Almost Everything I've Learned About Teaching Band

I spent 5 years at a Title 1 school where students didn't behave in other classes (but they did in mine). Here are 10 Tips for Managing Large Groups of Beginners. Jazz From The Start - Jazz and improvisation curriculum you can use as soon as students know 5 notes Get the book Almost Everything I've Learned About Teaching Band , a handbook for band directors that includes 75+ lessons, tips and trut...

Jazz From The Start - Jazz and improvisation curriculum you can use as soon as students know 5 notes Get the book Almost Everything I've Learned About Teaching Band , a handbook for band directors that includes 75+ lessons, tips and truths. Most can be read in less than 10 minutes. Many can be immediately implemented in your classroom. More tips and lessons will be added (I'm still in the classroo...

Jazz From The Start - Jazz and improvisation curriculum you can use as soon as students know 5 notes Get the book Almost Everything I've Learned About Teaching Band , a handbook for band directors that includes 75+ lessons, tips and truths. Most can be read in less than 10 minutes. Many can be immediately implemented in your classroom. More tips and lessons will be added (I'm still in the classroo...

Jazz From The Start - Jazz and improvisation curriculum you can use as soon as students know 5 notes Get the book Almost Everything I've Learned About Teaching Band , a handbook for band directors that includes 75+ lessons, tips and truths. Most can be read in less than 10 minutes. Many can be immediately implemented in your classroom. More tips and lessons will be added (I'm still in the classroo...

Would you like to get more parent participation? You CAN do it. It takes work. It takes persistence. Here are some tips. Jazz From The Start - Jazz and improvisation curriculum you can use as soon as students know 5 notes Get the book Almost Everything I've Learned About Teaching Band , a handbook for band directors that includes 75+ lessons, tips and truths. Most can be read in less than 10 minut...

Repertoire selection can be one of the most difficult decisions you can make, and one that requires a lot of thought to. In this episode I share tips for selecting music for your ensemble. Jazz From The Start - Jazz and improvisation curriculum you can use as soon as students know 5 notes Get the book Almost Everything I've Learned About Teaching Band , a handbook for band directors that includes...

When I first started teaching high school, I didn't know when to play at football games (and when to stop playing). I learned the hard way over the years. Eventually I trained my leaders to be bold at starting and stopping the band. Jazz From The Start - Jazz and improvisation curriculum you can use as soon as students know 5 notes Get the book Almost Everything I've Learned About Teaching Band ,...

In this episode I share a Marching Band Drill Rehearsal Technique. I stole this idea from a colleague of mine and used it for many years to teach Marching Band drill to my students. Upon completion of this technique, students have rehearsed a drill set 9 times and will usually be able to perform it at 80% or higher quality. Keep reviewing and cleaning afterwards. Jazz From The Start - Jazz and imp...

Bonus Episode  - Big Announcement. The book is here. So many have poured into my life. I look forward to helping new band directors learn from my mistakes. The book Almost Everything I've Learned About Teaching Band is finally finished. Order it here. Jazz From The Start - Jazz and improvisation curriculum you can use as soon as students know 5 notes Get the book Almost Everything I've Learned Abo...

Episode 295 - Eating Healthy - How I Lost 40 pounds I was just 40 years old. The doctor said he had never seen triglyceride levels that high. My glucose levels were very high, as was my cholesterol. He wanted to start me on medicine. Could it be the two packages of M&Ms I was eating DAILY. I did not want meds, so I started paying attention to what I ate and lost 40 pounds.  Jazz From The Start - J...

Episode 294 - When Students Misbehave For The Sub When I was in school, I hated it when the whole class was subject to punishment when only a few misbehaved. And to be honest, some subs are terrible or have not received proper training and support. In this episode I share 4 possible things you can do when it happens and 7 prevention tips. Jazz From The Start - Jazz and improvisation curriculum you...

Episode 293 - 8 Tips For Dealing With Students Wanting To Switch Instruments There are sometimes legitimate reasons for a student to switch instruments, but often that desire is due to hitting a plateau in their playing. In this episode I share 8 tips for how to handle the dreaded "I want to switch instruments" conversation. Jazz From The Start - Jazz and improvisation curriculum you can use as so...

Episode 292 - Demanding Great Concert Behavior From The Audience and Your Students Is your audience rude and out of control? You can change that culture. Are your students rambunctious and inattentive when they're not performing? You can change that. Here are some things that have worked for me. Resources… Jazz From The Start - Jazz and improvisation curriculum you can use as soon as students know...

Episode 291 - What To Say At The Concert In short, keep it short. Much will depend on the culture and climate already at the school. Remember that you can help to change that culture.  Resources… Jazz From The Start - Jazz and improvisation curriculum you can use as soon as students know 5 notes Get the book Almost Everything I've Learned About Teaching Band Have a question for the podcast? Need a...

Episode 290 - How Much Time Should You Spend On Fundamentals When I first started teaching, I thought I didn't have time for fundamentals. Maybe I spent ten minutes of a 45 minute rehearsal on technique, scales, tone, tuning, arpeggios and long tones. Believe it or not, now I spend more than half our rehearsal time on those. I explain to the students that learning scales and other fundamentals mak...

Episode 289 - Helping Students Play In Tune One of my biggest pet peeves is watching a director individually tune 80 band members on stage using the tuner! It doesn't help! Maybe it makes that one note in tune, but tuning is a process that can be taught, even to young band students. Here are some tips. Resources… Jazz From The Start - Jazz and improvisation curriculum you can use as soon as studen...

Episode 288 - 6 Tips For Engaging Percussionists Often our percussion section can be our biggest headache, but it doesn't have to be that way. Have you thought through some of the things that frustrate the percussionists? We can do things as directors to engage and motivate the percussionists. Resources… Jazz From The Start - Jazz and improvisation curriculum you can use as soon as students know 5...

Episode 287 - 13 Top Mistakes Directors Make Not planning enough - Lack of classroom management - Too lax (or too rigid) - Bringing Work Home - Taking Things Personally - Trying to be someone else - Over Programming - Ego Resources… Jazz From The Start - Jazz and improvisation curriculum you can use as soon as students know 5 notes Get the book Almost Everything I've Learned About Teaching Band Ha...

Episode 286 - 16 Things I Wish I Knew About Festival Prep How do I use my time properly? When do I start my second song? What if the percussion equipment is not in the same place as in my room? What if my band doesn't score "well"? Resources… Jazz From The Start - Jazz and improvisation curriculum you can use as soon as students know 5 notes Get the book Almost Everything I've Learned About Teachi...

Episode 285 - Marching Band Is Needed Now More Than Ever Before Controversial statement…I think every school should have a marching band. When I started one at a previous school, every single one of my colleagues thought I was crazy. I have come to the conclusion that - because many directors have been "abused" through marching band, or it was allowed to take on too much of a focus - many are agai...

Episode 284 - Add Some Spice To Your Rehearsal I learned in the army that you can't make bad food taste good simply by seasoning it (although you could sometimes cover over the bad taste with enough hot sauce). Spices take food that already tastes good and makes it even better. In this episode, I share eight "spices" - things you can do - to make for a tastier rehearsal. Resources… Jazz From The S...

Episode 283 - Eight Strategies For Surviving The Stress Bubble of Teaching From setting boundaries to reflecting on your priorities, in this episode I cover 8 tips that will help you avoid burnout. Learn from me rather than the hard way. Resources… Jazz From The Start - Jazz and improvisation curriculum you can use as soon as students know 5 notes Get the book Almost Everything I've Learned About...

My first teaching job landed in my lap! It was easy to get. My neighbor was the principal for a small private school. They needed a band teacher, he asked me, I interviewed and was hired. The next three job hunts I had to use "Job Hunt Math." Thirty applications equals six interviews equals three offers. This worked out pretty much every time. I see so many young people post, "I applied for my dre...

Episode 281 - When A Life Is Lost We lost three community members in a two month period! It was hard! It was difficult! The normal lesson plan went out the window. And one summer we tragically lost an entire family. Two of the kids were in my 20 piece orchestra. We were devastated. In this episode, I share some tips on how we got through that process. Resources… Jazz From The Start - Jazz and impr...