Everything Band Podcast

Tonya Mitchell-Spradlin is the director of bands at Penn State University. She joined the show to share the story of her career, challenges that she has faced, and some thoughts about concert band programming. Topics: Tonya's background and education. Representation matters! Programming music. Thoughts about teaching and conducting. Links: Tonya Mitchell-Spradlin Association of Black Women Band Di...

Jared Cassedy is the current band director at Lexington High School in Massachusetts, after teaching in New Hampshire for many years. He was the 2015 recipient of the Grammy Music Educator of the Year award and offers some great perspective for all band directors. Topics: Jared's background growing up in New Hampshire, his education and training and his early career. Winning the Grammy Music Educa...

Steve Danyew is a composer living in Rochester, New York. He has written several very successful for band, including Magnolia Star and Into the Silent Land. Topics: Steve's background growing up and his musical education. Steve plays saxophone and I sing a few notes! Steve's music, including  Magnolia Star and the story behind  Into the Silent Land. Thoughts about composing and publishing. Links:...

Frank Troyka was a longtime band director in Richardson, Texas and now serves as an adjunct instructor at SMU, educational consultant for Conn-Selmer, and director of education for System Blue. Topics: Frank's background growing up in several different locations and the story of how he ended up in Texas. Meeting Eddie Green at Western Michigan and how that led to him moving to Texas to jumpstart h...

Allan McMurray enjoyed a 35 year career as the Director of Bands at the University of Colorado. Over the course of his remarkable career he has earned numerous honors and awards and is a past president of CBDNA. Topics: Allan's background in music and his early influences. The influence of H. Robert Reynolds on Allan's career and some thoughts about the importance of finding great models to emulat...

Mark Spede is the band director at Clemson University and the current president of the College Band Directors National Association. In this episode he shares his story and talks about CBDNA's role in funding the aerosol study at the University of Colorado. Topics: Mark's background and musical origin story. His journey from marching band novice to the director of the Clemson University band. Mark'...

Michael Giannetta is the band director at Oyster Bay High School on Long Island. He has been a band director for 18 years and joins the show to talk about his program and also the Long Island Wind Ensemble. Topics: Michael's background and the program at Oyster Bay High School. Thoughts about switching beginners. Michael's experience at the American Band College. Teaching music and band on Long Is...

Susan L. Smith has taught general, choral, and instrumental music at the elementary through collegiate level in Florida, Virginia and Alabama and has served as an author, clinician, conductor, and adjudicator across the United States Topics: Susan's early career and education, including the lessons she learned from her mother, who was a high school band director in Virginia. The importance of teac...

Scott Rush is the Director of Fine and Performing Arts in Dorchester School District Two in South Carolina and is the former Director of Bands at Wando High School. He is the lead author of the "Habits" series published by GIA and is an active conductor, adjudicator and clinician. Topics: Scott's background and early teaching career. Studying with Frank Battisti at the New England Conservatory. Ho...

Nicholas Williams is an Associate Professor of Music, Music Director and Conductor of the Wind Symphony and Concert Band at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. He joins the show to talk about growing up and starting his career in Texas and his recent move to Australia. Topics: Nick's origin story growing up in Texas, the role of the church in his early musical development, and why his Mom would...

Curtis Gaesser has been the band director at Folsom High School in Sacramento, one of the most successful jazz programs in the country, for the past 37 years. Topics: Curtis' background growing up in Hawai'i and the story of how he ended up at Folsom High School The importance of good administrators. The band program at Folsom High School, particularly the jazz ensembles and choir. What do you do...

Mike Howard is the band director at Vandegrift High School in Austin, Texas. Under his direction, the Vandegrift Band has won numerous awards and honors and most recently was the 2019 BOA Grand National Champion. Topics: Mike's background in Texas and his early career, including the story of how he opened Vandegrift High School. Advice from Eddie Green as a young band director. Teaching jazz. Advi...

Daniel Morrison is the Director of Bands at Ronald Reagan High School in San Antonio, Texas where he and the the bands under his direction have performed at the Midwest Clinic, marched in both the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Rose Parade, and been consistent Bands of America Regional, Super Regional and Grand National Finalists. Topics: Daniel's background growing up in suburban Chicago...

Scott Edgar is a music education professor and band director at Lake Forest College and the author of Music Education and Social Emotional Learning. Topics: Scott's background, education, and early teaching positions. The basics of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) The application of SEL concepts at each level of band teaching. Using SEL to teach equity and justice. Creating a safe space for all stu...

Christian Michael Folk is a graduate student in music education at the University of South Carolina and the creator of the Diverse Composers of Wind Band Music database. He joins the show to tell the story of his young career and to share the story of how the database came to exist, some of the criticisms he faces, and thoughts about diversity in music education practice. Topics : Christian's back...

Eric Jimenez is a co-host of The Score podcast and assistant band director at Prairie View A&M University. He joins the show for an exceptional conversation about his career, being a Latino band director, and ways that we can create more culturally responsive classrooms. Topics: The score podcast and the story of Eric's music journey, including the story of being a student at Prairie View A & M, t...

Theresa Hoover Ducassoux is the band director at Dorothy Hamm Middle School in Arlington, Virginia and co-author of a forthcoming book titled Pass the Baton: Empowering All Music Students Topics: Theresa tells the story of how she turned her piano skills into an instrumental music education track despite not playing a traditional band instrument. Following in the footsteps of a legend for her firs...

Justin McClean is a band director in Houston, Texas and co-host of the "The Score", which is an urban music education podcast. He joins the show for a very remarkable conversation about how we build a better band community. Topics: Justin's background story growing up in Texas and the role of the church in his background and why the church is so relevant to so many African-American musicians. Maki...

Major Joseph Hansen is the commander and conductor of the United States Air Force Band of the Golden West based at Travis Air Force Base in Northern California. Topics: Joseph's early career growing up in Western Colorado and attending Brigham Young University. His early career as a teacher and the story of how he transitioned from teaching in Colorado Springs to joining the Air Force. A broad dis...

Cheryl Floyd has taught middle school band in Austin, TX for over 30 years and is one of the most highly regarded middle school band directors in the country. She is the recipient of numerous awards and honors and has commissioned or been part of the consortium for 14 works for band. Topics: Cheryl's background growing up in Texas, going to Baylor University and starting her career as a teacher. T...

Richard Floyd has been involved in music education for 58 years. His accolades and achievements are too numerous to list and he is a legendary name not only in Texas, but throughout the entire band community. Topics: Richard's background growing up in the Dallas area, his early band experiences, marching in Eisenhower's inauguration, and how he got involved in music education. Thoughts about build...

Andrew David Perkins is a band director and composer. He joins the show and offers a very clear-eyed view of our profession and offers some wisdom and advice earned from his own career. Topics: Andy's background, his early high school teaching experiences and how being in Phantom Regiment and the Michigan State Marching Band helped to shape his success teaching a marching band. The balance between...

Robert Ambrose is the director of bands at Georgia State University, the conductor of the Atlanta Chamber Winds and the National Chamber Winds, founder of the Digital Director's Lounge, and is the chair of the CBDNA Covid-19 Response Committee. Topics: Robert's journey from guitarist to college band director and all of the people who took an interest in his career and helped to push him along. Hav...

Aaron Perrine is a composer and two-time winner of the American Bandmasters Association Sousa/Ostwald Award. He joins the show to talk about his career and shares some remarkable anecdotes from his journey so far. Topics: Aaron's daughter and keeping kids motivated during the period of online learning. Aaron's background in music and growing up in Minnesota as the grandson and son of band director...

Oscar Dames is a music educator in Nassau, Bahamas where he serves as a lecturer at the University of the Bahamas after recently retiring as the band director of C.R. Walker Senior High School. He has a fascinating story and is also the author of book titled Oscar's A+ Band Director Guide: A Veteran Band Teacher's Guide to Teaching Music. Topics: The unique logistical challenges of living and teac...