Fuller's Music Podcast

In this episode, Perry Ditch interviews Director of Athletic Bands at Wake Forest University in Winston Salem, NC, Tim Heath! Tim and Perry take the time to talk about an interesting program called Shared Experience at Wake Forest. This program allows students at different 2 or 4 year colleges who do not offer a marching band program to continue to play their instruments. Listen as they dive into the specifics of this program and what rewards it entails for students in the surrounding area of Wake Forest University.

This is a wonderful episode in which Mr. Perry Ditch, our school music coordinator, conducts an interview with 5 arts coordinators from across the state of NC. Each of the guests discusses their goals, with expected challenges, that are geared towards a post-pandemic school year for arts programs in their respective areas. Hopefully this podcast will let educators know what is happening with the arts in different areas of NC.

This is a very special episode in which Mr. Perry Ditch, our school music coordinator, conducts an interview with 2 recently retired educators. Mr. Blair Smith and Mr. Don Peach, who were also recently inducted into the North Carolina Bandmasters hall of fame last year, will share their wealth of experience and insight into the profession of music education. Listen to them tell stories from their time teaching in years past as well as what they’ve seen happening in education since March of 2020.

The second part in a series called "Advice for the first 3 years"! We gave ourselves the task of meeting in person and virtually with educators in our area. Our interviewees were given the title of the series as their prompt, some time to collect their thoughts, and then we hit the record button! Our hope is to continue this series to include teachers with backgrounds in orchestra, chorus, and general music. This is part two and includes a sampling of middle school band directors, as well as a college professor!

The first part in a series called "Advice for the first 3 years"! We gave ourselves the task of meeting in person and virtually with educators in our area. Our interviewees were given the title of the series as their prompt, some time to collect their thoughts, and then we hit the record button! Our hope is to continue this series to include teachers with backgrounds in orchestra, chorus, and general music. This is part one and includes a sampling of high school band directors.

In this episode, Music Education Coordinator, Perry Ditch, has a discussion via Zoom with Mark Klaich, the director of bands at North Pitt High School. Mark is a Pitt county native and attended East Carolina University as a percussion major. He put himself out there and gained experience in the field while he worked with high school percussionists. He and Perry discuss his time as a beginning teacher at North Pitt and form 4 areas of focus that every educator can relate to.

In this episode, Music Education Coordinator, Perry Ditch, has a discussion via Zoom with an amazing educator from Red Oak Middle School in Battleboro, NC, Ms. Cristina Rekeibe. Cristina co-teaches with Mark Stauffer who has been the head director at Red Oak for more than 20 years. Cristina describes how planning and communication with administration, students, and parents have been the pillars of her success within her program. She also highlights some interesting ideas pertaining to the instructional strategies that kept her students engaged.

In this episode, Music Education Coordinator, Perry Ditch, has a discussion via Zoom with an amazing educator from Green Level High School in Cary, NC, Mr. Brian Myers. Brian and Perry discuss how the band program at Green Level HS is tackling online learning and how the band community is staying connected. They also discuss how to make relevant content for student learning which affects virtual attendance. This episode is packed with great content and we hope you enjoy!

In this episode, Music Education Coordinator, Perry Ditch, hosts a round table discussion with music educators from the Eastern District of North Carolina. The topic for this round table involves jazz and how it works for each director’s program. Listen in on this discussion involving 7 current educators and how they make a jazz program relevant in their school.

In this episode, Music Education Coordinator, Perry Ditch, has a discussion via Zoom with an amazing educator from the North Carolina School of Science and Math, Mr. Scott Laird. During this time of uncertainty, many educators have found themselves teaching from home in a virtual environment. This episode covers some ideas and practices that you may find useful.

It seems like a lot of our time spent as music educators focuses on just that: educating students about music. Here is an episode which focuses on educating your students about the common themes of life and how to implement them. Music Education Coordinator, Perry Ditch, and Jake Wentzek, the band director from Topsail High School, dive into this topic to give you insight on how to approach this topic with your students.

Wondering how to improve the quality of your ensembles? Interested in all your students becoming better players individually? This podcast episode is for you! Music Education Coordinator at Fuller's Music, Perry Ditch, interviews two directors from Onslow County who have reaped the rewards of implementing a solo and small ensemble program within their larger program. Joli Brooks (orchestra) and Daniel Scott (band) give their best practices for this subject.

Taking your ensemble to perform for assessment? This episode will cover tips and best practices for sight-reading that you can consider with your own rehearsals as you prepare for MPA. Music Education Coordinator for Fuller's Music, Perry Ditch, will be interviewing Mr. Robert Parker, a band director from Wilmington, North Carolina via Skype.

Taking your ensemble to perform for assessment? This episode will cover tips and best practices that you can consider with your own rehearsals as you prepare for MPA. Music Education Coordinator for Fuller's Music, Perry Ditch, will be facilitating a discussion between David Stroud (Newport Middle School), Alyssa Montgomery (Leesville Road High School), and Sean Smith (A.C. Reynolds High School). This episode was recorded via Skype and there may be some disruption during the recording attributed to technical difficulties.

This episode will feature a conversation around choosing pieces for Music Performance Adjudication or MPA (also known as performance assessment or festival) for orchestra/string teachers. Orchestra teacher at Jacksonville High School, Joli Brooks, will share her knowledge and expertise on the topic.

Thinking about becoming a music education major at a college or university? This episode touches on how to become better prepared and SO much more. Music Education Coordinator for Fuller's Music, Perry Ditch, interviews a panel of faculty members from the Fletcher School of Music at East Carolina University. The panel discusses some interesting practices from ECU and expands on the broader topic of preparing for your audition.

This episode will feature a conversation (facilitated by Mr. Perry Ditch) around choosing pieces for Music Performance Adjudication or MPA (also known as performance assessment or festival). Retired and former band director at West Carteret High School, Mr. Craig Everett, as well as the director of bands and ensembles at Havelock High School, Mr. Jorge Benitez, will be offering their best practices and advice around this topic.

This podcast will serve as an introduction to the Fuller's Music Podcasts!