Band is Everything (formerly Band in Minnesota)

Brad and Erin unpack their experience at the 2025 MMEA Midwinter Convention. It was three full days of concerts, professional development sessions, exhibits, networking, and fun! ATTEND YOUR STATE CONVENTION, regardless of how long you've been teaching, where you work, or what time of year it happens! GO LEARN AND GROW AND CONNECT! Subscribe on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you find podcasts! Ba...

A recent post of Brad's went viral for his thoughts about the music of James Swearingen. Plus, a short discussion of school budgets and cuts to music. WE'RE BACK, BABY!!!!

Hang out with Brad and Erin as they discuss end of the school year routines IN NATURE! It's our first ever episode recorded OUTDOORS because it was literally the perfect day!

We are so excited to chat with Dr. Roque Diaz from the Macphail Center for Music! Roque is the director of Macphail's diversity, equity, and inclusion program. He is also a first-generation Puerto Rican college graduate, a drum corps alumni (trumpet), community connector, general arts advocate, and a heck of a good dude. With a doctorate from the University of Minnesota, we are proud to now co...

Hang out with Brad and Erin as they talk about their morning routines! Setting yourself up for a successful workday means having meaningful traditions each morning. Plus our "What's On Your Stand" segment, featuring music by John Williams and Frank Ticheli. Hosted by Bradley Mariska & Erin Holmes (Farmington High School, Farmington, Minnesota). The podcast that's all about ba...

It's a whole episode previewing the 2024 MMEA Midwinter Convention, with special guest Dr. Adrian Davis, MMEA President! Join co-hosts Bradley Mariska and Erin Holmes (Farmington High School) to find out why everyone is so excited for our annual convention - and why YOU should join us in person!

It's the middle of winter and we're talking about ways to beat the winter blues --- by talking movies, hockey, and lots of cool things happening here in the classroom! In our "What's On Your Stand" segment, we highlight the music of Yukiko Nishimura ("Flying Away" and "Northern Lights") as well as "Whirlwind" by Jodie Blackshaw. Thank you to our...

We are LIVE from Chicago at the Midwest Clinic 2023! This is a truly special episode! We interview FIVE amazing band composers ... folks who have made important contributions to band in general but who are also on the program for the Farmington High School Wind Ensemble's upcoming performance at the Minnesota Music Educators Association Midwinter Conference! We interview RANDALL STANDRIDGE, ER...

A special crossover episode with The Growing Band Director Podcast & host Kyle Smith! The majority of our episode focuses on workload, job expectations, and work/life balance. We also have a *CLASSICS* edition of "What's on Your Stand" featuring the music of Morton Gould (specifically, the arrangement by Douglas Wagner), Frank Erickson (Air for Band), and Karl King (The Iowa Band...

Episode 59: THANKSGIVING SPECIAL (or “The One Where We Don’t Talk About Band At All”) It’s our first ever Thanksgiving Special! And we basically don’t talk about band at all! We talk about the things and people for which we are thankful - special colleagues, friends, students, and colleagues who have been supporting us in the past year.  We also have thoughts about Flat Earthers and people who yel...

This week we interview GIRL BOSS Laura Doebler !!! Laura teaches middle school band at Dakota Hills Middle School in Eagan, MN (Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan District 196), and has recently presented at the MMEA Midwinter Conference, The Midwest Clinic, and to Women Band Directors International. She's also included in an upcoming book from GIA entitled "Women in Wind Band"). She talks...

Brad and Erin reflect on Homecoming, fall concerts, and how a general lack of empathy in society os reflected in the additional fees being charged by airlines (at least according to Erin!) We talk about unique percussion instruments (Brad has a dozen empty gallon milk jugs outside his office) and even get nerdy about All-State Band Audition Scales and how we rehearse them as an ensemble. And we ce...

Episode 56 - Middle School Principal Joe Sage  Middle School is tough. Now imagine being the one person in charge of 900 middle schoolers. 900. ***WE HAVE QUESTIONS!!!*** We sit down with middle school principal Joe Sage , who talks about his philosophy of education and the influence of school music programs on his life (and why he hopes his young children will someday be a part of their school mu...

55. Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest? It’s fall and school is back in full swing! And, in what will come as a shock to nobody, things are absolutely CRAZY at Farmington High School. Brad and Erin share stories of insomnia and school struggles (shattered glass everywhere!!!). In a return of the “What’s on Your Stand?” segment, they also discuss the music of Michele Fernández, Elaine Hagenberg, and Pres...

WE'RE BAAAAAAACK !!!!!!!!! The pod took a few months off and we are ready to get back at it!!! What we did this summer, what we're looking forward to this school year, and some big news about the podcast itself. Band is Everything (formerly Band in Minnesota), hosted by Bradley Mariska and Erin Holmes (Farmington High School MN).

It's the end of the school year. And maybe the end of season 2 of this podcast? So spend a bit of time just hangin' with Brad and Erin. It will be good for your soul. --- Welcome to Band in Minnesota, a podcast that teaches life lessons for musicians and non-musicians alike. My name is Bradley Mariska, and along with my co-host Erin Holmes, we give you an inside look at life in our world t...

We are so excited to welcome Jerry Luckhardt back to the Band in Minnesota Podcast!  Jerry is the founder of Band in Minnesota and we spend time reminiscing about the origins of the program and learning about what he’s currently up to. Spoiler alert: he's super busy with all his duties at the University of Minnesota, and with both the Medalist Concert Band and the Encore Wind Ensemble! This ep...

It's (FINALLY) Spring Break for Erin and Brad! Farmington High School is taking some well-deserved time off, so we chat (a few days before break) about what we've been up to, what we're doing over break, and much more. If you love the "hangin' with Brad & Erin" content, this episode is for you! PleAZZZE leave us a rating or review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherev...

It's our first ever podcast "swap" episode! Brad and Erin were recently asked to be guests on the podcast "Beyond Artless", a music education podcast hosted by Chris Gleason, Peter Haberman, and Phil Ostrander. Since basically nobody listens to their podcast (for good reason, the hosts themselves admit) we decided to help promote their show by streaming the complete episode...

This episode is completely dedicated to our colleagues who experience the difficulties (and joys!) of teaching in small schools and rural schools.   Their experiences are full of unique social and educational challenges ... and it's important for college students, teachers in larger schools, and administrators, to understand these special circumstances. Brad and Erin are both both products of...

Jim Baxter Charlie Moe Recorded at the Minnesota Music Educators Association Midwinter Convention 2023 Our best episode yet.

We have some audio issues, but you probably won't even notice because the content is so... engaging?  We discuss the Burger King theme song, the afterglow of concerts, resolving conflict in the classroom, and how excited we are for the upcoming MMEA Midwinter Convention.   It's kind of like an episode of Seinfeld, a half hour of content about... well... nothing, really.  (And, Erin,...

Eric Songer (Chaska Middle School West) is one of the state's most prominent band directors!  He joins us to talk about his passion for teaching popular music through a variety of (for lack of a better term) "modern band" emphasis in his teaching. His school features a variety of bands including rock, hip hop, country and bluegrass, and much more. He teaches lessons in DJ technique, songwriti...

What happens when BAND IN MINNESOTA travels to Chicago for the Midwest Clinic? Well, you're about to find out!   This episode features three "live" segments of our time at the world's largest gathering of band and orchestra directors. And when 18,000 musicians gather for a single convention during the coldest week of the year, we have a lot of thoughts! Join us as we reminisce.  Whether...

Brad and Erin chat with All-Star Band Director Scott Kummrow (Fergus Falls Public Schools) about educational philosophy, the joys of teaching middle school students, and so much more! PLEASE SUBSCRIBE!