The Music Ed Mentor Podcast: Recent Episodes
A podcast for music educators
The Music Ed Mentor Podcast, hosted by Elisa Jones, is a podcast about the challenges -- and solutions -- that music teachers encounter in their every day lives. Episodes feature a variety of guest educators who offer tips to fellow teachers. The Music Ed Mentor Podcast is sponsored by SmartMusic.
Today’s episode focuses on highlighting innovation in music education, and my guest is my dear friend Christopher Schroeder. He’ll share with us how Boston Music Project was able to pivot at the start of the pandemic and find new ways to engage learners in music creation and learning despite being physically separated.
In this episode, Dr. Raiber is going to coach us through areas of focus that we can create or shift to ensure the longevity of our careers, which at times can feel so elusive.
In this interview with Steve Giddings, we address some of the most overlooked questions in music education like why are we insisting on continuing to teach one type of musical notation, when there are many other types available for students to use? Why are we teaching the great composers when they weren’t even the popular musicians of their time, rather the music of the socially elite? Why have we so often said that sight reading is the truest test of musical skill and downplayed the ability of students to play by ear? Which is truly the test of musicianship?
My outstanding guests, Kat Reinhart and Sarah Gulish, talk about why songwriting isn’t always part of our core curriculum, how it aligns with the curriculum that we do have, how to fit it into our lives, and how to overcome our inhibitions and become the songwriters we always wanted to be.
This episode talks about social justice—issues with race, repertoire challenges, and more. Some listeners may be uncomfortable, but I urge you to embrace discomfort as a symptom of change, and in this case, I believe it is positive change.
Many of our educator friends have noticed how their students have fallen away—not connecting in the ways we’re used to. How can we reconnect with these students, and more importantly, help them connect with returning and new students, too?
Remember how we did that long year of remote teaching, where we all used a bunch of online teaching tools and such? After all that, you still may not be sure which tools to keep, or if there’s one that does something better, or if there is still an undiscovered tool out there that will make your life easier. Wouldn't it be nice to have an educational technologist to just… tell you? That’s exactly what you get with this episode: a list of essential tools—not for creating music, but for helping you be a more efficient, focused, and happier educator yourself.
Today we’re pulling another pre-pandemic recording out from the archives for you to enjoy. With in-person classes imminent, I want to share with you this discussion I had with my dear friend, Lori Schwartz Reichl. She is a master of classroom management, and in this episode we talk about how to set up your classroom for success and how to create a plan to manage student behaviors.
I hope that you’re in a good place to sit, relax, and enjoy this episode because this discussion with Alex Shapiro is one that I will never forget!In this episode we talk about life, finding meaning, living with passion, the Creative Repertoire Initiative (which, if you haven’t heard of this, is going to make your whole year right now!), and how you can change your perspectives about this whole new digital realm that we’ve discovered.
In this episode of Music Ed Mentor, host Elisa Janson Jones is joined by Dr. Scott Edgar to discuss the after-effects of this last pandemic year in teaching, and what we can do next to ensure that we come back strong when we get our students back in the classroom.
I’m sure you’ve heard that there’s a lot of government funding out there for schools! In this episode, I bring in my friend Mike Kamphuis, Managing Director of the Division of Education at Conn Selmer, who has been working for more than a decade to help schools get more funding. We’ll take you through the steps you need to take to access these funds for your program—no fundraising or grant-writing needed.
This episode fulfills a request from so many listeners—to bring on exemplary teachers who have been “boots on the ground” in the classroom over the past year, during the pandemic. So today I interview my friend Steve Graves, a composer and arranger with more than two decades of teaching in middle school band who has truly embraced what is possible teaching in the online space.
In this episode, I spoke with Jeremy Ulrich, Senior Division Director of Bands at Milton Hershey School in PA, about creating a classroom culture—which we should be revisiting now! We talk through what we need to be doing to establish rapport, set up our classrooms for success, and to have standards for classroom management. These are all great things to start planning as we look forward to the next school year. We have an opportunity now to build back stronger and better than ever!
Have you ever debated changing careers? I’m a prime example of someone who loved teaching, would happily go back to teaching, but took a great leap of faith to refocus my career on what I’ve viewed as a more impactful personal mission. You shouldn’t have to start back at the beginning of your bachelor’s degree to find a job to match your skill set—there are lots of ways to use your education and music background, and this episode will cover many of them.
As music educators, so much of what we tend to focus on stems from ensemble performances, sometimes neglecting what music education can and should be for our students in the process. We’ve measured ourselves by concert performances and adjudicators scores instead of what we should be focused on: creating passionate musicians.
How do we make students show up, do the work, and follow through? What’s the difference between being special and being significant? How can we get back to loving our work, when our work feels so different from what we wanted to get into? How can we be more resilient?
Let’s talk about the elephant in the virtual classroom: student engagement. We’ve heard about students quitting music for a variety of reasons, but the truth is if they are still loving music then they will either not quit, or if they do, they will come back.
Just as the times are so different right now, we have to flip things on their head and talk about the other side of things. In this episode, we’re going to talk about some counter-intuitive approaches to battling those feelings of anxiety, stress, and burnout that you may be experiencing.
This episode is all about your students. As much as we, as teachers, need help and advice, I think we can agree our students need help too. How can we create a culture around our music program, no matter what the situation looks like?
In this episode, I am so pleased to bring on a district fine arts administrator with a long career in music education, arranging, and composition. Pete Hazzard is passionate about helping music teachers (and all teachers) really learn how to better collaborate and communicate. We're going to share some tips for how to work more effectively within your schools, how to build rapport with your co-workers, and all of the many rules you have to follow to keep students safe.
Today’s episode addresses performance—not just standing on a stage or playing for a camera, but the little performances we have to do all of the time, this ubiquitous visibility in the digital world that is far beyond what we experience in the in-person world.
Dr. Matthew Arau is the founder of Upbeat Global, an organization that aims to inspire positivity through leadership and music throughout the United States and around the world. He joins me in today’s discussion as we share what helps us weather our storms with a peaceful heart, and to find joy every day.
The secret to happiness can be hard to uncover amidst the uncertainty of this back to school season. So for this episode, I sat down for a candid, casual conversation with my good friend Michelle Rose to talk about just that.
Today I bring on Bob Morrison—one of the most influential people in music education—to join me for this conversation about the future. We’ll discuss the data being collected now that will help us make smart decisions for us and our students. If you want to know what the future of music education should be and will be, this is the episode for you.
I bring on the formidable and inspiring Christine Bass—one of the most prolific adjudicators and clinicians in the coral world (and for good reason). If you're looking for practical ways to improve yourself as a singer, and improve your students as singers, you won't find a more practical approach than what she will provide in this episode.
For today’s episode I brought in my friend Shawna Long, an award-winning music technology teacher who recently transitioned from teaching middle school music technology classes to teaching elementary music. A teacher of her caliber so celebrated for her successes could probably have chosen any position that she wanted. Today we'll explore why we might transition between jobs and how we can do it most successfully.
This week’s episode recaps a webinar I recently hosted that wasn't really a webinar at all! Not a lesson, not a lecture—it was a work session. I brought on my friend and colleague Jessica Peresta to help walk us through exactly how to plan for next school year—no matter what the situation will be.
In this episode I welcome my dear friend Mia Ibrahim to discuss how to know when to be transparent with your students about who you are outside of the music classroom, and how this can affect your relationships with your students, your colleagues, your administration, and the community.
My goal in this episode is to try offering a handful of answers and a whole lot of validation towards whatever you are feeling right now. Whether you’re feeling frustration, silliness, joy, gratitude, anger, or fear—whatever you’re feeling—it is validated.
In just a matter of a few weeks, the whole world has changed. It is with mixed feelings that I welcome our new reality. Change is never easy, and exponential change is hardest of all. Our teacher hearts ache for connection with our students.
As a member of the greater music education community, chances are you’ve come across the topic of programming for diversity in one way or another. Maybe you’re already programming with diversity in mind. Maybe you’re just getting started. Or maybe you’re asking, “What’s the big deal?”
This week’s episode addresses the relationships we all have with administrators. As music educators, we have a responsibility to demonstrate the value of the arts and what music does for the greater school community. This can sometimes feel like an uphill battle when trying to gain admin support. What is it exactly that they want from us?
In this episode, I turn over the hosting reins to my friend John Mlynczak live from the exhibit hall at the Texas Music Educators Association annual conference. I’ll be honest, I much prefer being the host and instigator, asking the tough questions, and it was a big change to be in the spotlight. I hope you all enjoy this inside look into the Music Ed Mentor Podcast.
In this episode we’ll give you some very much needed clarity about copyright for music educators. We’ll share some horror stories in this episode, but don’t worry. Today’s guest is arranger, composer, conductor, publisher, and copyright expert Steve Martin. Steve is going to help us with decisions surrounding real-life situations: streaming our performances, copying our folios, arranging our own pop tunes, or burning CD’s. Not only will we cover what NOT to do, we’ll also learn how to get the permissions to do all that we want and more - legally.
Today’s episode is a story about a boy who had all of the advantages in life, but still had a hard path. Jake Douglass, today’s guest, was raised by affluent parents, and was introduced to music at a very young age. Jake’s story and transformation have lessons that apply to all of us. I’m excited to share his views on healthy passion, focus, self-awareness, and helping students to have transformative experiences.
However, I also need to offer a COA. You should also know Jake’s story includes references to drug abuse, possibly sex, and incarceration. If that’s not your thing, or if you have little ones in the room, you may want to skip this episode or put in headphones.
One of the smartest things I did in my pre-music teaching life was to work at a music store. I cannot stress enough how important it is for educators to have knowledge of the industry, and to help you gain that knowledge, I have brought on one of my favorite friends, a mentor, educator, music publisher, entrepreneur, marketing guru, and outstanding conference presenter, John Mlynczak.
I know exactly how busy you are right now with the holiday season upon us. Which is why this episode is short, sweet, and to the point. We’re going to talk about some top tips for encouraging your students to practice over the holiday breaks. SmartMusic is one great tool, and to help me come up with even more ideas for how to encourage students to have fun practicing over the break, I turned to two resources: Lou Ann Pope, education specialist for Tonara, and some of our band director friends from Facebook.
This episode is about something that I feel, and I”m sure YOU feel, quite poignantly this time of year: inadequacy. For this episode I brought in the man trademarked the term “Comparanoia”, Davide DiGiorgio. Davide is fresh of a wildly popular TEDx talk where he shares how to be Unapologetic about just being YOU.
I recorded this episode while attending the National Association for Music Education conference in November, and the best part was getting to meet so many people! I met music educators from across the country. I met parents of all national honor ensemble students. I reconnected with friends I haven’t seen in months. I heard musical performances that made me cry. And I spoke to attendees about their conference experience.
Today I’ve brought on one of the world’s foremost experts in a truly relevant topic in music education today: Social Emotional Learning. Dr. Edgar presents internationally on music education and social emotional learning and literally wrote the book AND the workbook “Music Education and Social Learning.”
My guest this week is Gavin Tabone, an elementary music teacher who has created an after-school choir that has received world-wide acclaim. All of our groups, choir or otherwise, could benefit from a little bit of this kind of magic, right? As your group gets more attention, you are establishing your own advocacy platform. Everyone loves being on the winning team that gets all the love. And in this episode, Gavin is going to tell us how to get it.
Our guest this episode is Wendy Brentnall-Wood, author of the book "Music School Success." Whether you're running a music school or teaching a few lessons on the side, we have tips for you. We’ll share ideas for how to recruit ideal students, stay organized, get paid, stay on the good side of the IRS, and more.
Have you ever wished you could just wave a magic wand and have someone give you everything you’ve ever wanted for your music program? What would you ask for? What would you do? If resources weren’t an issue...what could you do? In this episode, we talk about how to make your dreams a reality. To help me cover the ground between advocacy, PR, and business management, I’ve brought in an expert on all of the above, Tiffany Kerns, executive director of the CMA Foundation.
Every music teacher I’ve ever met has had a horrible-day experience where they thought something like: I love my career but I hate my job. I love my students, but I hate teaching. I love music, but my administration is driving me crazy. Today my guest is Leslie Moffat, author of "I Love My Job But It’s Killing Me." We discuss how you can shift your life and your teaching to create a better experience for yourself, and for your students. Best of all, it’s simpler than you think.
Performing in an honor band is a wonderful adventure. While every student should experience the joy of collaborating with a new group of musicians in this way, several barriers, including travel, can prevent them from doing so. Until now. Learn how your students can participate in a virtual honor band, entirely free of charge!
Burnout is a popular online topic in music education today. In this episode, instead of offering suggestions on how to avoid burnout, I offer some solid tips on how to make sure you won’t want to come back to teaching next year.
Years ago I did some survey work to discover the biggest cause of stress in the lives of music educators. The answer? Funding. One way to get funding is to apply for awards. Joining us this week is my friend Juliana Lee, who actually designed the award application for Give a Note. Juliana shares ideas on what makes a winning application and describes common mistakes to avoid.
This week my guest is Jason Heath, host of Contrabass Conversations podcast. We touch on hobbies, failures, successes, how to keep energized in your career, and many other topics. For me, however, this episode all came down to one lesson: you get to create your own life.
This week Dale Duncan shares successful classroom management strategies he has discovered over more than 20 years of experience as a choral director. You may know Dale as “Mr. D” from “In the Middle with Mr. D.” He is also a 2018 Top 25 GRAMMY Music Educator Award finalist and the creator of the S-Cubed sight-singing program.
Can we practice some of the same concepts that minimalist gurus teach, both in our classrooms and in our lives? If we can, how could our practice as educators improve? What areas should look at first for minimizing? To help, I asked my friend Paige Bell (host of the Simple Music Teaching blog) to chat with me about becoming a minimalist music teacher, which is a passion we share.
Today we talk about something that can make or break your music classes: at-home practice. How do you get kids to stay engaged enough that they want to practice at home? How do you track or grade it when they do? To help me answer these questions, I’ve brought on Dr. Giovanna Cruz, the education services manager at MakeMusic and an experienced musician, private teacher, and public school orchestra director. She shares actionable advice from not only based on her own teaching experience, but also from the many teachers she’s met and worked with in her work at MakeMusic.
Barbara Freedman is here to help us navigate the tech that teaches music and creates composers and musicians and performers alike. This may just be the way you reach the other 80% of the students in your school, those students who aren’t in band, orchestra, or choir.
Shawna Longo was recently awarded the 2019 “Mike Kovins Ti:ME Teacher of the Year” award. Shawna's passion for sharing coding and technology with music students is fully evident in this week's episode.
This week my topic is innovation; how we strive for innovation in the classroom, and how there are innovative ways to learn about new ways to do things in the classroom.
Chris Munce is an accomplished choral performer, conductor, educator, clinician, and arts administrator. He’s also the host of the Choralosophy podcast. We talk about setting realistic expectations for yourself, your program, and your students.
David Beil is an expert band director and host of the “Beyond the Clef” podcast. This week David and I share some of our personal critique stories and talk about why we take groups to festival (and other performances) in the first place. We also discuss how we deal with criticism from judges, fellow directors, students, parents, and administrators.
Scott Burstein is director of teaching and learning at Little Kids Rock. Soctt and I talk about modern band, music as a second language, and more.
This week my guest is GRAMMY-nominated music educator Steve Holley. Steve and I talk about ways we can incorporate more of the music kids listen to every day into our programs – and what can happen when we do. Should we shift our traditional music ed paradigm to be more inclusive of pop music? Is it possible to implement pop music during festival season? Can we really fulfill our curricular responsibilities by using the songs that most of us wouldn’t consider to be highly educational?
We’ll answer all of those questions – and more – in this episode.
Today we are continuing our celebration of Women’s History Month. My guest is Adriana Linares, a professional violist, music educator, entrepreneur, and mother. A member of the incredible Dalí Quartet, she’s also one of the most positive and encouraging people I’ve ever met. Together we'll talk about life as women in music education.
Because today is International Women’s Day — and because March is Women’s History Month — I’m going to share some stories of amazing women in music.
Joining me this episode to help me talk about the Orff Approach, is Aimee Pfitzner, author of the O Fortuna Orff blog.
This week our guest is the elementary music guru, Jessica Peresta, host of the Domestic Musician. Before she was a wildly successful entrepreneur, she built her own elementary music program from scratch. It’s not uncommon for a district to add a new elementary program, not necessarily offer a whole lot of guidance, and look to hire someone like you to build the thing. This week we look at where you start.
This episode is dedicated to everyone who gets to take students to festival. Our goal is to help you streamline the logistics of festival prep while ensuring your ensemble sounds great and everyone has a great time. Joining me in the discussion is David Knott, music education specialist, professional percussionist, leadership advocate, conductor, and middle school band teacher at the Milton Hershey School.
Beyond simply engaging students, empowerment takes things one step further. In the traditional classroom, the teacher picks out the music, does the score study, rehearses the group, and conducts the performance. The teacher makes most of the big decisions. Shifting decision making to students truly empowers them. They get more out of the experience – and that’s why we do this.
To bring value to your program, technology needs to provide practical benefits. It has to inspire your students, aid your instruction, or make you more efficient. Ideally, it does all three. If you’re in the search for technology tools that will improve your program and are easy to implement, this is the episode for you.
My guest is Dan Tricarico, author of "The Zen Teacher: Creating Focus, Simplicity, and Tranquility in the Classroom." Our discussion will give you some more ideas for staying happy and healthy. It’s up to you whether you implement them during this busy season, or wait to use them to help you start the year anew in January.
This time of year it is crucial that we prioritize taking care of our mental and physical wellness. To help, in this week's podcast I share seven secrets for a happy and healthy holiday season.
Today’s guest, Mark Connor, is the host of Everything Band.
Don’t let the name fool you: most of our discussion is 100% applicable even if you teach choir, orchestra, or elementary music. Topics covered range from the imposter syndrome to “What would you tell your 20 year-old self?”
Mark shares some of the wisdom he’s gathered from more than 70 composer and conductor interviews on his podcast including high profile guests like Ann McGinty, Jack Stamp, and Frank Ticheli.
I’m delighted to say that in today’s podcast we get to meet Barry Green, coauthor of the "Inner Game of Music." This book is a classic, offering practical ways musicians can reach new levels of performing excellence by overcoming obstacles, improving concentration, and reducing nervousness.
Today’s episode is about rejuvenating and inspiring ourselves by working to improve our own musicality. My guest is Christopher Sutton, the founder of Musical U, an online resource for learning musical skills.
As music educators, once we complete college and land our first job, it often seems like our lives become all about triage, right? We grease the squeaky wheels, we put out the fires, we swim like crazy just to survive. But when we finally get the routines down, and we find our flow, it’s important to remember that we should never stop learning and developing as musicians.
And that’s what today’s discussion is all about.
Today's discussion is all about self-care, holistic wellness, and implementing the best practices in your life to create a sustainable career. Joining me is my friend and co-author Fernando Penaloza. We’ll be tapping into not only our own careers and lives, but the results of several recent surveys that explore music educator burnout, and how to avoid it.
In our previous podcast, April Vargo and I talked about side hustles: ways to make additional income outside of your regular job. In this episode April and I will continue the discussion, talking about side-hustles that could even become a second, or follow-up career to teaching in the classroom. We discuss the possibility of leaving music education for a different music-related career. Maybe you just want to have a regular job, or something with less-regulated hours. How can you even get started?
Whether you’re part-time, full-time, all-the-time, or “about to be done with this teaching thing” time, there’s something in this episode for you.
This week we define the side hustle, which refers to a way to make money in your spare time, doing something other than your regular job. To help, I bring on one of my favorite presenters, music educators, and fellow side hustle entrepreneurs, April Vargo. Together we share some of the top ways that music educators are taking on a little side hustle for some side cash. As a bonus, we also talk about side hustles that could become a second career or a follow-up career following teaching in the classroom.
Right now many teachers are in the throws of Back to School, which can cause a fair amount of stress, anxiety, and excitement. To help, I brought in experienced choral expert, composer, blogger, and specialist in optimizing your classroom environment, Adam Paltrowitz. Adam shares tips on how to maximize student focus, set up our room for optimal flow, to craft the way our room feels to our students.
In this episode, Bruce Rockwell and I share tips for struggling programs. Whether you’re just starting at a new school where you plan to rebuild a diminished program, or have been at your school for a while and are ready to really amp things up, we have ideas to share with you.
Summer is a great time to contemplate ideas or strategies you may wish to implement next year. In this context, I’d encourage everyone to consider how they develop student leadership in their programs.
My guest this week is student leadership guru Duane Huff. While Duane’s focus is high school marching band, his insight on student leadership can benefit any band, orchestra, or choir program.
Few things can positively impact student musicianship as quickly and profoundly as sight singing. This week we talk with the guru of sight singing, Dale Duncan. Better known as Mr. D, he’s both an experienced educator and the creator of S-Cubed, a powerful sight-singing resource. We discuss both the benefits of sight singing for instrumental students as well as how to make it fun (so they'll do it).
My guest for this episode is music technology guru and master educator Katie Wardrobe. I invited Katie to join me for this episode because she is a wizard with one of the most common pieces of classroom technology: Google Classroom. You’ll learn how other teachers are making the most of Google tools and how you can start putting them to use in your classroom (or summer office) right away.
If you’ve ever wondered about which technology you should be using in your classroom, this episode is for you. We’ll also discuss how tech can make your job easier, and what great tech is available for free.
Joining me are two of my most tech-savvy contacts, Stephen Keys and Ryan Sargent. Stephen is a Google certified educator and trainer, an Apple teacher, a Flipgrid Ambassador, and a Soundtrap Certified educator. Ryan is Vice President of TI:ME (Technology Institute for Music Educators) the leading professional organization for the integration of technology in music education. He’s also the social media manager at MakeMusic.
Today’s episode is all about finishing strong at the end of school year. Whether you’re completing your first or your thirtieth year, I hope these insights and tips will help you be more efficient and relaxed. Most importantly, I hope you finish this year strong so that you can start next year even stronger. This episode isn’t so much about ending this year as it is about laying the groundwork to start next year.
Like me, many music educators leave college planning to lead a secondary school music program, but find employment teaching elementary music. In our previous episode, master elementary music teacher David Row and I had a great discussion about how to get started with an elementary program. As it turned out, much of David’s advice applies to the secondary classroom as well! In this week’s episode David and I continue our conversation about teaching elementary music.
Most music education degrees come with a K-12 teaching certificate, but that doesn’t mean you feel comfortable with the K-4 kids. Most of us focused on secondary school in college, and when confronted with the realities of teaching elementary music we have to make some adjustments. In this episode, I talk with master elementary music teacher David Row about everything you need to know to teach elementary music.
I’m a huge fan of parent booster groups. They can really help promote your program, make fundraising easier, and engage your community. Joining me this week is Ryan Crabtree, president-elect of the Colorado Bandmasters Association. Ryan's success demonstrates how it booster groups are totally worth the effort. We’re talking about five-digit fundraising, covering travel for 130 students.
Led by the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), “Music in Our Schools Month” was created to demonstrate the powerful role that quality music programs play in the lives of young people. Every student should have access to music education at school. In this episode, I’ll share activities you can do online, in class, and at your concert to support MIOSM.
In this very special episode of the Music Ed Mentor Podcast we welcome our first GRAMMY winning guest! I’m excited to share my conversation with Melissa Salguero, who just became the GRAMMY Music Educator of the Year. Melissa and I became Facebook friends after the NAfME conference, and when I realized she won a GRAMMY, I knew I wanted to share her story with all of you. In this episode, Melissa describes how she got involved with music, why she became a teacher, and how she stays motivated.
Many schools are starting to incorporate commercial and popular music ensembles as part of their music curriculum. In this episode of the podcast, I interview Steve Giddings. Steve literally wrote the book on starting a rock band at your school, and his tips will help you whether you’re starting from scratch at a small school or have years of experience in a well-established program.
Making sure that kids don’t run off for a shiny new elective is just as important as getting them in your door in the first place. In this episode, I speak with Scott Lang, founder of Be Part of the Music, about how we can keep students coming back year after year. Scott’s an incredibly passionate speaker and advocate, and he has hands-on tips for keeping your enrollment numbers up.
Having a great recruitment and retention strategy not only keeps your ensembles sounding great, but also helps expand your budget, secure support from the community, and show value to administrators. In this episode I’m joined by Wendy Higdon, a fabulous band director and recruiting expert, to go over a long-term recruiting timeline, look at simple things you can do this week to improve retention, and share our favorite resources for this crucial topic.
As regular listeners know, I’m a little obsessed with helping music educators have the best lifestyle they can. I want you to be healthy in all the ways that matter – physically, mentally, spiritually, financially, and socially. Making the right resolutions can go a long way toward being happy and healthy. In this episode of the podcast, I offer seven resolutions that will help you live a better life in the next year.
Whether you’re just getting started in music education or are thinking about a new position, you likely have questions about getting a job. In this episode, I speak with five educators with experience in the field. Together they offer tips on every piece of the hiring process, from building a resume to handling the first day at a new job.
For this episode, we’re trying something completely different. Rather than one long interview with a special guest, I’m bringing you advice from more than 30 music educators and music education supporters. I asked each of them to share a piece of advice for attending a music education conference.
This podcast is all about improving the lives of music teachers, and that means talking about classroom management. In his episode, I'm joined by Michael Linsin to talk about classroom management tips you can use in your very next class.
In this episode, I speak with Michael Levine, founder and director of the Dallas Brass, about showmanship. Michael shares the “secret sauce” that has helped propel the Dallas Brass to more than 30 years of performance success. We also discuss how teachers can incorporate showmanship without sacrificing the educational experience.
This episode of the Music Ed Mentor Podcast is all about concert logistics. I’m joined by Ryan Guth of the Choir Ninja podcast. Together we cover the entire concert planning process, from choosing repertoire to the after-concert checklist. I guarantee you’ll get new ideas you can use on your very next concert.
The number one frustration most teachers face is a lack of funding. Most teachers turn to fundraising to overcome this frustration, but most fundraisers come with their own challenges. In this episode of the podcast, I answer real questions from other music educators about how to overcome those challenges and how to find alternative sources of funding for your program.
Marketing your program can help make sure that parents and administrators see the value of your program and build relationships with local businesses. Most importantly, you’ll get to show everyone why music education matters. In this episode, Kathleen Heuer and I discuss the basics of marketing your program.
In this episode of the podcast, Bruce Rockwell and I discuss our top five ways to make your administrators love you. Check out Episode 5 for our first five tips. Some of these ideas are more easily said than done, but putting them in action this school year will serve you (and your program) well for years to come.
As educators, we can (and should) take the initiative to improve, nurture, and maintain great relationships with our administrators. In this episode of the podcast I talk with Bruce Rockwell about the ten most important things you can do to make your administrators love you.
Macro planning your school year is a great way to make sure you're prepared for the back to school season. In this episode of the Music Ed Mentor Podcast, I chat with Tamarie Sayger, a veteran band director and contributor to BandDirectorsTalkShop.com. Tamarie is a master of long-term planning and in this episode she covers the process step by step.
In this episode of the Music Ed Mentor Podcast, we chat with Wendy Higdon about developing a plan for your equipment maintenance. Wendy has been teaching middle school music for more than 25 years, and her experience as a department chair means that she has great tips for working well with administrators.
Your local music store can help you fix more than a broken clarinet. Learning to work effectively with your local retailer can help drive recruitment, offer networking opportunities, and make managing your budget easier. In this episode, I interview Cris Behrens of Summerhays Music about ways stores and teachers can work together.
In the first episode of the Music Ed Mentor Podcast, we share what these fellow educators wished they had known before they started – as well as tips as to how you can leverage their responses to enhance your teaching experience today.