Everything Band Podcast

President Emeritus of VanderCook College of Music, Charlie Menghini enjoyed a long career as a music educator in the Kansas City area before joining the faculty at VanderCook. In this episode he shares wisdom and anecdotes from a remarkable career. Topics: Charlie's background growing up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and how an influential 7th grade band teacher nurtured and inspired a young corne...

Sister Gail Buckman has been teaching in the St. Louis are since 1968, and I recently had a chance to visit Sister Gail in her band room at St. Gabriel the Archangel School. Here is my conversation with this truly remarkable music educator. Topics: Sister Gail's early career and influences. The importance of always trying to learn from others and the value of mentors. "No one rises to low expectat...

Composer and arranger Rob Romeyn joins me this week to talk about his career, the lessons he learned from great mentors as a young arranger, and his current work with C.L. Barnhouse. Topics: Rob's background growing up in Florida and his exposure to some of the great names in the music education and marching arts communities during his early career in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The story of a...

Ron Sikes has been a band director in Jefferson County Missouri for 19 years and a MMEA Past Jazz Vice President. In many ways, Ron embodies the growth mindset and in this episode he discusses his relentless pursuit of personal growth in all that he does. Topics: Ron's background growing up and the winding road that he took to becoming a music teacher and music professional. Thoughts about jazz ed...

Steve Graves has been a middle school band director in Orange County, California for over 30 years. In this episode he shares his advice about teaching middle school including some really great advice for young band teachers. Topics: Steve's background and his career as a successful middle school band director. Great teaching is not about teaching people to play instruments but rather to teach you...

Self-described as "an Australian composer with a penchant for colour and creativity in the wind band genre," Jodie Blackshaw shares the story of her career, her music, and her thoughts about teaching band. Topics: The conversation begins with a discussion of Jodie's current project, a 25 minute work for band and how she's incorporated ideas from chamber works for winds to show off the colors of th...

Dr. Michael Nickens, aka "Doc Nix" is the Director of Athletic Bands at George Mason University. He joins the show to discuss the incredible variety of bands at GMU and share his thoughts about inclusiveness and building community. Topics: The Green Machine Bands and Ensembles The birth of the "Doc Nix" and how the persona and wardrobe have become a part of making the Green Machine pep band a sign...

Myra Rhoden is the director of bands at Fayette County High School in Georgia and founder of the Athena Music and Leadership Camp. Myra is the recipient of numerous teaching awards, including being named the 2018 NAfME Band Director of the Year. Topics Myra's story of growing up in Tuskegee, Alabama in a family that valued the arts, and how her high school band director created an environment that...

Composer Rossano Galante joins the show to discuss his career as a band composer and Hollywood orchestrator. Topics: Rossano's early years growing up in Buffalo, New York, the story of how he used to organize his own reading bands for his music, and how he became an orchestrator for Hollywood movies. A discussion of composing including using pencil and paper versus the computer, the compositional...

Eric Combs is a middle school band director in Olney, Illinois and is dedicated to helping his peers through his Sound Beginnings website and Thoughts from a Beginning Band Director Facebook page. Topics: Eric's background and how he overcame his early self-doubts to become a very successful middle school director in Only, Illinois. Eric's impulse to share his strategies and successes as a teacher...

Cait Nishimura is the winner of the 2017 Canadian Band Association Composition Competition and a rising star as a composer for band. Topics: Cait's background growing up in Canada, playing the bass clarinet, going to an arts high school, and deciding to become a composer. Commissions and how and why Cait made the transition from aspiring teacher to full time, self-published composer. Being a young...

Matthew Provino is an accomplished middle school band director in Southern California and the co-author of a two volume free beginning band method that he makes available as a free download. Topics: Matthew's background growing up in Southern California and some of the influences on his career. The story of how Matthew and Phillip Herrera wrote their own (free!) method book and then wrote a second...

As the composer of more than 250 works for band and co-founder of Queenwood Publications, Anne McGinty has enjoyed a remarkable career. In this episode she shares highlights and stories from her extraordinary musical life, and offers advice for young composers and teachers. Topics: Anne's early years as a young musician, including her stint as a flutist for the Tuscon Symphony in her early 20's. H...

Conductor and Composer Jack Stamp shares his story, including his early musical education and the people and experiences that contributed to his remarkable career. Topics: "Luck is when preparation meets opportunity": Jack's education and eclectic musical background including the story about how and why he taught himself to play the piano from popular music lead sheets. How an experience playing t...

Andrew Glover is the Executive Vice President in charge of music production, staff arranger, and one half of the band editorial board at the C.L. Barnhouse Company. He joins the show for a conversation that touches on the history of circus bands in America, the story of C.L. Barnhouse, and what he looks for when deciding what to publish. Topics: Andy's background growing up in St. Louis through hi...

Lynne Jackson has been a music teacher for over 40 years and shares some of her thoughts about music and band, and offers some tips for teachers heading back to school for the new year. Topics: Lynne's background growing up in Michigan, deciding to be a band director in the 8th grade, early mentors, and playing in William D. Revelli's band at the University of Michigan. Lynne's journey from Michig...

Composer Nicole Piunno joins me to tell her remarkable story of resiliency, to describe her career as a composer and trumpet player, and to share her thoughts about music and the band community. Topics: Nicole's background and the remarkable string of events that forced her to reinvent herself several times in her musical career. The injury to her trumpet embouchure that required surgery and how t...

An instrumental music educator at Patrick March Middle School in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, Chris Gleason was the 2017 Wisconsin Middle School Teacher of the Year, a finalist for the 2017 National Teacher of the Year and a semifinalist for the 2017 GRAMMY Music Educator Award. He joins the show to talk about his career, his commissioning program, and share some teaching wisdom. Topics: Growing up as...

Just the fourth person to hold the position as conductor of the Eastman Wind Ensemble, Mark Scatterday joins the show to discuss that ensemble and his career, and to share advice about conducting and teaching. Topics: Mark's early years growing up as a musician and his path to becoming a music educator and conductor.  The importance of being prepared and how, as a high school band director in Ohio...

An accomplished composer, teacher, and trumpet player, Vince Gassi has taught music for 25 years and has published over 100 works. He joins the show to share some of the wisdom that he's gained over a distinguished career. Topics: Vince's early years and how a late start led to a terrific career as an educator and composer. Tips for young teachers including the importance of being passionate and c...

The band director at Central Washington University for 34 years, Larry Gookin joins the show to talk about his career and what he thinks are some of the key traits and practices that have made him a successful music educator. Topics: Larry's background, his early career, and the path to becoming the band director at Central Washington University. Literature selection, a guest appearance by Larry's...

Happy Independence Day to all of my American listeners! For this week's episode I am joined by SSG Francis Franqui, a former band director and now a bugle musician with the United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps to talk about a variety of topics including the history and significance of the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, his experience during the audition process, and some discussion of...

Composer Steven Bryant's music for winds has quickly become part of the standard repertoire. As the son of a music educator, he is a strong supporter of music education and he joins me from the mountains of Austria to talk about his early influences, his music, and his career to this point. Topics: Steven's background as the son of a high school band director and how that influenced his path to be...

After 18 years as the band editor at Carl Fischer, Larry Clark recently founded Excelcia Music Publishing. A prolific composer and teacher, he shares his thoughts about the music industry, music education, and composing for band. Topics: Larry's background growing up in Florida and how he got his musical start and his path to becoming a composer. Advice for teachers who want to learn to arrange or...

Congratulations on making it to the end of another school year! The end of the year episode features Leah Bandman, a young teacher in Northern Virginia who just finished up her first year and agreed to talk about her experiences so far. Topics: Leah's background growing up in Northern Virginia and going to school at Ohio State and the nature of her current teaching position. Unexpected challenges...