After Hours: Conversations for Music Educators

This week Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Dr. John Zastoupil, Director of Bands at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.In this episode we'll learn more about the responsibilities of the job away from the podium. He'll also tell us what he does to try to achieve a healthy work-life balance in a demanding job such as this.Our conversation was recorded in December 2024. We've broken it up into two episodes, and this is part two.

This week Nick Averwater talks with Dr. John Zastoupil, Director of Bands at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.In this episode we'll learn about the musical path that brought Dr. Zastoupil to UT  three years ago, and some of the exciting ways the program is continuing to grow. He'll also share his thoughts on how high school band directors can prepare students who want to be a part of a college band program.Our conversation was recorded in December 2024. We've broken it up into two episodes, and this is part one.

This week Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Faith Serna, Assistant Band Director and Color Guard Coordinator at Highland High School in Highland, Arkansas. The Highland School District serves several small towns in north central Arkansas, and Faith grew up in the district.In the last episode, Faith talked about starting, or improving, color guard in a marching band, but in this second part of the conversation we'll switch directions and learn more about her first job in music education as band director in a very small school district in McCrory, Arkansas, a town of 1,500 people, located 70 miles northeast of Little Rock. We'll hear about the challenges she faced early on as the high school band director, and how she was able to more than triple the size of the program in the three years that she was there.Our conversation was recorded in the Fall of 2024. We've broken it up into two episodes, and this is part two.

This week Nick Averwater talks with Faith Serna, Assistant Band Director and Color Guard Coordinator at Highland High School in Highland, AR. The Highland School District serves several small towns in north central Arkansas. Faith grew up in the district, and studied with two band directors who are now her colleagues, Hope and Greg Bruner.In this episode Faith will tell us more about getting students interested in color guard, the equipment needed, and more.Our conversation was recorded in the Fall of 2024. We've broken it up into two episodes, and this is part one.Here are some documents and videos from Faith that will help you if you're interested in starting a color guard for your band.

This week we wrap up our six-part series looking at recruiting students for your band program as Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Brent Hopper, Nathan Anderson, and Brandan Bakkala. Brent is Middle School Band Director at Lakeland Preparatory School in Lakeland, TN, which is a town of around 14,000 located just northeast of Memphis. Nathan is a band director at Greene County Tech in Paragould, a city of 30,000 in northeast Arkansas. Brandan is Band Director at Valley View High School in Jonesboro, which is the fifth largest city in the Arkansas, with a population of just over 80,000, and is also located in the northeastern part of the state.In this episode we'll find out how these educators successfully work with school administration, fellow teachers, and especially counselors, to make sure deadlines are met and schedules are set. They'll also tell us how they communicate with parents and students directly, to let them know more about the band program.Our conversation was recorded January 3, 2025. We've broken it up into two episodes, and this is part two.

This week we continue with episode five of our six-part series looking at recruiting students for your band program as Nick Averwater talks with Brent Hopper, Nathan Anderson, and Brandan Bakkala. Brent is Middle School Band Director at Lakeland Preparatory School in Lakeland, TN, which is a town of around 14,000 located just northeast of Memphis. Nathan is a band director at Greene County Tech in Paragould, a city of 30,000 in northeast Arkansas. Brandan is Band Director at Valley View High School in Jonesboro, which is the fifth largest city in the Arkansas, with a population of just over 80,000, and is also located in the northeastern part of the state.In this episode we'll learn about the similar ways in which these directors begin thinking about recruiting for next year on the first day of school in the current year. They'll also tell us about the ways they use short videos and social media to reach out to potential band members.Our conversation was recorded January 3, 2025. We've broken it up into two episodes, and this is part one.

This week we continue with episode four of our six-part series looking at recruiting students for your band program as Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Joe Quinnelly, Reggie Coleman, and Daniel Ritch. Joe Quinnelly is Director of Bands at Hernando Middle School, which is part of the largest school district in Mississippi, and is located just south of Memphis. Reggie Coleman is Band Director at Rocky Fork Middle School in Smyrna, TN, which is a town of 53,000 located a half hour southeast of Nashville. Daniel Ritch is Head Band Director at Hardin County Middle School in Savannah, TN, which is a town of 7,200, two hours east of Memphis.In this episode we'll learn about the ways that recruiting has changed at their schools since the pandemic, how they build and maintain strong relationships with counselors and administrators, and more.Our conversation was recorded December 23, 2024. We've broken it up into two episodes, and this is part two.Here are the band director resources on Amro Music's website that were referenced in the conversation.

This week we continue with episode three of our six-part series looking at recruiting students for your band program as Nick Averwater talks with Joe Quinnelly, Reggie Coleman, and Daniel Ritch. Joe Quinnelly is Director of Bands at Hernando Middle School, which is part of the largest school district in Mississippi, and is located just south of Memphis, Reggie Coleman is Band Director at Rocky Fork Middle School in Smyrna, TN, which is a town of 53,000 located a half hour southeast of Nashville, and Daniel Ritch is Head Band Director at Hardin County Middle School in Savannah, TN, which is a town of 7,200, two hours east of Memphis.Our conversation was recorded December 23, 2024. We've broken it up into two episodes, and this is part one.

This week we continue our series taking a closer look at recruiting students for your band program, and we'll hear the second part of a conversation Nick Averwater had with Brittany Jerrell and Emma Lang. Brittany is Co-Director of Bands at Stewarts Creek Middle School in Smyrna, TN, a city of just over 50,000, 20 miles southeast of Nashville. Emma teaches at Trenton-Rosenwald Middle School in Trenton, TN, which is a town of 4,200 in West Tennessee, 75 miles northeast of Memphis.In this episode we'll be learning more about how these educators communicate with the parents of students to let them know about the benefits of being in band. We'll also find out how they encourage students to join the band when there are so many other activities available to them. Our conversation was recorded December 11, 2024. We've broken it up into two episodes, and this is part two.

This week we're kicking off a series taking a closer look at recruiting students for your band program, a topic that seems to come up in nearly every episode of the podcast, and one that you have asked us to address even further. In the next six episodes we'll be learning a lot from eight educators in three different conversations.So, in this episode and the next one, Nick Averwater will be talking with Brittany Jerrell and Emma Lang. Brittany is Co-Director of Bands at Stewarts Creek Middle School in Smyrna, TN, a city of just over 50,000, 15 miles southeast of Nashville. Emma teaches at Trenton-Rosenwald Middle School in Trenton, TN, which is a town of 4,200 in West Tennessee, 75 miles northeast of Memphis.Our conversation was recorded December 11, 2024. We've broken it up into two episodes, and this is part one.

This week Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Michael Parsons, Director of Instrumental and Popular Music at Briarcrest Christian School in Memphis, TN. Michael is also Director of Sound Fuzion, a pop vocal ensemble at the University of Memphis.In this episode we'll learn more about how Michael uses pop music ensembles like Soundscape, which is a group of 16 instrumentalists and vocalists, to recruit students for Briarcrest's many music ensembles. We'll also get his perspective on what it's like to teach music at a private school vs. a public school.Our conversation was recorded in August of 2024, just as the new school year was beginning. We've broken it up into two episodes, and this is part two.Here's Soundscape's YouTube channelHere's One Voice's YouTube channel

This week Nick Averwater talks with Michael Parsons, Director of Instrumental and Popular Music at Briarcrest Christian School in Memphis, TN. Michael is also Director of Sound Fuzion, a pop vocal ensemble at the University of Memphis.In this episode we'll learn about how Michael has incorporated pop music groups and commercial music studies into the music department at Briarcrest, but in a way that enhances the traditional music ensembles.Our conversation was recorded August, 2024. We've broken it up into two episodes, and this is part one.

This week Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Gillian Desmarais, who teaches Music Production and Engineering at Harmony Learning Center in Maplewood, MN. Gillian is the founder of Sound Tech Ed, a website that provides resources for music programs that allow students to learn and grow with music technology. She has also been named to the 2024 Yamaha 40 Under 40 list of music educators, and was named 2024 Teacher Of The Year by TI:ME.In this episode Gillian will tell us more about Harmony Learning Center, the students she teaches there, and the ways in which she customizes the curriculum so that they can excel academically, and musically. She'll also tell us about how she continues to evolve and improve as a music educator.Our conversation was recorded August 12, 2024. We've broken it up into three episodes, and this is part three.

This week Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Gillian Desmarais, who teaches Music Production and Engineering at Harmony Learning Center in Maplewood, MN. Gillian is the founder of Sound Tech Ed, a website that provides resources for music programs that allow students to learn and grow with music technology. She has also been named to the 2024 Yamaha 40 Under 40 list of music educators, and was named 2024 Teacher Of The Year by TI:ME.In this episode Gillian will share some ideas for music educators who want to introduce music technology into their classroom, or expand upon what they are already using.Our conversation was recorded August 12, 2024. We've broken it up into three episodes, and this is part two.Here are the different music technology resources Gillian mentions in this episode:FL StudioSoundtrapGarage BandLaunchpadBandLabLogicAbleton LiveCubaseAbleton PushAkai MIDI Controllers

This week we continue our look at using technology in music education, as Nick Averwater talks with Gillian Desmarais, who teaches Music Production and Engineering at Harmony Learning Center in Maplewood, MN. Gillian is the founder of Sound Tech Ed, a website that provides resources for music programs that allow students to learn and grow with music technology. She has also been named to the 2024 Yamaha 40 Under 40 list of music educators, and was named 2024 Teacher Of The Year by TI:ME.In this episode we'll be learning about Gillian's early interest in music technology, and how that influenced the way she teaches music. We'll also find out which software and web-based programs she uses. We have links to all of these resources below.Our conversation was recorded August 12, 2024. We've broken it up into three episodes, and this is part one.Here are the hardware, software, and web-based resources Gillian mentions:LaunchpadAbletonSoundtrapdrumbitGroove PizzaChrome Music Lab

This week Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Theresa Hoover, a music educator, clinician, author, and podcast host. In the last episode, we learned about how technology, particularly AI, can benefit music educators with things like writing lesson plans and recruitment. This week Theresa will talk about other AI resources that are useful to music educators. We'll also find out more about the concepts behind her book, Empowering Ensembles with Technology, which can be downloaded at the website for F-Flat Books. Our conversation was recorded August 5, 2024. We've broken it up into two episodes, and this is part two.Here are the online resources Theresa mentioned:LyricLabChatGPTSunoUdioChordChordHookpadPadletMusic Snippet

This week Nick Averwater talks with Theresa Hoover, a music educator, clinician, author, and podcast host. In this episode, we'll be learning about how technology, particularly AI, can benefit music educators with things like writing lesson plans, recruitment, and more. Theresa is the author of the book, Empowering Ensembles with Technology, which can be downloaded at the website for F-Flat Books. Our conversation was recorded August 5, 2024. We've broken it up into two episodes, and this is part one.Here's Theresa's websiteHere's Theresa's "Pass The Baton" podcast

This week Nick Averwater talks with Dr. Matthew Arau, Chair of the Music Education department at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin and author of the book, Upbeat! Mindset, Mindfulness and Leadership in Music Education And Beyond, published by GIA Publications. Dr. Arau is also the founder of Upbeat Global.As the 2024-2025 school year gets underway, Dr. Arau will share his ideas for starting the year off right, including ways of defining success, setting realistic goals for yourself and your students, and more.

We've been away for a few weeks while we finished up a two-year renovation project here at Amro Music. We're thrilled with the results, and excited to serve our education partners more effectively than ever. We've posted a video on our YouTube channel that shows some of the improvements that we've made to the store, our repair shop, and our Director Services department, but there's nothing like seeing it all in person, so if you're ever in Memphis, we hope you'll take some time to stop by. We would love to see you.This week we have the second half of Nick Averwater's conversation with David Davis. The first part of the interview was posted back in May of 2024. David is a Music Teacher at Park Spanish Immersion Elementary School in St. Louis Park, MN, a city of around 50,000 people just west of Minneapolis. In 2023, David was named to the Yamaha 40 Under 40 list of Music Educators.In this episode David shares his thoughts about music literacy and how it's defined. He'll also tell us what the first few weeks of school is like in his band room. And we'll learn more about the importance of diversity in terms of repertoire, ensembles, and instrumentation in his school's music program. Here's our conversation with Dr. Anita Collins that was mentioned in the interview.

This week Nick Averwater talks with David Davis, Music Teacher at Park Spanish Immersion Elementary School in St. Louis Park, MN, a city of around 50,000 people just west of Minneapolis. David was named to the 2023 Yamaha 40 Under 40 list of Music Educators.In this episode we'll learn about the people and experiences that inspired him to become a music educator, and we'll find out about some non-traditional approaches to keep students interested, and increase enrollment and retention in his music ensembles. Our conversation was recorded in January 2024. We've broken it up into two episodes, and this is part one. 

This week Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Dr. Emily Williams Burch, Professor of Music at Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, GA. Dr. Burch was also named to the 2023 Yamaha 40 Under 40 list of Music Educators. In this episode we'll learn about the work she has done with the American Choral Directors Association to provide advocacy resources to fellow educators. Our conversation was recorded in November, 2023. We've broken it up into two episodes, and this is part two. 

This week Nick Averwater talks with Dr. Emily Williams Burch, Professor of Music at Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, GA. Dr. Burch was also named to the 2023 Yamaha 40 Under 40 list of Music Educators. In this episode we'll learn about  the book that she co-authored with Alex Gartner called The Business Of Choir, A Choral Leader's Guide For Organizational Growth.Our conversation was recorded in November, 2023. We've broken it up into two episodes, and this is part one. 

This week Nick Averwater talks with Dr. Timothy Sexton, Associate Director of Bands for Tarpon Springs Leadership Conservatory For The Arts in Tarpon Springs, Florida, a city of around 25,000 located 25 miles northwest of Tampa. Dr. Sexton has also recently been named to the 2023 Yamaha 40 Under 40 list of Music Educators. In this episode we'll learn about the music educators and performing opportunities that influenced him as a student musician, his individualized approach to teaching students, the benefits of regularly recording the music ensembles, and more.Our conversation was recorded in November, 2023. 

This week Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Johanna Kitchell, Orchestra Director for Riverside Intermediate and Junior High Schools in Fishers, Indiana, a northeastern suburb of Indianapolis with a population of nearly 100,000. Johanna is also a conductor with the Indianapolis Youth Orchestra, and has been named to the 2023 Yamaha 40 Under 40 list of Music Educators. In the last episode we learned about how being an athlete has influenced her as a music educator, and the way the music and athletics departments work well together in her schools. This week we'll find out how she approaches recruiting, what educators should look for when working with a local music store, and more. We'll also learn about the method book that she has written for intermediate string players.Our conversation was recorded in October of 2023. We've broken it up into two episodes, and this is part two.

This week Nick Averwater talks with Johanna Kitchell, Orchestra Director for Riverside Intermediate and Junior High Schools in Fishers, IN, a northeastern suburb of Indianapolis with a population of around 95,000. Johanna is also a conductor with the Indianapolis Youth Orchestra, and has been named to the 2023 Yamaha 40 Under 40 List of Music Educators. In this episode we'll learn more about her early years as a musician in upstate New York, the way being an athlete has influenced her as a music educator, and the way the music and athletics departments work well together in her schools.Our conversation was recorded in October, 2023. We've broken it up into two episodes, and this is part one.Here's more information about Johanna's method book for intermediate string players.

This week Nick Averwater talks with Dr. Matthew Arau, Chair of the Music Education department at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. Dr. Arau was our guest on two episodes in April 2023, but we realized that there was much more to talk about that we couldn't fit into those two episodes, so we've invited him back to share his thoughts about the state of music education after the pandemic, and why kindness, encouragement and support in the classroom is more important than ever.

This week Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Dr. Bruce Faske, Associate Professor of Trombone at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. In the last episode Dr. Faske shared ideas for band directors who are non-trombonists, but are teaching the instrument at the beginning and middle school levels. This week we'll have a similar conversation, but we'll focus on musicians and band directors at the high school level. Dr. Faske will also have some helpful advice for keeping a trombone in good working condition. We've broken up our conversation into two episodes, and this is part two.

This week Nick Averwater talks with Dr. Bruce Faske, Associate Professor of Trombone at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. He has taught at the University since 2014, and in this episode we'll learn more about the path that brought him to Northeast Arkansas, and he'll also share some helpful tips for band directors at the middle school level who have little or no experience playing the trombone. We've broken up our conversation into two episodes, and this is part one.

This week Nick Averwater talks with Franklin Willis, Community Impact Director for the Country Music Association Foundation. He has been with the foundation since August of 2022 after 13 years as a music educator. In this episode we'll learn more about his early influences as an educator, the foundation's Music Teachers of Excellence Program, and some of the ways a music program can have a positive effect on a community. Our conversation was recorded in September, 2023.

This week Nick Averwater continues his conversation with author & educator Scott Lang about the fourth version of the State Of Music Education Survey. The survey started in 2020 as a result of the pandemic, and version 5 expected later in 2023. Version 4 is broken up into six categories. Last week Nick and Scott talked about three of those categories: instructional time, student learning, and enrollment. This week they'll be talking about budget, administrative support, and state of mind.Our conversation is broken up in to two episodes, and this is part 2.

This week Nick Averwater talks with author & educator Scott Lang. We last spoke with Scott in December 2020 about the State of Music Education survey, which started as a result of the pandemic. The survey is now in its fourth version, with version 5 expected later in 2023, so we thought it was time to check back in to see what has changed in the music education world, post-pandemic. Our conversation is broken up into two episodes, and this is part 1.

This week Nick Averwater hosts a Back-to-School conversation focusing on maximizing the start of the school year. Our three guests include Lindsey Williams from Paducah Middle School in Paducah, KY, Lauren Duncan from Lafayette Middle School and High School in Oxford, MS, and Evan Burton from Page Middle School in Franklin, TN.Our conversation was recorded on August 2, 2023.

This week Nick Averwater hosts a Back-to-School webinar focusing on recruitment and retention. Our guests include Kaitlin Roll from Annie Camp Junior High School in Jonesboro, AR, Vanessa Cobb from Montgomery Central High School in Cunningham, TN, and Dr. Mike Yopp from Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, TN. The conversation was recorded August 1, 2023.

This week, Nick Averwater talks with Cody Price, Orchestra Director at Arlington Middle School in Arlington, TN, a town of around 15,000 people located just northeast of Memphis. In this episode we'll learn more about Cody's approach to teaching, which is based on the idea of teaching life skills through music. She'll also share some tips for getting string players to properly tune their instruments and develop proper posture so they can play at the highest level possible.Our conversation was recorded in February 2023.

This week Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Glen Schneider, an instructor at VanderCook College of Music in Chicago, and creator of musicmastery.band, a personalized online teaching resource designed for students for whom private lessons aren't an option. Glen has over 20 years of experience as a band director, and in the last episode we learned all about musicmastery.band, but this week we're going to learn much more about his personal philosophies and techniques for promoting individual musicianship in an ensemble setting. He'll also tell us more about some of the ways Vandercook College supports the music education community.Our conversation was recorded in January 2023. It's broken up in to two episodes, and this is part 2.

This week Nick Averwater talks with Glen Schneider, an instructor at VanderCook College of Music in Chicago, and creator of musicmastery.band, a personalized online teaching resource designed for students for whom private lessons aren't an option. Our conversation was recorded in January 2023. It's broken up in to two episodes, and this is part 1.

This week Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Dr. James Weaver, Director of Performing Arts and Sports for the National Federation of State High School Associations, an organization based in Indianapolis that serves more than 19,000 high schools. In this episode we'll learn about how the NFHS works to advocate for arts education at the national level, and as a former orchestra director at schools in Minnesota and South Dakota, James will share some ideas for advocacy and recruitment at the local level. Our conversation was recorded in May, 2023. It's broken up in to two episodes, and this is part 2.

This week Nick Averwater talks with Dr. James Weaver, a former band director, and Director of Performing Arts and Sports for the National Federation of State High School Associations, an organization based in Indianapolis that serves more than 19,000 high schools. In this episode we'll learn about NFHS's leadership role in the International Coalition Performing Arts Aerosol Study at the beginning of the pandemic, and find out more about other resources that the organization makes available to music educators. Our conversation was recorded in May of 2023. It's broken up into two episodes, and this is part 1.

This week, Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Dr. Mike Yopp, Director of Bands at Middleton High School in Middleton, TN, a town of just a few hundred people in the southwestern part of the state. The high school serves Middleton and several surrounding communities as part of the Hardeman County School District. In March of 2023, a few weeks after this conversation, it was announced that, in the Fall, Dr. Yopp will be relocating to Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, TN where he will be a professor, and Director of the newly-formed jazz band.In this episode we'll learn more about the recruitment strategies and philosophies that have served Dr. Yopp so well in seven different programs at the high school and college level.Our conversation was recorded January 26, 2023. We've broken it up into two episodes, and this is part two.

This week, Nick Averwater talks with Dr. Mike Yopp, Director of Bands at Middleton High School in Middleton, TN. Middleton is a town of just a few hundred people in the southwestern part of the state, but the high school serves several surrounding communities as part of the Hardeman County School District. In March of 2023, a few weeks after this conversation, it was announced that Dr. Yopp will be taking on a new role as a professor and Director of the jazz band at Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, TN.In this episode he'll tell us about the people and experiences that inspired him to become a music educator, but the majority of the conversation will focus on his strategies and philosophies about recruitment, something he has been very successful at doing at both the high school and college level.Our conversation was recorded January 26, 2023. We've broken it up into two episodes, and this is part one.

This week Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Dr. Matthew Arau, Chair of the Music Education Department at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, and author of the book, Upbeat! Mindset, Mindfulness and Leadership in Music Education And Beyond, pubished by GIA Publications. In the last episode we looked at the first part of the book entitled Ignite, and we encourage you to listen to that episode before listening to this one. This week we'll learn more about the rest of the book. This conversation was recorded January 24, 2023.

This week Nick Averwater talks with Dr. Matthew Arau, Chair of the Music Education Department at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, and author of the book, Upbeat! Mindset, Mindfulness and Leadership in Music Education And Beyond, pubished by GIA Publications. Our conversation was recorded January 24, 2023. It's broken up in to two episodes, and this is part 1.

This week Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Adrian Gordon, Orchestra Director at Providence Day School in Charlotte, NC, and author of the new book, Note To Self: A Music Director's Guide For Transitioning to a New School and Building a Thriving Music Program. In this episode Adrian talks about the importance of mental wellness and a balanced life for educators, building and maintaining relationships with the community outside of the school, and creating a welcoming and positive environment for the students in the school.Our conversation was recorded December 27, 2022. We've broken it up into two episodes, and this is part 2.

This week Nick Averwater talks with Adrian Gordon, a longtime music educator and author of the book, Note To Self: A Music Director's Guide For Transitioning to a New School and Building a Thriving Music Program. Adrian is also Orchestra Director at Providence Day School in Charlotte, NC. In this episode he'll tell us about his early experiences that inspired him to become a music educator, why he decided to write the book, and more.Our conversation was recorded December 27, 2022. We've broken it up into two episodes, and this is part 1.

This week Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Michael Wells, Principal at Clinton Junior High School in Clinton Arkansas, a town of around 2,600 located 70 miles north of Little Rock. For many years Michael was a band director in several small school districts, and in this episode we'll get his perspective on how band programs can achieve excellence, no matter the size of the district. Our conversation was recorded December 20, 2022. It's broken up in to two episodes, and this is part two.

This week Nick Averwater talks with Michael Wells, Principal at Clinton Junior High School in Clinton Arkansas, a town of around 2,600 located 70 miles north of Little Rock. Michael is a former band director, and in this episode we'll learn more about the similarities and differences between the two jobs, and also how music educators can build and maintain strong relationships with their school's principal. Our conversation was recorded December 20, 2022. It's broken up into two episodes, and this is part one.

This week, Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Jared Cassedy, K-12 Performing Arts Coordinator for Lexington Public Schools in Lexington, Massachusetts, a town of around 35,000 people located ten miles northwest of Boston. Jared is the 2015 recipient of the GRAMMY Award in Music Education, and in 2022 he was one of 30 teachers who received the CMA Foundation's Music Teacher of Excellence Award. He is in his 20th year as a music educator. This week's episode picks up in the middle of a wide ranging conversation about incorporating DEI into a music curriculum, and seeing how it leads to better musical experiences for students, and better prepares them for life after high school. If you haven't heard the previous program, which posted on January 27, 2023, we recommend you listen to that first to give proper context to this episode. Our conversation was recorded December 13th, 2022.

This week, Nick Averwater talks with Jared Cassedy, K-12 Performing Arts Coordinator for Lexington Public Schools in Lexington, Massachusetts, a town of around 35,000 people located ten miles northwest of Boston. Jared is in his 20th year as a music educator, and in this episode he talks about how he sees music education as an important component in creating not just good musicians or good students, but good people, and he'll explain the steps he takes with his students to realize this concept. Our conversation was recorded December 13, 2022. It's broken up in to two episodes, and this is part one.

This week Nick Averwater talks with Kristy White, District Fine Arts Coordinator for the Jackson-Madison County School System in West Tennessee. The district serves around 13,000 students in 22 schools.In this episode, we'll learn more about Kristy's early inspirations that led her to music education, and we'll also get practical tips for establishing policies and procedures at the beginning of the school year that will help to set up a band program for success. Our conversation was recorded December 15, 2022.

This week, Nick Averwater talks with Chris Vitale, Director of Bands at Westfield High School in Westfield, NJ, a town of around 30,000 people located a half hour from New York City.Chris was recently named to the 2022 Yamaha 40 Under 40 list of music educators, and in this conversation he talks about the importance of creating a positive environment for students through kindness, acceptance, respect, and support. We'll also learn more about the marching band's success at Westfield, and how the program has grown since Chris joined the faculty in 2011. Our conversation was recorded in July 2022. 

This week, Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Wes Lowe, Director of Instrumental Arts at The King's Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida. Wes grew up as a student at the school, and joined the faculty in 2019.Wes was recently named to the 2022 Yamaha 40 Under 40 list of music educators, and directs bands at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels. In this episode, Wes talks about the popularity of jazz among the students, and their audiences. We'll also learn about the marching band program at the school, and some of the high profile venues where they've performed. Our conversation was recorded July 5th, 2022. It's broken up in to two episodes, and this is part two.