The Beth and Kelly Show: Music Teaching (and Life)

We had a chance to talk shop with Seattle music journalist Alexa Peters, who is a music reporter for KNKX Public Radio . We talk about what a gift KNKX is for our region and the whole world, actually — and about how cool it would be if art study made it easier to explore pathways such as arts journalism. Take a listen!

We had the chance to talk with Dr. Nathan Irby , whose dissertation was focused on one of the more interesting-to-Washington-music-educators topics: “What exactly is in the water up in Seattle?,” unpacking the long-term success of Seattle and Seattle-area high school jazz band programs at the “Super Bowl of Jazz Band Competitions,” the Essentially Ellington Conpetition that Jazz @ Lincoln Center h...

We waited for more than a year to have this excellent conversation with Meghan Wagner and Erin Keeton-Howard about their collaboratively written book Women In Windband (GIA Publishing)! https://giamusic.com/resource/women-in-wind-band-book-11015 The book features narratives and thought-work of almost 30(!) femme music educators from all over and from every level. It also has SEVERAL calls to actio...

We talked with Tim Carey about the wonderful opportunities his org Seattle Jazz Night School creates for adults that want to plug into music making in a low-stakes, supportive environment. He said that many of their clientele are folx that “quit band” when they were in school because the environment was high-stakes and competitive (toxic). Then we pondered the question that is on all our minds: wh...

We were honored to present "Jazz Values: People Based Approaches to Music Teaching and Learning" to our colleagues at the Jazz Education Network Conference in New Orleans, LA. This is a recording of that 1/10/26 presentation. Some audience feedback is not audible. Handouts can be found at www.thebethandkellyshow.com

We met a new kindred spirit in Bryan Powell , of Music Will . This org, with Bryan’s help, is out there helping music educators learn how to musically serve the other 80% of students in schools who are *NOT* involved in typical school music offerings (band, choir, orchestra). This is a way for us to move music education forward! 

The Beth and Kelly Show kicks off Season Six! In this episode, Kelly Clingan and Beth Fortune reintroduce ourselves as the evolving music educators and music lovers that we are. We hope you take a listen and we hope you join us live Fridays at 4:00 PST for our weekly “teacher happy hour"!

We're joined by Alma Ramos from the Music Inclusion Coalition (MIC). We share reminders that amidst the structures of patriarchy (including those that exist within music education), there are ways to help our students get past barriers. Check out MIC, and check out this episode!

Awesome to return to The Beth and Kelly Show this afternoon with our esteemed guest (and fellow Gen-Xer) Dr. Jason Noble , Music Ed professor at CUNY! The entire hour was spent “on the same wavelength” in our discussion about purposeful “approach changes” away from the “old school” in the teaching of instrumental ensembles, music education programs of learning, and entrance/ audition requirements....

The Beth and Kelly Show had an awesome conversation with Bethany Robinson , Director of Jazz Activities at Purdue University! Bethany is a deeply wise music educator and professional musician who builds a humongous community of jazz lovers and players everywhere she goes. Listen in to find out why and how.

We had the BEST chat with orchestra educator Jonathan Glawe and members of the Pioneer High School Symphonic Strings Orchestra from Ann Arbor, Michigan (Eli Braunschneider --12th Grade, Soledad beck --10th Grade, Hyunsung Woo --11th Grade, and Luke Hayden --12th Grade). They are "on tour" and just had an amazing, ground-breaking performance at the National Orchestra Festival in Atlanta as a part o...

We had the BEST convo with Dr. Julie Yu, Director of Choral Activities at Oklahoma City University and Conductor of the Oklahoma City Canterbury Voices Chorale. We go deep into how it feels as women in music education and leadership in this moment in time and the tiny slivers of hope — of light shining through the barriers. There is cause to be worried, yes, but also cause for hope and optimism.

This show with Ramon Rivera is a MUST LISTEN!! Right now is the time to build a safe, LOVING, welcoming place for our students and Ramon shares how to START. Tune in!

If you’re a music educator, we know it’s tough right now and there are SO many questions. Please listen to this episode with Jazzmone Sutton , the Senior Manager for State Advocacy and Equity at NAfME. We know that things are coming and we’re going to need to act. We can’t do it alone. We must collectively collaborate in heavy duty advocacy and help each other out. Listen to Jazzmone’s ideas on ho...

We had a SUPER IMPORTANT conversation with Dr. Sean Powell about his SUPER IMPORTANT book The Ideology of Competition in School Music. Have you ever, as a music educator who was involved in some type of competition with your students, felt a sinking feeling of “something just ain’t right about this….” ? If this is you, listen to this episode. Read the book!

Awesome conversation with Seattle music ed maven Deb Schaaf ! We worked with Deb for years in Seattle Public Schools and together we played a big role in shaping the district’s cutting edge “Cornerstone Assessment” that centers student-directed learning, collaboration, and creativity. The through-line of our discussion: LIFE-LONG MUSIC MAKING!!

Excellent and eclectic conversation with multi-genre musician/ creator (and former Seattleite/ Rooseveltian) Brittany Anjou ! Brittany has been spreading her genius around NYC for almost 20 years now, has been conducting some cutting edge research, and contributes wisdom to young scholars as a prof at The New School. This conversation is a good one to listen to if you are an artist or educator of...

In this episode, we celebrate 5 years of this podcast — a true labor of love; AND we talk at length about a mentor of ours — a consummate music educator who was the very essence of cool — the late Robert E Knatt.

In this epic conversation with Molly Redfield, we talk about Molly’s musical upbringing, and the challenges encountered as a woman pro performer and music educator. What became evident is that words matter — even offhanded comments from an adjudicator at a middle school jazz band festival. Words (even seemingly simple ones) can affect the trajectory of one’s beliefs about themselves and one’s very...

Rayna Mathis joined us for our final episode of Season 4 of The Beth and Kelly Show ! We talk about all of Rayna's hats -- including overseeing the revolutionary and equity-based Creative Advantage arts program for Seattle Public School s, as well as her editorship of the Earshot Jaz z Journal -- a celebrated Seattle publication. Tune in for this inspiring interview that shows us that all of us ca...

This episode is a conversation between 3 women who are relentlessly working to help our music and music education worlds be more equitable and representative of all genders. Listen to the creative approaches our great Erica von Kleist is employing to get important messages across. Yes yes yes! The work continues!

Epic conversation with the epic folks @ StringRise ( Nicole Melrose , Annalisa Chang , and 2024 Grammy Music Educator Award Recipient Annie Ray ) about serving kids where they are right now and owning the role of EDUCATOR.

What a great and timely conversation with Music Ed thinker Will Coppola ! Take a listen and expand your understanding of the directions we need to steer the ship in our modern era.

This interview with the movers and shakers of the Yamaha Education Division, Heather Mansell and Natalie Morrison, goes into the REAL ways that Yamaha is working to help us as a music education world usher in needed change. This is a great convo about serving both our current students AND "the other 70%" of students that don't engage in school music programs in the US (shocking data, I know)!! Yam...

Beth and Kelly Show Season 4 "Live From ASTA" Series: Composer Katie LaBrie! We already knew that Katie LaBrie's awesome orchestra compositions are being played all across this land (to our students' delight) -- but in this conversation we get into her life, not just as a composer -- but also a music educator, conductor, and mom. Listen to this story of living through HUGE challenges -- and leanin...