). None of us are sure what the 2020 Marching Season is going to look like. However, one thing is clear: we have to be ready for all possibilities and begin planning now. In our conversation, we discussed a wide range of topics including recruiting using an online platform and social media. We also talked about what about auditions and stude

A couple of weeks ago, I was researching resources for a middle school band director who was trying find ways to teach young band members in an online setting. That's when I stumbled across Chad Dempsey's YouTube channel, the Hey Band! Network. I watched an excellent interview by Chad with a wonderful middle school band director in Texas, Dorina Kingston. I immediately Facebook-stalked Chad and said, "Hey, that was a great interview! We've got to show this to the Wind Conduct

Whether in marching band, concert band, or jazz band, you may have performed one of Paul Murtha's compositions. Recently retired from composing and arranging for one of the best band organizations on the planet, I was able to talk with Paul about his journey which led him to Pershing's Own, the United States Army Band. Although, I was familiar with Paul's work from my experience as a band director, I first met Paul as a trumpet player on several gigs in the Northern Virginia

Just before everything shut down, I had the opportunity to interview one of my favorite composers, Anne McGinty. As a young band director, I programmed a lot of her music with younger bands. In a small economically challenged district in Virginia, I was grateful for the Queenwood books containing several of her compositions. Years later I had the opportunity to program one of her advanced pieces, Victorious, with the Mid-Atlantic Wind Symphony. Whether she is writing educatio

I had the opportunity to talk with Dr. John Rine Zabanal, Assistant Professor of Strings Education at VanderCook College of Music, about remote teaching for performance-based music classrooms. We had an open and candid conversation about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the traditional music classroom while schools are shutdown. Some of the topics we discussed included: Remote Teaching and ideas to make it work Using a Flipped Classroom model for the performance-based m

In this interview we talk with Steven Hendricks about his career developing a nationally-recognized, award-winning band program at Davis High School (UT). We also talk about the lessons he learned in the process and his new book, Life Lessons in the Band Room. Be sure to check out our T-shirts for Band Directors! #concertband #Tips #StevenHendricks #BandDirector #MusicEducation #SchoolAdministration

I met Cami in 2017 when she asked me to put together an itinerary for the nationally recognized, award-winning music program at Foxboro High School (MA) to travel to Australia. She told me how the music department had hosted the jazz ensemble from the Hale School in Perth, Australia, several times over the past decade. After several invitations from the Hale School, Cami and her team decide 2019 was the year. The financial obligation for an international tour is far greater t

Hold on. Take a moment to savor what you’ve already accomplished. How many performances has band given in the past 3 months? > Competitions? > Football games? > Pep Rallies? > That performance to open the new grocery store? > Playing for the teachers on their first day at school? There has already been so much you’ve accomplished. It’s been an amazing year. Throughout the marching season, you’ve accomplished more in the past three months than most educators accomplish in an e

I have to admit, I LOVE Monet. I am drawn to the beauty of his paintings. One of the things I love most is the lack of definition. I will stare at the Woman with the Parasol and my imagination is on fire…what is she thinking? Where is she going—or is she returning? Who is the boy with her? The incredible thing about Impressionism is you are never given the fine details. It is not a “refined” product, yet it captures the moment perfectly. Would I recognize the woman if I passe