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Send us Fan Mail Allison Wilkinson’s book “Making Musicians” had a major impact on Mike Lunney’s approach to educating young people. In this multi-episode series, let Mike stretch your thinking for the better!

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Send us Fan Mail It happens to the best of us, and the best groups out there. At some point as leaders we have to help our ensembles remember the end goal: Taking a concept and creating a Box 5 performance! Sometimes the routine and redundancy can create a lethargy. Shake things up in your rehearsals with these tips and tricks from Mike Lunney!

Send us Fan Mail Mike and Derrick are strong advocates for getting other eyes on your ensemble to help you catch things you might not otherwise. But in this episode, Mike Lunney explains his method to breaking down a marching performance, visually and the sound production. And you can do it! Don’t wait for someone else to make time, you can spend a little time this weekend and come back Monday wit...

Send us Fan Mail Mike and Derrick discuss brass embouchures. Sounds exciting, right? It is when you consider that so many of our young players are struggling to understand the terminology we are using and apply it to their specific physiology and the mouthpiece they have to work with. It's a fun conversation with some great tips from our own Mike Lunney! 

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Send us Fan Mail Whether you call it field timing, phasing, or a tear in the tempo… we all know the sound on the marching field. So, how do we keep the sound together when everyone e is a different distance from the sideline? Is it a complex physics equation? It’s easy to overthink. Have we got an episode for you! Mike Lunney has some great reminders to keep your ensemble on time.

Send us Fan Mail In Mike Lunney's 30+ years of experience, he was able to help many aspiring teachers gain positive Student Teacher experiences in his classroom. This episode is great for both the ISD sponsoring teacher, as well as the collegiate student teacher. Give a listen as Mike helps define expectations and set some positive guidelines to help create a win-win for both sides of the exp...

Send us Fan Mail Do you find yourself in a situation where your beginner's class or classes are mixed instrumentation? Mike Lunney remembers a time when every beginner in the school met in one class! What are the logistical obstacles? How do you spend enough time teaching fundamentals specific to each instrument? Good news! In this episode, Mike shares real-world, practical solutions. Solutio...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Mike Lunney welcomes friends Jim Bode, Tommy Perkins, and Tarpley Music's General Manager Wes Sutton. Enjoy this discussion about how to make your program successful through mentorship, peer support, and the support of a strong local music store and the Ed Rep that helps take care of your program. Some great advice and wisdom from a group of folks who have be...

Send us Fan Mail Michael Munoz has been a music educator for over 30 years! He has recently compiled his experience for creating a positive band culture into what he refers to as The Seven Pillars. It’s a great conversation that also digs into his 7 Pillars of Musicianship and 7 Pillars of Marching. Great conversation that will spark ideas for you to define who your ensemble is and how they can re...

Send us Fan Mail Several episodes ago, Tim Jones joined Ask Mike to discuss technology in the band hall and marching field. During that episode, the question was presented, "How can I record my group and play it back in real time?" One of our podcast friends, Dane Richardson, was listening and knew the answer... the Harmony Director! In this episode, Dane joins us to share this answer, p...

Send us Fan Mail Mike Lunney is joined again this episode with friend of the podcast Michael Watts, a retired/rehired educator with experience at many different classifications in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona public schools. Are there considerations to consider before or while you are teaching in the different classifications? Are the differences in teaching styles or in expectations? Thought pr...

Send us Fan Mail It's awesome when we at Ask Mike get to share a new or innovative idea. And we think this week's episode is both! Michael Munoz, head director at Denver City High School in Denver City, TX has integrated resistance bands into his marching ensemble, and the results are most definitely positive. Join us to see how easy it is to make a big difference in your group's co...

Send us Fan Mail What a great episode for those of us who might be newer to creating a uniform look with our marching ensembles. And a great review for the veterans! Detailed thoughts on what creates a uniform look for your group at set position, for horns up, and in trail position. Bonus: teaching the flutter step, or platform run! Bonus Bonus: LOTS of tips and tricks from 30+ years of experience...

Send us Fan Mail In previous episodes, Mike Lunney has discussed fundamentals and techniques. This week he discusses his thoughts on creating a working vocabulary for your ensemble to reduce instruction time, and different procedural aspects of introducing fundamentals and teaching concepts to help your ensemble achieve success!

Send us Fan Mail As our friend Mike Lunney is fond of saying, "I teach fundamental skills because there are no advanced skills, just advanced situations requiring strong fundamentals." In this episode, Mike discusses the fundamentals for marching, whether it's posture, step offs, or a box drill. The proper fundamentals are the key to looking like an advanced marching ensemble!

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Mike Lunney breaks down the eight core or fundamental principles for marching techniques and movement. These are borrowed from the book "Beyond the Basics" by Nick Benson, Adam Oswald, and Dylan Thomson. Mike introduced these principles early in the marching series, but this week he gives a deeper definition and provides some practical application exampl...

Send us Fan Mail Borrowing from the book, "Beyond the Basics," by Nick Benson, Adam Oswald, and Dylan Thompson, as well as sharing experiences from 39 years as a performer, educator, and clinician, Mike Lunney offers great insight for taking your ensemble past basic marching. Practical and applicable thoughts, tips, and ideas that will help you teach your group to be advanced level think...

Send us Fan Mail Here we are, looking at a new marching season ahead through fresh eyes! The canvas is blank and opportunity awaits. Mike Lunney has set up a series of episodes to help you set your program up to take advantage of the opportunities that are waiting for you. We discuss things like setting the standard and encouraging the students to make the conscious decisions up front to be succes...

Send us Fan Mail Learning, Knowing, Understanding, Communicating, and Mastering. The five boxes your marching ensemble goes through on their way to becoming the most successful version of themselves. Listen this episode as Mike Lunney explains how our ensembles move from box to box, hopefully landing in the box of Mastery, that experience of communicating and sharing the vision with the audience (...

Send us Fan Mail In Max Ehrmann's "Desiderata," he encourages each of us to, "Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth." In this episode, Mike Lunney offers insight from his personal experience for aging well, whether it is professionally or personally. Aging happens to all of us, it is actually a privilege! Embrace the process, wel...

Send us Fan Mail Good friends Brian Hecimovich and Stephen Cox join Mike Lunney for a friendly debate on the pros and cons of competition in music education. Both of our friends are passionate, successful music educators. But they view competition differently. Enjoy this debate/discussion and consider the extrinsic vs. intrinsic, the motivation of competition goals, and the fact that we all agree,...

Send us Fan Mail Talking with guest Tim Edins about his retirement and subsequent rehire. Great visit with lots of insight from both Tim and Miike Lunney. Is retirement the best option right now? What if I decide to teach again, what does that do to my retirement? Are there penalties? Is it easy to navigate? Some things to think about!