Directing Band: Recent Episodes
Josh
The Directing Band Podcast is a Show created by Band Directors for Band Directors! Our weekly show is filled with interviews, classroom ideas, leadership principles, personal finance strategies, investing tips, retirement planning, and more. As we say on the show, "If you are Directing Band, than this is the podcast for YOU!"Find us online and donate at DirectingBand.comEmail: DirectingBand@gmail.comTwitter: @JoshRBoydInstagram: @DirectingTheBand
In this episode, Josh and Rachael discuss ideas to have a stress-free Christmas!
Website: DirectingBand.com
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Twitter: @JoshRBoyd
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In this episode, Josh and Rachael discuss what winter guard is and what is involved in getting one started.
Links for today's show:
https://sapaonline.net
https://wgi.org
https://marchmaster.com
Website: DirectingBand.com
Instagram: @DirectingTheBand
Twitter: @JoshRBoyd
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Teaching a chromatic scale can be a challenge, but it is not as hard when you move slow and methodical. That is what the chromatic scale cell does! You teach sections of the chromatic scale in small groups (known as cells). We found all of this already written out for you online. You can print and start using the Chromatic Scale Cells exercise in your band room today! Visit https://www.directingband.com/resources and check out the "Chromatic Scale Cells" link under the books and methods section today!
Website: DirectingBand.com
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In this episode, Josh gives band parents a few ideas as to how they can support their student in band and beyond.
Website: DirectingBand.com
Instagram: @DirectingTheBand
Twitter: @JoshRBoyd
YouTube: Directingband
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In this Free Resource Friday we found you a how to guide for marching band electronics. This guide, by Pete Sapadin, tells you exactly what electronics you need for your marching band, gives you brand and model recommendations, talks about how to set it up, and even gives you pictures. This was the guide I used this year when I had to be the "electronics guy" for a season. You can find the link to the guide under the "Links to Books Methods and More Section" on our website (https://www.directingband.com/resources).
Website: DirectingBand.com
Instagram: @DirectingTheBand
Twitter: @JoshRBoyd
YouTube: Directingband
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Is your band tight on money? Do you need to purchase a stock music set instead of a custom arrangement in order to save on funds? We had to do that this year as well. In this episode we tell you what we did, how we did it, and we even tell you where we went to purchase our show.
Main idea: "Execution is the highest form of Effect."
Website: DirectingBand.com
Instagram: @DirectingTheBand
Twitter: @JoshRBoyd
YouTube: Directingband
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This is the final episode of season 2 of the Directing Band Podcast. Be on the lookout for season 3 of the directing band podcast starting in August.
In this episode, Josh discusses the 9 tips to survive your first day at a new school given by Patrick Moore in his article, "9 tips to surviving as a first year band director" which can be found at banddirectorstalkshop.com.
Website: DirectingBand.com
Instagram: @DirectingTheBand
Twitter: @JoshRBoyd
YouTube: DIrectingband
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In this episode, Josh gives you 10 tips to help you get your first job. Succeeding in your first job interview is imperative. In today's market, some jobs have 40-80...and even 100 applicants. So what are some ways you can standout? What are some things you can do in the interview to really make a positive impression? What are some things you should NEVER do?
Josh discusses his thoughts on these key items and more!
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This episode has been particularly hard to make. I apologize for the delay in content for my show. My school and the surrounding community was hit by an EF4 tornado, one of the largest on record for the state of Georgia. It damaged 1700 homes and left the high school where I teach with extreme damage.
In the middle of the chaos, there is hope! This is a brief account into what I saw, and the "countermoves" I saw in the days that followed.
Band Directors, we have a tremendous responsibility to protect and care for our students.
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This episode is the second in our mentor series where Josh interviews Band Directors whom he admires, respects, and highly values their perspectives on important issues. The questions he asks are designed to be broad in an effort to help listeners take a look into the mind of a master band director.
Nick Golding is a very successful band director who has led successful band programs at multiple schools. His bands have performed at collegiate invitation events, state in-service conferences, Bands of America Regional Finalist, WGI World Championships and more. He has found a balance of work life to personal life and leads others by example. I think after listening to his thoughts in this episode you will find yourself inspired and motivated to take your band to the next level.
Items Discussed:
Warm Up Fundamentals by Balmages and Gausline
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This free resource episode is drawing more attention to the 8 pages of notes from Matthew Price (Episode 18 and 20). Matthew created a handout with information that is vital to every band room. What I love about this resource is that it is about research based best practices for band directing. It breaks down what a good teacher does as measured by effect size. He includes quotes from his mentors, books for future reading, ideas related to leadership, and more. The pages were so valuable, they deserved their own episode.
Here is the link to this resource (You can also find it at DirectingBand.com/resources): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1z6ofzkz-Bxv6urf_dzaafX8uAP0jIdKQHytXIfJDO84/edit?usp=sharing
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Episode 20 is the second episode in our mentor series where we bring high impact teachers on the show to talk about key areas of having a very successful band program. In this incredible episode, Matthew Price joins us to talk about "Unlocking Your Band's Real Potential by Using a Growth Mindset to the Most of Any Situation." The episode is full of nuggets of wisdom from one of the most successful teachers in the band directing profession.
This interview takes place in two parts. Be sure to go back and listen to Episode 18 for the beginning of this great interview. You will want to listen with your yellow notepad and be ready to take notes. Be sure to download the handout associated with this episode below or at DirectingBand.com/resources
Items mentioned in this episode:
Visible Learning for Teachers by John Hattie
Expressions in Music by Vandercook
Unlocking Your Band’s Real Potential--Using a Growth Mindset to Make the Most of Any Situation! by Matthew Price
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Welcome to another Free Resource Friday on the Directing Band Podcast. Today we talk about the app called Sheet Music Scanner. This app will allow you to take a picture of a score part with your phone and then the app will scan it and create a play back track in mp3, wav, and other formats. If you have a struggling student that needs an extra step to play along with or an online student who needs an added tool to help them, this is a great app for you.
You can find the app at https://sheetmusicscanner.com
You can find the link to this resource and almost a hundred others at https://www.directingband.com/resources.
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Episode 18 is the first episode in our mentor series where we bring high impact teachers on the show to talk about key areas of having a very successful band program. In this incredible episode, Matthew Price joins us to talk about "Unlocking Your Band's Real Potential by Using a Growth Mindset to the Most of Any Situation." The episode is full of nuggets of wisdom from one of the most successful teachers in the band directing profession.
This interview takes place in two parts. Be sure to catch Episode 20for the conclusion of this great episode. You will want to listen with your yellow notepad and be ready to take notes. Matthew put together a handout with key take aways which will be linked in the show notes for Episode 41.
Items mentioned in this episode:
Visible Learning for Teachers by John Hattie
Expressions in Music by Vandercook
Unlocking Your Band’s Real Potential--Using a Growth Mindset to Make the Most of Any Situation! by Matthew Price (see link in episode 42)
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Welcome to another free resource Friday! This week we take you to marchingartseducation.com to a free webinar by Matt and Ben Harloff who are the gurus behind Inside the Circle and the Carolina Crown Brassline. In this free webinar, they take you through their series of warm ups and talk about their ideas behind these warm ups. I even suggest getting our your instrument and playing along! If you are looking to revamp your warm up series for marching band or even concert band, this is a great free resource to check out.
Here is the link: https://marchingartseducation.com/just-play-2-with-matt-and-ben-harloff/
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What if I could tell you that you can have the music to all of the John Philip Sousa Marches for free, complete with a Public Domain Letter, Rehearsal Notes, and a Performance Recording from the "The President's Own." Well, I can tell you exactly where to find that. The United States Marine Band has put together a website to bring you the music and encourage the performance of these great works of our heritage.
Click here to visit the United States Marine Band Webpage. (https://www.marineband.marines.mil/audio-resources/the-complete-marches-of-john-philip-sousa/)
You can find this resource and more at https://www.directingband.com/resources
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Damien Gaiters is the Director of Bands at Lithia Springs High School in Douglas County, Georgia. Damien believes that empowering student leaders is an important part of his classroom strategy. He invests in student so much so, that he actually has key student conduct his band from the podium and offer insight to their peers. He believes that this is important as it fosters more musical accountability, but also helps students to take charge of their musical growth. In this episode, Damien shares how this works in his classroom, talks about the responsibilities of the student and the teacher, and shares with you practical ways that you could begin to implement this strategy in your own classroom.
This is an excellent episode for those looking for motivate their students, encourage and grow student leaders, find a good strategy for classroom management, and more.
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Welcome to Free Resource Friday! On this episode we discuss https://www.onandoffthepodium.com/materials by Wendy Higdon. This website has a LOT of free recourses. If you are teaching beginning band, you should especially listen to this website and look at these resources. You can find the link to this resource and all resources from our show at: https://www.directingband.com/resources
You can find today's resource at: https://www.onandoffthepodium.com/materials. Be sure you have subscribed to our show for more Free Resources every Friday!
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In this episode of Free Resource Friday, we discuss composer Brian Sadler's website where he gives you a bunch of free arrangements. We do encourage you to send in a donation for his work.
Link:
Here is a link to his website (Click Here): https://briansadler.org/arrangements-1
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or on Twitter: @JoshRBoyd
or our website: DirectingBand.com
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Episode 11 is an episode based on a listener request. In this episode, Josh describes what he ideally wants every student to know when they enter the high school band as a 9th grader.
When every student enters the band as a new student, they are given a "Step 0" sheet of tasks to complete. The purpose of a student completing these tasks is to demonstrate what they already know. The tasks are created from the GMEA middle school all state band requirements. In addition, the tasks are created based on the UIL sight-reading requirements for Level 1 and Level 2.
Show Links:
Click here for a free copy of Josh's "Step 0" Pass Off Sheet.
Directingband.com
Free Lunch Coffee
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This episode is taken from my interview on the Within the Musician Podcast with Monica Williams. it was an honor to be on her show and talk about issues related to virtual band during the pandemic. We talk about several key issues related to developing mastery, technology, and more. If you would like to hear the full episode, you can find it using the link below.
Show Links:
Within the Musician Podcast by Monica Williams (https://www.bayareaflutist.com)
Monica Williams bio and website
DirectingBand.com
Free Lunch Coffee
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Welcome to another episode of Free Resource Friday. In this episode we are talking about Mike Robinson Music. Mike Robinson's website is fantastic with free exercises related to articulation, lip slurs, scale studies, and more.
Here is a link his website: Click Here (https://www.mrobinsonmusic.com/free-resources.html)
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This episode was created from feedback from teacher feedback on social media. We discuss classroom management strategies, teaching methods, and more. This episode includes 11 key classroom management ideas that are broken down into practical strategies. In addition, we include direct quotes from multiple master teachers.
Guest contributors include: Amber Dudley, Kelsey Armstrong, Kayla Peavy, Heather Wyman, Alan Armstrong, Chuck Jindrich, Damien Gaiters, Matthew Price, Robert Grogan, Grayson Lawrence, Kimberly Anne, Jared Kaufman, Brandon Robinson, Lilith Tate, Kathy Brown, Maria Menendez, Josh Brandon, Denis Naughton, and more.
Rachael joins as a guest co-host of this episode.
For this episode, we created this Classroom Management Toolbox Handout for you and your students. (CLICK HERE TO GET THE HANDOUT). https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XX3_ZoMoYqtn8drhbJV8oDKZiLbnuCoOpKTNuKVeHvc/edit?usp=sharing
Find us online at https://www.directingband.com
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Twitter: @JoshRBoyd
Email: DirectingBand@gmail.com
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One of our favorite resources is John McAllister Music. John as a great website where he delivers instrumental exercises related long tones, technique, scale builder, and more. His cinematic series fundamental program includes backing tracks that the students can play with. This can easily be used to encourage student engagement in your classroom. Additionally, he has several compositions and methods for sale.
Show Notes:
CLICK HERE to go to John McAllister Music (https://www.johnmcallistermusic.com/free-resources.html)
DirectingBand.com
Free Lunch Coffee
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In this episode, Josh responds to a listener request to talk about his process to preparing his concert bands for sight reading at Large Group Performance Evaluation. Josh gives you his month by month preparation plan and breaks down the timing and reasoning behind each step in the process.
5 tools we use for sightreading:
1. Rhythm sheets
- Fussell Rhythms
- UIL Level Rhythm sheets
2. Method Book
- Foundations for a Superior Performance (Freshmen Band)
- Habits for a Successful Musician (Middle Band)
- Tone and Technique (Mastery Band)
3. Sight Reading Factor generated excerpts
4. Concert works from the State List
- UIL Sight Reading Charts
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In this episode, Miranda Carlsen, the band director at Harris County High School, talks about ways that she is creating a big sound in a rural area. She talks about her daily warm up and fundamental routine, her approach to marching band, running a band contest, her fundraisers, and more. The idea behind this podcast is that you can do big things, even in a rural area. Mrs. Carlsen's band program is experience growth in numbers, ensembles offered, and students being accepted into collegiate programs.
I hope that you enjoy this interview and feel encouraged to make big things happen at your school.
Here is a link to the show notes handout that accompanies this episode.
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In this first episode of Free Resource Friday, we share with you a website where you can receive 36 free chorales. This resource was brought to our attention by band director, Adam Swan.
Aaron Cole teaches high band at Mayo High School in Rochester, MN and plays horn in the Rochester Community Band. He created a chorale warm up book for band that he has posted for free on his website. On his website you can download a zip file that already has the chorales organized in instrumental student books. Josh has uploaded these into a google drive for his students to be able to access them on their chromebooks. Other teachers have printed them and found a local shop to bind them. You could also simply print them off for your students as you need them.
Aaron Cole has a DONATE link on his website where you can donate to him for providing this wonderful resource. I hope that you will consider supporting him.
Here is a link to the 36 chorales by Aaron Cole.
(http://aaronmcole.com/chorale.html?fbclid=IwAR2oTgfi1B2oIifwJA75mFlOKLiSbSkqnxrlLmeMlAlyL1EA44wEKE8aOmc)
Other Links:
DirectingBand.com
Free Lunch Coffee (Use code Community at checkout for a 10% discount)
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Monica Williams is a musician, flutist, teaching artist, composer, lifelong learner from the Bay area of San Francisco. She is also the host of “Within the Musician,” a podcast designed to be a place of discovery for all students, performers, educators and future educators.
In this episode, Monica and I discuss ways to develop phrasing and expression in young musicians. It is a fantastic conversation between a professional performer and private lesson instructor and a high school band director.
I highly recommend Monica's podcast, "Within the Musician." You can find and subscribe to her podcast by clicking here.
Show Notes:
Within the Music Musician with Monica Willians: https://nycpodcastnetwork.com/podcast/within-the-musician-monica-williams/
Monica Williams Bio
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Christian Gordon is the band director at Westglades Middle School in Parkland, Florida. Both Christian and Josh teach band through a mastery system by which students work to develop their individual musical skills first, and in doing so, the band reading ability continues to grow.
Christian talks about the concept of a mastery system, gives examples of tasks that his students work on individually, and then further discusses the benefits of encouraging and measuring student achievement. Josh talks about how his mastery system at the high school connects to Christian's system. This includes studio recitals and mastery recitals and working through targeted exercises in select method books.
Key concepts that are discussed:
- Ensemble skills are a byproduct of individual musical ability.
- Know what you want your students to do. Start with the end in mind.
- Organize tasks into measurable items that students can do.
- Meet students where they are at while always leading them to the next area of success.
Links to items discussed in this episode:
Interview with Alfred Watkins by John Thomson (mentioned on the show)
Power in the Progress System (a Mastery System that Christian and Josh have used and loved)
Christian Gordon Instagram (send him a message if you would like him to share some of his resources).
Youtube presentation on Josh's system
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Rachael Boyd is the color guard coordinator at Newnan High School in Newnan, Georgia. In this episode, she has an open and honest conversation with Josh in regard to how he can better support the color guard. The conversation is meant to help band directors, both young and old, hear things from the perspective of a guard instructor. The discussion begins with talks about day to day rehearsals in the fall and then moves to considering how band directors can better show their support for the winter guard.
Rachael is Josh's color guard coordinator, so the discussion begins as Josh asks Rachael, "How can I do things better? What do you want me to know?" Josh asks this question publicly and in a vulnerable manner, so that hopefully, we can all learn and grow together.
https://www.directingband.com
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