The Growing Band Director

Whether you are starting your band director career, or it is your first year at a new school, there are many challenges - as well as opportunities - that come with it. Reed Bailey (⁠baileyr@vailschooldistrict.org⁠) is the Director of Bands at Cienega High School (AZ) and shares many strategies to maximizing the potential within your new program! Stay tuned to the end where Kyle and Reed both share some pieces that work very well in this situation specifically - complete with score and sound videos.Support the Show HereTo 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.comOur mission is to share practical  advice and explore topics that will help every band director, no matter your experience level, as well as music education students who are working to join us in the coming years.Connect with us with comments or ideasFollow the show:Podcast website : Thegrowingbanddirector.comOn Youtube The Growing Band Director Facebook-The Growing Band Director Podcast GroupInstagram @thegrowingbanddirectorTik Tok @thegrowingbanddirectorIf you like what you hear please:Leave a Five Star Review and Share us with another band director!

⁠⁠⁠Support the Show Here⁠⁠⁠Kyle sits down at the Excelcia Music Publishing booth at Midwest 2025 with jazz composer Paul Baker (Bakers Jazz and More) and Jackson Smith - band director from Wisconsin.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.com⁠⁠Our mission is to share practical  advice and explore topics that will help every band director, no matter your experience level, as well as music education students who are working to join us in the coming years.Connect with us with comments or ideasFollow the show:⁠⁠Podcast website : Thegrowingbanddirector.com⁠⁠⁠⁠On Youtube The Growing Band Director⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Facebook-The Growing Band Director Podcast Group⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram @thegrowingbanddirector⁠⁠⁠⁠Tik Tok @thegrowingbanddirector⁠⁠If you like what you hear please:Leave a Five Star Review and Share us with another band director!

Jackson Smith is the band director at Neenah High School in Wisconsin, and is joined by Colt Maichle, Dr. Jessica Jensen and Mike Malone for a discussion on ways they help their students improve through lesson programs and chamber music opportunities.

There are so many pieces of music written for piano or orchestra that have been transcribed for wind band. In this episode we discuss the reasoning for programming transcriptions with your students. We also provide score and sound listening examples of pieces that work well for wind band.Support the Show HereTo 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.comOur mission is to share practical  advice and explore topics that will help every band director, no matter your experience level, as well as music education students who are working to join us in the coming years.Connect with us with comments or ideasFollow the show:Podcast website : Thegrowingbanddirector.comOn Youtube The Growing Band Director Facebook-The Growing Band Director Podcast GroupInstagram @thegrowingbanddirectorTik Tok @thegrowingbanddirectorIf you like what you hear please:Leave a Five Star Review and Share us with another band director!

⁠⁠⁠Support the Show Here⁠⁠⁠Kyle sits down at the Excelcia Music Publishing booth at Midwest 2025 with jazz composer Doug Beach and Aaron Noe from Aamanomusic.com and windconductor.comTo 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.com⁠⁠Our mission is to share practical  advice and explore topics that will help every band director, no matter your experience level, as well as music education students who are working to join us in the coming years.Connect with us with comments or ideasFollow the show:⁠⁠Podcast website : Thegrowingbanddirector.com⁠⁠⁠⁠On Youtube The Growing Band Director⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Facebook-The Growing Band Director Podcast Group⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram @thegrowingbanddirector⁠⁠⁠⁠Tik Tok @thegrowingbanddirector⁠⁠If you like what you hear please:Leave a Five Star Review and Share us with another band director!

Support the Show HereThe Habits of A Successful Musician series has been a wildly successful series of books and method books that help teachers and students become the best music teachers and musicians they can be. Now, GIA Publications is introducting a Habits book that is a beginning Jazz Method geared toward players with one year of experience! Though likely not available until 2027, Todd Campbell and Heath Wolf join the show to discuss what teachers can expect when it releases. Full of practical advice for jazz educators, and some chart recommendations for younger bands.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.comOur mission is to share practical  advice and explore topics that will help every band director, no matter your experience level, as well as music education students who are working to join us in the coming years.Connect with us with comments or ideasFollow the show:Podcast website : Thegrowingbanddirector.comOn Youtube The Growing Band Director Facebook-The Growing Band Director Podcast GroupInstagram @thegrowingbanddirectorTik Tok @thegrowingbanddirectorIf you like what you hear please:Leave a Five Star Review and Share us with another band director!

Quincy Jones Interviews Aaron Copland! ⁠Quincy Hilliard is such a great composer! We talked about so many things including his time with Aaron Copland, getting a young band to sound their best, and featured many score and sound videos of some of his Young Band works! What a joy to speak with! Support the Show HereTo 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.comOur mission is to share practical  advice and explore topics that will help every band director, no matter your experience level, as well as music education students who are working to join us in the coming years.Connect with us with comments or ideasFollow the show:Podcast website : Thegrowingbanddirector.comOn Youtube The Growing Band Director Facebook-The Growing Band Director Podcast GroupInstagram @thegrowingbanddirectorTik Tok @thegrowingbanddirectorIf you like what you hear please:Leave a Five Star Review and Share us with another band director!

⁠⁠Support the Show Here⁠⁠⁠Kyle sits down at the Excelcia Music Publishing booth at Midwest 2025 with composers Terry White and Dan AustinTo 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.com⁠⁠Our mission is to share practical  advice and explore topics that will help every band director, no matter your experience level, as well as music education students who are working to join us in the coming years.Connect with us with comments or ideasFollow the show:⁠⁠Podcast website : Thegrowingbanddirector.com⁠⁠⁠⁠On Youtube The Growing Band Director⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Facebook-The Growing Band Director Podcast Group⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram @thegrowingbanddirector⁠⁠⁠⁠Tik Tok @thegrowingbanddirector⁠⁠If you like what you hear please:Leave a Five Star Review and Share us with another band director!

⁠Support the Show Here⁠Dr Chris Oberholtzer joins the show to discuss jazz improvisation information to help teachers know what guidance to give their students when improvising.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.comOur mission is to share practical  advice and explore topics that will help every band director, no matter your experience level, as well as music education students who are working to join us in the coming years.Connect with us with comments or ideasFollow the show:Podcast website : Thegrowingbanddirector.comOn Youtube The Growing Band Director Facebook-The Growing Band Director Podcast GroupInstagram @thegrowingbanddirectorTik Tok @thegrowingbanddirectorIf you like what you hear please:Leave a Five Star Review and Share us with another band director!

Dr. Timothy Mahr is Professor Emeritus at St. Olaf College, and a prolific composer for wind band. Dr Mahr joins the podcast for a conversation that encompasses advice for young composers, discussion of ways we can improve our bands as a conductor, and a focus on some of his music!Highlighted is Etched in Stone, Commissioned by Kyle Smith and the Westbrook High School Wind Ensemble for the 50th Anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.Support the Show HereTo 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.comOur mission is to share practical  advice and explore topics that will help every band director, no matter your experience level, as well as music education students who are working to join us in the coming years.Connect with us with comments or ideasFollow the show:Podcast website : Thegrowingbanddirector.comOn Youtube The Growing Band Director Facebook-The Growing Band Director Podcast GroupInstagram @thegrowingbanddirectorTik Tok @thegrowingbanddirectorIf you like what you hear please:Leave a Five Star Review and Share us with another band director!

⁠⁠⁠Support the Show Here⁠⁠⁠Kyle sits down at the Excelcia Music Publishing booth at Midwest 2025 with Tim Hendrix after the clinic performance with this students earlier that day, and composer Heather Hastings, winner of the Gladys Knight Composition Competition with WBDI.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.com⁠⁠Our mission is to share practical  advice and explore topics that will help every band director, no matter your experience level, as well as music education students who are working to join us in the coming years.Connect with us with comments or ideasFollow the show:⁠⁠Podcast website : Thegrowingbanddirector.com⁠⁠⁠⁠On Youtube The Growing Band Director⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Facebook-The Growing Band Director Podcast Group⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram @thegrowingbanddirector⁠⁠⁠⁠Tik Tok @thegrowingbanddirector⁠⁠If you like what you hear please:Leave a Five Star Review and Share us with another band director!

⁠Support the Show Here⁠Jeffrey Priest (Old Town High School, ME) has led an award winning band program in his rural community since 1989 and joins the show to share ways to bring excellence to smaller, more rural communities.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.comOur mission is to share practical  advice and explore topics that will help every band director, no matter your experience level, as well as music education students who are working to join us in the coming years.Connect with us with comments or ideasFollow the show:Podcast website : Thegrowingbanddirector.comOn Youtube The Growing Band Director Facebook-The Growing Band Director Podcast GroupInstagram @thegrowingbanddirectorTik Tok @thegrowingbanddirectorIf you like what you hear please:Leave a Five Star Review and Share us with another band director!

The music of Duke Ellington is not only some of the best American music in history, it is filled with soulfulness and sophistication. It is available to students with very little experience. In working on this music your students will be studying history, studying music and studying some of the best of humanity.Support the Show HereTo 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.comOur mission is to share practical  advice and explore topics that will help every band director, no matter your experience level, as well as music education students who are working to join us in the coming years.Connect with us with comments or ideasFollow the show:Podcast website : Thegrowingbanddirector.comOn Youtube The Growing Band Director Facebook-The Growing Band Director Podcast GroupInstagram @thegrowingbanddirectorTik Tok @thegrowingbanddirectorIf you like what you hear please:Leave a Five Star Review and Share us with another band director!

Kyle sits down at the Excelcia Music Publishing booth at Midwest 2025 with Travis Weller and Stephen Sholey.⁠⁠Support the Show Here⁠⁠To 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.com⁠⁠Our mission is to share practical  advice and explore topics that will help every band director, no matter your experience level, as well as music education students who are working to join us in the coming years.Connect with us with comments or ideasFollow the show:⁠⁠Podcast website : Thegrowingbanddirector.com⁠⁠⁠⁠On Youtube The Growing Band Director⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Facebook-The Growing Band Director Podcast Group⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram @thegrowingbanddirector⁠⁠⁠⁠Tik Tok @thegrowingbanddirector⁠⁠If you like what you hear please:Leave a Five Star Review and Share us with another band director!

⁠Support the Show Here⁠Rob Wheeler joins the show to share some strategies that he has used in a wide variety of school situations to maximize the potential of a band program.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.comOur mission is to share practical  advice and explore topics that will help every band director, no matter your experience level, as well as music education students who are working to join us in the coming years.Connect with us with comments or ideasFollow the show:Podcast website : Thegrowingbanddirector.comOn Youtube The Growing Band Director Facebook-The Growing Band Director Podcast GroupInstagram @thegrowingbanddirectorTik Tok @thegrowingbanddirectorIf you like what you hear please:Leave a Five Star Review and Share us with another band director!

The music of Count Basie is essential to any jazz education, so we bring you sound and score recordings of 9 essential charts for young bands (Grade 1-2.5).Learn some history about each chart along the way!Support the Show HereTo 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.comOur mission is to share practical  advice and explore topics that will help every band director, no matter your experience level, as well as music education students who are working to join us in the coming years.Connect with us with comments or ideasFollow the show:Podcast website : Thegrowingbanddirector.comOn Youtube The Growing Band Director Facebook-The Growing Band Director Podcast GroupInstagram @thegrowingbanddirectorTik Tok @thegrowingbanddirectorIf you like what you hear please:Leave a Five Star Review and Share us with another band director!

Kyle sits down at the Excelcia Music Publishing booth at Midwest 2025 with past conductor (1979-1996) of the President's Own Marine Band, Colonel John Bourgeois.⁠⁠Support the Show Here⁠⁠To 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.com⁠⁠Our mission is to share practical  advice and explore topics that will help every band director, no matter your experience level, as well as music education students who are working to join us in the coming years.Connect with us with comments or ideasFollow the show:⁠⁠Podcast website : Thegrowingbanddirector.com⁠⁠⁠⁠On Youtube The Growing Band Director⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Facebook-The Growing Band Director Podcast Group⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram @thegrowingbanddirector⁠⁠⁠⁠Tik Tok @thegrowingbanddirector⁠⁠If you like what you hear please:Leave a Five Star Review and Share us with another band director!

⁠Support the Show Here⁠Band Director's Goal Setting PlannerAaron Noe from Greensboro College and windconductor.org joins the show to give advice as to how to build a band program through setting and achieve goals.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.comOur mission is to share practical  advice and explore topics that will help every band director, no matter your experience level, as well as music education students who are working to join us in the coming years.Connect with us with comments or ideasFollow the show:Podcast website : Thegrowingbanddirector.comOn Youtube The Growing Band Director Facebook-The Growing Band Director Podcast GroupInstagram @thegrowingbanddirectorTik Tok @thegrowingbanddirectorIf you like what you hear please:Leave a Five Star Review and Share us with another band director!

All four of the rhythm section instruments (Piano, Guitar, Bass and Drums) get covered in a very thorough way during this converation with Anthony Susi.Anthony is a proficient rhythm section player, veteran band director, adjudicator and composer - and brings his expertise to the show to help you improve your rhythm section!Support the Show HereTo 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.comOur mission is to share practical  advice and explore topics that will help every band director, no matter your experience level, as well as music education students who are working to join us in the coming years.Connect with us with comments or ideasFollow the show:Podcast website : Thegrowingbanddirector.comOn Youtube The Growing Band Director Facebook-The Growing Band Director Podcast GroupInstagram @thegrowingbanddirectorTik Tok @thegrowingbanddirectorIf you like what you hear please:Leave a Five Star Review and Share us with another band director!

Kyle sits down at the Excelcia Music Publishing booth at Midwest 2025 with Michael Sweeney (retired editor and composer at Hal Leonard) about writing for young band and what he is doing in his retirement - and Brian Rhodes (Band Director at Booneville HS, AR and owner of Twin Towers Publishing Company⁠⁠Support the Show Here⁠⁠To 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.com⁠⁠Our mission is to share practical  advice and explore topics that will help every band director, no matter your experience level, as well as music education students who are working to join us in the coming years.Connect with us with comments or ideasFollow the show:⁠⁠Podcast website : Thegrowingbanddirector.com⁠⁠⁠⁠On Youtube The Growing Band Director⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Facebook-The Growing Band Director Podcast Group⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram @thegrowingbanddirector⁠⁠⁠⁠Tik Tok @thegrowingbanddirector⁠⁠If you like what you hear please:Leave a Five Star Review and Share us with another band director!