The 8 to 5 Club

The 8 to 5 Club welcomes Jesse Walker and Jacob Yudho to talk about leadership in drum corps, indoor, and high school color guard. From Jesse's experiences at Dartmouth HS and the Boston Crusaders and Jacob's time with Carolina Crown and Paramount, we learn about the importance of being a cheerleader for your peers and having a standard of professionalism for performers of all ages and ski...

In honor of the upcoming drum corps audition season, Jared and Corey share some of their advice for auditionees. We talk about what went into our own successful auditions, such as mock auditions, prep schedules, and embracing the learning process. We also answer questions about picking repertoire, how to handle "ticking" and performance anxiety, and the role that vets play in the auditio...

Silent Command Brand Ambassadors Lily Tow, Miguel Flores-Padilla, and Nick Ramos join the podcast this week to discuss traits of an effective staff-to-leadership working relationship. These drum majors share the ways that their band programs increase transparency and communication from the directors down to the students, and how excitement and creativity from staff can impact everyone in the band....

... and the lessons he learned along the way. This episode, Jared gets candid about how he has reevaluated his teaching approaches in the last few years. Realizing the limitations of one-size-fits-all lesson planning, he has become an educator focused on being receptive to student needs and perspectives. An unexpected tear in the relationship between Jared and his students reveals the value of bui...

We asked our 8 to 5 Club listeners to submit their questions for us this week! Corey shares the story of his decision to move up from marching member to drum major. Jared brags about his summer of NOT sleeping on gym floors and the other luxuries of age-out life. Among many other hard-hitting topics, we address our thoughts on leading a group with differing individual mindsets, techniques for hand...

Corey is back this week with a 1-on-1 episode reflecting on his biggest leadership lessons from his final summer of drum corps. The heightened internal and external expectations that come with being a veteran leader means that the job is almost never smooth sailing. Corey shares some of his challenges with the shifting relationships with members, member leaders, and staff. "As a leader, if yo...

In this segment on percussion leadership, Corey connects with Bluecoats battery section leader Sebastian Martinez to discuss his strategies for leading through organizational and personal change. His successes within his own section and the corps on a broader scale highlights the importance of putting people first and always committing to improvement. Finally, we explain common issues and scenario...

In this segment on percussion leadership, Jared interviews Phantom Regiment front ensemble member and Stryke section leader Henry Santos. Henry reflects on his intensive audition process and the people who inspired him throughout. We talk about the traits of great members and leaders, connecting it all to the pursuit of positively impacting the people around us. → The 8 to 5 Club podcast is made p...

Welcome back to the 8 to 5 Club! After a brief hiatus, co-hosts Jared and Corey are back on the mic with new stories and new wisdom. To start off the new season, we share what we've been up to this summer. Corey reflects on his leadership struggles and successes through the 2023 drum corps season. Jared's summer of teaching and consulting inspires a discussion about our values and non-nego...

We wrap up the first season of the 8 to 5 club with our reflections on the podcast so far. Jared and Corey answer five of your burning questions and wish you all the best on your marching endeavors this summer! → The 8 to 5 Club podcast is made possible by Silent Command. Visit  silentcommand.org  for lessons, clinics, and videos. → Find Corey at coreycastillo.com

Boston Crusaders drum major Wes Booker joins Jared to discuss navigating interpersonal relationships in order to succeed as a team. Wes shares what it's like to move between corps and how he has adapted to unexpected changes within his own drum major team. With trust and respect as our guiding principles of leadership, we talk about mediating tough conversations with diverse personalities, str...

The 8 to 5 Club is back with your favorite professional best friends, Jared and Corey. We recall our first interactions with each other, as well as what pulled us apart and back together again through the course of the season. We relive our spring training metronome trauma to shed light on how to maintain a healthy working relationship during tough times. Finally, tune in to hear our tips on copin...

This week, Jared joins high school drum majors and Silent Command brand ambassadors Isabella Williams and Miguel Flores-Padilla to discuss how leaders can have a major impact on the culture of a marching arts group. We share strategies for building personal connections with our peers, including spirit day competitions, card games, and friendly smiles. Reflecting upon our own successful (and someti...

In this episode, Corey shares his marching arts journey and how he moved up within his corps from marching member to drum major. He explains his approach to the unique role of a head DM by walking through some of his responsibilities from the most recent camp weekend and what his process is like when preparing for rehearsal. → Find Corey at coreycastillo.com → The 8 to 5 Club podcast is made possi...

This special episode features Josh and Luke Gall, founders of Ultimate Drill Book and self-proclaimed “professional band kids.” We get a behind-the-scenes look into the journey of the company, from selling drill books to developing the UDB app, and their path into the future with Beam and StrideTV. → Find UDB at ultimatedrillbook.com → The 8 to 5 Club podcast is made possible by Silent Command. Vi...

Today's episode features Sharbel Skaff, visual instructor and former horn sergeant of the Cadets Drum & Bugle Corps. Jared and Sharbel tackle the complexities of the two-way street between staff and members - particularly how instructors and admin can best support drum majors and section leaders to make the most out of the member experience. We discuss practicing what you preach, the pitfa...

In this solo episode, marching arts educator and former Blue Devils drum major Jared shares his inspiring journey of leadership. From initial struggles as a tuba alternate in his high school marching band to taking the leap to audition for the Blue Devils, Jared remembers what kept his passion for the marching arts alive even through its challenges. He reveals what his DCI audition process was lik...

Let’s get physical! In this episode, Corey welcomes Daniel Recoder (aka Forte Athletics) to the podcast to discuss fitness for conductors/drum majors. Daniel shares how his relationship with fitness has changed through his years in the marching arts and reveals how Forte Athletics came to be. We talk about the importance of spinal alignment, demystify the anatomy of the shoulder, and break down th...

What do baristas and drum majors have in common? In this episode, Jared and his “best friend in the whole wide world" (Corey) reflect on wisdom they learned from their non-band jobs. We talk about the importance of regulating our emotions at work and how dirty plates are as bad as messy horn stacks. We also take a moment to appreciate some of our memorable managers and boss bosses (shoutout t...

Special guest alert!! In this extended interview, Jared sits down with band director and Silent Command CEO Kolyn Wentzell. Kolyn reflects on his journey as a Bluecoats drum major and the personal growth he experienced entering a top-5 corps fresh out of high school. Tune in to hear Kolyn’s steps for improving musicality and movement in your conducting and his advice for aspiring music educators....

Your health and well-being is more important than the job that you do. Jared and Corey share their realistic self-care systems that carried them through the 2022 season (relatively) unscathed. The key is to create a routine that schedules specific times/places for you to switch from "on" to "off". Whether it's meditation, pre-ensemble nap time, or playing Uno with a friend, it is absolutely possib...

The 8 to 5 Club takes a turn this episode as Jared and Corey sit down to interview each other, throwing compliments and insults in the span of thirty minutes. Jared attempts to explain how his toothbrush ended up in Corey’s toilet and unpacks his colorguard bus trauma (hint: karaoke). Corey drops his top tips for successful score study and gets candid about his oatmeal addiction. You don’t want to...

In this episode, Corey and Jared tackle the difficulties of the pre-season and share ways to retain momentum between rehearsal camp weekends. Starting with a process of reflection and feedback, you can create new goals and a game plan for the next rehearsal. Having a network of accountability to keep this blueprint in place is essential, so we also share our strategies for staying connected with y...

Welcome to the first episode of The 8 to 5 Club! Get to know your hosts, Jared and Corey, and get a preview of our upcoming podcast topics. In this episode, we answer the age-old question: "Who are we?" – and Jared makes Corey rate their friendship. We reflect on Jared’s prowess as visual block DJ and the joys of podium assembly. → The 8 to 5 Club podcast is made possible by Silent Command. Visit...