The Growing Band Director

Kyle and Krystle sit down at the Excelcia Music Publishing booth at Midwest 2025 with John McAllister to discuss warm ups for the young band and so much more! ⁠⁠Support the Show Here⁠⁠ To gain access to all show notes and audio files please Subscribe to the podcast and consider supporting the show on Patreon - using the button at the top of ⁠⁠ thegrowingbanddirector.com⁠⁠ Our mission is to share p...

Jazz Pedagogy and Repertoire Playlist⁠ ⁠Diving Into Jazz With Confidence and Joy - Milas Yoes⁠ Milas Yoes joins the show in this four part series on Jazz Education- Teaching Improv Teaching Swing Feel Teaching the Rhythm Section Music Selection To gain access to all show notes and audio files please Subscribe to the podcast and consider supporting the show on Patreon - using the button at the top...

Making Joy Your Tonal Center with Matthew Arau Support the Show Here To gain access to all show notes and audio files please Subscribe to the podcast and consider supporting the show on Patreon - using the button at the top of thegrowingbanddirector.com Our mission is to share practical  advice and explore topics that will help every band director, no matter your experience level, as well as music...

Krystle sits down at the Excelcia Music Publishing booth at Midwest 2025 with Mike Perez (Kinard Core Knowledge Middle School - Colorado) and Kameron Durr (MS) to discuss young band techniques and building in a small program. ⁠ Support the Show Here ⁠ To gain access to all show notes and audio files please Subscribe to the podcast and consider supporting the show on Patreon - using the button at t...

Jazz Pedagogy and Repertoire Playlist Diving Into Jazz With Confidence and Joy - Milas Yoes Milas Yoes joins the show in this four part series on Jazz Education- Teaching Improv Teaching Swing Feel Teaching the Rhythm Section Music Selection To gain access to all show notes and audio files please Subscribe to the podcast and consider supporting the show on Patreon - using the button at the top of...

Of Endless Miles of Empty Rafts is the 2024 CBDNA Young Band Composition Winner, and gives your band a chance to perform authentic afro-latin music with your Concert Band! In this session composer Michele Fernandez and Kyle Smith of the Growing Band Director Podcast get together to explain the history behind the piece, the format of how it is constructed, and key components to preparing it in an a...

Kyle sits down with Andrew Boysen Jr to discuss: -Conducting advice for band directors -Effective techniques in organizing and managing an honor band -Advice to be sure the students are successful when you are asked to conduct an honor band -We listened to so many of his great pieces as well! To gain access to all show notes and audio files please Subscribe to the podcast and consider supporting t...

⁠ Support the Show Here ⁠ Quincy Hilliard hosts a conversation with the legendary young band writer Andrew Balent to learn more about the history of the composers who started writing for young band. To gain access to all show notes and audio files please Subscribe to the podcast and consider supporting the show on Patreon - using the button at the top of thegrowingbanddirector.com Our mission is t...

In this episode Kyle meets with Laura Estes to learn some keys to crafting rehearsals to help your student succeed, and they have a conversation about Laura's switch to being a composer, and finally - feature two amazing compositions of hers - Cook Strait Crossing-Grade 1 (Recorded at Midwest 2022-William Mason HS, Ed Protzman, conductor) and Sinterklaas's Rooftop Ride - a hilarious Grade 2.5 Dutc...

Christy Stump is the band director at Gulf Breeze Middle School in Gulf Breeze, Florida. She joins the show to give ways in ensure your students are successful in their sight reading process at assessment festival. To gain access to all show notes and audio files please Subscribe to the podcast and consider supporting the show on Patreon - using the button at the top of thegrowingbanddirector.com...

Learn from experienced beginning band educator Mary Cogswell, as she teams up with Ron Stary to discuss many aspects of teaching beginning band, including some new repertoire recently put out through Murphy Press for your beginners! To gain access to all show notes and audio files please Subscribe to the podcast and consider supporting the show on Patreon - using the button at the top of thegrowin...

Guests include Colonel John Bourgeois, Doug Beach, Paul Baker, Tim Hendrix, Dennis Llinas, Tyler Reese, Christina Huss and Michael Sweeney Support the Show Here To gain access to all show notes and audio files please Subscribe to the podcast and consider supporting the show on Patreon - using the button at the top of thegrowingbanddirector.com Our mission is to share practical  advice and explore...

In person interviews on Day 2 of The Midwest Clinic 2025 includeL Heath Wolf, Terry White, Jeff Jarvis, Mike Perez, Stephen Sholey, Mark Casperson, Brian Rhodes, Travis Weller, and Jerry Tolson. To gain access to all show notes and audio files please Subscribe to the podcast and consider supporting the show on Patreon - using the button at the top of thegrowingbanddirector.com Our mission is to sh...

Great guests include: Kameron Durr, Jackson Smith, Aaron Noe, Heather Hastings, John McAllister andDan Austin To gain access to all show notes and audio files please Subscribe to the podcast and consider supporting the show on Patreon - using the button at the top of thegrowingbanddirector.com Our mission is to share practical  advice and explore topics that will help every band director, no matte...

Mike Perez is the band director at Kinard Core Knowledge Middle School in Fort Collins, Colorado. He joins Kyle to share his best practices with beginning band. Mike's Placement System You can find Mike's content at www.mikeperezband.com and find him on Youtube and Instagram @mastering_the_young_band To gain access to all show notes and audio files please Subscribe to the podcast and consi...

Learn about this great process to arrange a piece of music with your full band class! Jake Sturtevant has been doing this project with this ensembles for over a decade and knows how invested students get in the process, the outcome, and how much ownership they take over it! ⁠Project Overview Paperwork⁠ Jake's Website⁠ To gain access to all show notes and audio files please Subscribe to the podcast...

Carol Brittin Chambers joins Kyle to discuss some of her most popular pieces, as well as some of her brand new works for musicians of all ages! They also discuss practical solutions for marching band and concert band from the band director perspective. To gain access to all show notes and audio files please Subscribe to the podcast and consider supporting the show on Patreon - using the button at...

Six pieces of music (Three for Concert Band and Three for Jazz Band) that your students would benefit from working on and performing! To gain access to all show notes and audio files please Subscribe to the podcast and consider supporting the show on Patreon - using the button at the top of thegrowingbanddirector.com Our mission is to share practical  advice and explore topics that will help every...

Bentonville High School made Top 12 at Bands of America Grand Nationals in November, and are performing at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago in December! Their director, Tim Hendrix, joins the show to discuss the journey they went on, as well as preview their program for Midwest and discuss the process for their students. To gain access to all show notes and audio files please Subsc...

Ron Stary interviews Del Hubers - a veteran teacher of 39 years who has made it a mission to get more music written for beginning band! Hear his process, philosophies and some of the pieces that have been written recently! To gain access to all show notes and audio files please Subscribe to the podcast and consider supporting the show on Patreon - using the button at the top of thegrowingbanddirec...

Band BFFs Podcast creators Laura and Katie join Kyle to share about their score study based podcast that analyzes grade 1-3 pieces of music for band to help other band directors choose repertoire for their students, and to help them understand and teach the pieces the best way possible. BandBFFs Podcast To gain access to all show notes and audio files please Subscribe to the podcast and consider s...

Matthew Arau is the founder of ⁠ Upbeat Global ⁠and shares many ways to maximize your student engagement during rehearsal. To gain access to all show notes and audio files please Subscribe to the podcast and consider supporting the show on Patreon - using the button at the top of thegrowingbanddirector.com Our mission is to share practical  advice and explore topics that will help every band direc...

Steve Nendza ( snendza@d142.org ) is a past band director and current principal. He joins Kyle to discuss advice for people interviewing for their first, or next, teaching position. To gain access to all show notes and audio files please Subscribe to the podcast and consider supporting the show on Patreon - using the button at the top of thegrowingbanddirector.com Our mission is to share practical...

As band directors, so many times we come across students who are not as motivated as we were as students. Music Educator and Doctoral Student Tyler Ehrlich has written in "Upbeat" as well as on ⁠tylerehrlich.com⁠ on just this - and shares many practical tips to helping foster these students in your program. To gain access to all show notes and audio files please Subscribe to the podcast and consid...

Sally Wagner taught band for 40 years, including 34 years at Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Maryland. She joins Kyle to discuss : Motivation - Your Best Feeder System The Adjudication Checklist Common Things Adjudicators Say from her book The Pursuit of Excellence-A Band Director's Guide to Success with Sally Wagner To gain access to all show notes and audio files please Subscribe to the pod...