This week Nick Averwater talks with Jacob Abbott, Performing Arts Director at Dresden High School in Dresden, TN, which is a town of around 3,000 people in Northwest Tennessee, and is just over 100 miles from both Memphis and Nashville.

Jacob has been named to the 2025 Yamaha 40 Under 40 list of music educators, and in this conversation he'll tell us about restarting the school's band program after 20 years, with the support of the school district and the community.

Our conversation was recorded in February, 2025.

This week Nick Averwater talks with Dr. Alice Hammel, a music educator who has dedicated her 40-year career to making music programs more supportive, productive, and enjoyable for students with differences and disabilities.

Dr. Hammel has written four books about this subject, and we have links to them below.

Our conversation was recorded in February 2025.

Dr. Hammel's books include:

Teaching Music to Students with Differences and Disabilities: A Label-Free Approach

Teaching Music To Students With Autism

Teaching Music to Students with Differences and Disabilities: A Practical Resource

Winding It Back: Teaching to Individual Differences In Music Classroom and Ensemble Settings

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 John Mlynczak, Vice President of Music Education and Technology at Hal Leonard. 
They'll be talking about how John's years as a middle school music teacher have influenced the work he does today, and how the lessons learned in the last 18 months have created some great opportunities for music educators.
The conversation was recorded November 23, 2021 and is broken up in to two episodes. This is part one.

In this episode of the After Hours Director Spotlight, Nick Averwater talks with Dr. Charles Page, Band Director at Valley View High School in northeastern Arkansas. Prior to his current position he was Band Director in the Buffalo Island School District, which is a much smaller district in the same part of the state. 
In this conversation, Dr. Page talks about the musical challenges associated with directing a small band with just a few musicians, and how that can lead to some creative solutions and outstanding musical experiences for the students. Our conversation was recorded in late summer 2021, just before the new school year began.

This week Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Bob Morrison, CEO and Founder of Quadrant Research, the nation's leading arts education research and market intelligence organization. Bob is also a member of his regional school board in New Jersey. In this episode they'll be talking about the role of music and the arts in social emotional learning. Bob will also share his thoughts about lessons that have been learned during the pandemic, and how to apply those lessons as the virus continues to be a presence in our schools. Our conversation is broken up in to two episodes, and this is part two.

This week Nick Averwater talks with Bob Morrison, CEO and Founder of Quadrant Research, the nation's leading arts education research and market intelligence organization. In this episode they'll be talking about the Arts Education Data Project, which provides a data-driven approach to understanding the condition of arts education in the United States. You can learn more about it at artseddata.org. Our conversation is broken up in to two episodes, and this is part one

In this episode, Nick Averwater talks with Sharon Bryant, Senior Project Manager for NAMM. They'll be talking about NAMM's Best Communities for Music Education Survey, which celebrates the best music education programs in the country. Applications are being accepted through the end of January 2022, and you can learn more about it at nammfoundation.org/bcme.

In this episode of the After Hours Director Spotlight, Nick Averwater continues his conversation about student leadership with Dr. Craig Aarhus, Associate Director of Bands at Mississippi State University in Starkville. This conversation was recorded September 28th, 2021, and is broken up in to two episodes, and this is part two.

In this conversation Dr. Aarhus mentions the book, The System by Gary Smith.

In this episode of the After Hours Director Spotlight, Nick Averwater talks with Dr. Craig Aarhus, Associate Director of Bands at Mississippi State University. Identifying and empowering student leaders has been a big part of the band program's success, and we'll learn more about that, as well as find out more about some of Dr. Aarhus' early influences as a band director. Our conversation is broken up in to two episodes, and this is part one.

This week Nick Averwater talks about Hosting a Fall Beginner Band Concert with Jocelyn Hembruch and Tyler Hart, both from Desoto Central Middle School in Southaven, MS, and Trey Reely, who retired in 2019 after 23 years as middle school and high school Band Director in Paragould, AR, and 11 years at Riverview High School in Searcy, AR. 
This Conversation was recorded October 12, 2021.

This week Nick Averwater talks with Ryan Richman, Vice President at Eastman Music Company. They'll be talking about the history of the company as it approaches its 30th year, some of its latest products and innovations, and more.
Eastman's brands include:
Eastman Strings
Eastman Winds
Eastman Guitars
Wm. S. Haynes Co.
S.E. Shires
Backun Musical Services
Bourgeois Guitars

In this episode of the After Hours Director Spotlight, Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Randall Standridge, a former public school band director, and a very busy and widely-published composer, running his own production company, Randall Standridge Music. This week, we'll learn more about the business, and creative, aspects of composing and publishing. We'll also get Randall's thoughts about the importance of inclusivity in the band room. Our conversation is broken up in to 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.

In this episode of the After Hours Director Spotlight, Nick Averwater talks with Randall Standridge. Randall is best-known as a highly respected composer and arranger, but he was also a band director for many years. We'll learn about his early career working in a rural public school district, his techniques for teaching students how to practice the right way, and more. Our conversation is broken up in to two episodes, and this is part one.

In this conversation Randall mentions the following books:
How To Make First Chair by C.L. Roberts
One Band That Took a Chance by Brian H. Norcross

In this episode, Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Elva Kaye Lance, The Director of Bands at Mississippi State University in Starkville. We'll learn more about developing student leaders in the 400-member marching band, how the pandemic has affected procedures within the band program, and more. The conversation was recorded on May 24, 2021. It's broken up in to two episodes, and this is part two.

In this episode, Nick Averwater talks with Elva Kaye Lance, The Director of Bands at Mississippi State University in Starkville. This is Ms. Lance's 30th year at Mississippi State, and her 19th year as Director of Bands. Under her leadership, the bands have expanded to include four concert bands, a jazz band, two basketball pep bands, and a marching band. In this episode Elva Kaye talks about her early years as a band director, the educators and family members who influenced and encouraged her, and the importance of starting the new school year on the right foot. Our conversation is broken up in to two episodes, and this is part one.

In this episode of the After Hours Director Spotlight, Nick Averwater talks with Grant Harbison at the Arkansas Bandmasters Association Convention in Little Rock. Grant is the Director of Bands for Jonesboro, Arkansas Public Schools. 
In this conversation, Grant talks about how his band program is moving forward as the pandemic affects a second marching band season, the importance of gratitude and positivity, and how therapy has helped him to become a more effective band director.
This conversation was recorded July 29, 2021.

On August 7th, 2021, Amro Music hosted its first-ever Young Directors Bootcamp. It was a chance for new educators to get practical advice from a panel of four highly successful band directors. Amro Music's Nick Averwater hosted the event, and our panel included:
Joseph Quinnelly from Hernando Middle School and High School in Hernando MS, 
Kaitlyn Roll from Annie Camp Junior High in Jonesboro, AR, 
Jocelyn Hembruch from Desoto Central Middle School and High School in Southaven, MS, 
Ben Hembruch from Horn Lake Middle School in Horn Lake, MS. 
On our last episode of After Hours, we heard the first half of the bootcamp, and in this episode we'll hear the second half. In addition to a live audience, we also had band directors joining us via Zoom, and we'll pick up the conversation with a question from one of our remote viewers. 

On August 7th, 2021, Amro Music hosted its first-ever Young Director's Bootcamp. It was a chance for new educators to get practical advice from a panel of four highly successful band directors in the Mid-South region. The goal for the Young Director's Bootcamp was to help everyone feel more confident and equipped for the first week of school, and beyond. The topics we discussed included:

• What should you cover during the first week of band class?
• What should you avoid doing during the first week of school?
• What do you do with returning band students after a year of virtual band?
• How do you select repertoire for your concert band?
• How do you know which instrument to place a beginning band student on?
• and much more...

Our panel included:

• Joe Quinnelly - Hernando Middle School and Hernando High School in Hernando, MS
• Kaitlin Roll - Annie Camp Junior High in Jonesboro, AR
• Jocelyn Hembruch -Desoto Central Middle School and Desoto Central High School in Southaven, MS
• Ben Hembruch - Horn Lake Middle School in Horn Lake, MS

In this episode we kick off Season 3 of the After Hours podcast as Nick Averwater and his three guests talk about The Art of the First Week. Joining Nick will be Lindsey Mears from Smyrna Middle School in Smyrna, TN, Brittany Jerrell from Stewarts Creek Middle School, which is also in Smyrna, and Jennifer Church from Greenbrier High School in Greenbrier, Arkansas.

Nick Averwater checks in with Sheryl Laukat from Cannonball Musical Instruments at Summer NAMM in Nashville. Cannonball is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and we'll learn a bit about the company's history, and find out about some of the techniques they use that make their instruments unique.

Nick Averwater checks in with Lisa Steele-MacDonald, Director of Vertical Marketing for Yamaha. Lisa will have the latest information about Esser Funds, and what is still available to music programs, and she'll also share some other resources available to band directors from Yamaha. You can find out more about Yamaha's offerings to band directors at www.yamahaeducatorsuite.com.

Nick Averwater checks in with David Jahnke from Hal Leonard to learn more about Looking Forward To 2020-2021, Hal Leonard's Virtual Music Education Summit, which happens July 29-30, 2021. They talked on July 16th at the Summer NAMM Show in Nashville.

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.

In this episode of the After Hours Director Spotlight, Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Randy Box, the Director of Bands at West Memphis High School in West Memphis, Arkansas. Randy talks about the differences, and similarities, between being a band director in an affluent school district versus one with it's share of economic challenges. He also talks about what advice he would give himself if he could go back to 1978 when he started his career in rural Pocahontas, Arkansas. Our conversation with Randy is broken up in to two episodes, and this is part two.

Randy Box has taught in four school districts in his 42-year career, most recently at West Memphis High School in Arkansas. In this first part of our conversation he talks about his early influences, taking his band to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade twice, and the importance of the acronym T-S-B-N-A-F-W-A-E-I-N.

Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Dr. Sarah Labovitz, the Associate Director of Bands & Coordinator of Music Education at Arkansas State University. In this episode Dr. Labovitz shares some ideas about setting up a grading and assessment structure for band students. This is the second of two episodes with Dr. Labovitz.

In this episode of the After Hours Director Spotlight, Nick Averwater talks with Dr. Sarah Labovitz, the Associate Director of Bands and Coordinator of Music Education at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. In this first of two episodes with Dr. Labovitz, she talks about the advice she gives to new band directors, ways to avoid burnout, and how to embrace all of the necessary tasks involved with being a music educator that may not feel very creative or artistic.

Neuroscience and psychology researchers have done extensive studies over the last 20 years to understand how the brain processes music and why music learning seems to be such a cognitively unique activity. Musically trained children have better language and communication skills, can focus for longer and are more likely to stick with difficult problems until they solve them, they are able to control their own emotional responses and understand emotional responses of others and they have significantly better working and long-term memory systems. These enhancements then support higher levels of overall academic achievement, motivation, stress management, self-regulation and awareness. Most notably, music learning has been found to improve neural communication issues associated with autism, ADHD, dyslexia and reading and language learning delays. The research is now starting to reveal why music learning is so effective at enhance brain function. In this week's episode, Nick sits down with Dr. Anita Collins for a conversation on this exciting and impactful research. 

Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Dr. Albert Nguyen, Director of Bands at the University of Memphis. In this episode Dr. Nguyen talks about making the band room a welcoming, safe place for all students. He also looks back at some things he might have done differently in his early days as a band director.

In this episode, Nick Averwater talks with Dr. Albert Nguyen, Director of Bands at the University of Memphis. Dr. Nguyen discusses his early interest in music growing up in rural Arkansas, the influence his parents had on him, creating opportunities through student leadership, and more. This conversation is split in to two episodes, and this is part 1.

In this episode, Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Kim Webb, Director of Bands at Greene County Tech High School in Paragould, Arkansas. The band program in the school district has 450 students participating in seven different bands.
We've broken up our conversation with Kim in to two episodes, and in this second one, she talks about how she and her students dealt with an unexpected crisis in 2019. Kim also shares what advice she would give to aspiring band directors just graduating from college.

In this episode, Nick Averwater talks with Kim Webb, Director of Bands at Greene County Tech High School in Paragould, Arkansas. The band program in the school district has 450 students participating in seven different bands.
We've broken up our conversation with Kim in to two episodes, and in this first one, she talks about how she became interested in pursuing music education as a career, and how she attempts to strike a healthy balance between family life and band director life.

In this episode, Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Barry Trobaugh, Director of Bands at Munford High School in West Tennessee. They discuss the value of staying at the same school for many years, how to maintain good relationships with the school administration, and much more. The wide-ranging conversation wouldn't fit in to just one episode, and it was all so interesting that we didn't want to edit out anything. So we broke it up in to two episodes, and this is part 2.

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.

In this week's episode, Nick Averwater talks with Barry Trobaugh, Director of Bands at Munford High School in West Tennessee. Barry and Nick discuss how to position your music program to be an integral part of your local community, establishing a strong relationship with your staff and assistant directors, and setting clear expectations that lead to student growth. This conversation is presented in two episodes, and this is part 1.

Nick Averwater and his three guests talk about how music educators can get the most out of their relationship with their local music stores.

Guests Include:
Maureen Ross, Meyer Music, Grand Rapids, MI
Phil Hodapp, Beacock Music, Vancouver, WA
Tim Dawson, Paige's Music, Indianapolis, IN

Nick Averwater talks with Monty and Valerie Hill, Band Directors in the Marion, Arkansas School District. Valerie and Monty have taught music, and directed bands at every age level, from elementary school to college, in both Arkansas and New Mexico. They joined the school district in Marion in April, 2020.

Nick Averwater and his guests talk about ways to build and maintain productive relationships with your school's principal, superintendent, and school board. Guests include:
Kris Perkins, Principal at Lewisburg High School in Olive Branch, MS
Bob Morrison, longtime music education advocate and board member in the Watchung Hills (New Jersey) Regional School District

Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Lafe Cook, Director of Bands at Dobyns-Bennett High School in Kingsport, TN. Lafe is celebrating his 20th year at the school, and oversees the 375-member band program at Dobyns-Bennett. This conversation is presented in two episodes, and this is part 2.

Nick Averwater and his three guests from Yamaha discuss accessing Covid relief funding for your school music program.
Guests include:
Heather Mansell, Marketing Manager for Education
Dave Gerhart, Assistant Marketing Manager for Education
Marcia Neel, Senior Director of Education

Nick Averwater talks with Lafe Cook, Director of Bands at Dobyns-Bennett High School in Kingsport, TN. Lafe is celebrating his 20th year at the school, and oversees the 375-member band program at Dobyns-Bennett. This conversation will cover two episodes, and this is part 1.

In this episode we host ten educators to discuss ten different recruiting ideas for the upcoming spring and summer. Our guests, in order, include:
Lisa Alford, West Junior High School, West Memphis Arkansas
Alex White, Siegel High School, Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Emily Brown, South Gibson Middle School, Medina, Tennessee
Wendy Higdon, Creekside Middle School, Carmel, Indiana
Brittany Jerrell, Stewarts Creek Middle School, Smyrna, Tennessee
Grant Harbison, Jonesboro High School, Jonesboro, Arkansas
Matt Pickering, Lewisburg Middle School, Olive Branch, Mississippi
Douglas Schaffer, Mark Twain High School, Center, Missouri
David Stevens, Adamsville High School, Adamsville, TN
Michael Sanchez, Sky Ridge Middle School, Camas, WA 

Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Richie Williams, Director of Bands at Paragould High School in Paragould, Arkansas. In this episode, Richie talks about the challenges that success can bring to a music program, and shares some of the things he would have done differently in his early days as a band director. Our chat with Richie is presented in two episodes. This is Part 2.

Nick Averwater talks with Richie Williams, Director of Bands at Paragould High School in Paragould, Arkansas. In his 13 years there, the music program has gained a reputation as one of the best in the state. Our chat with Richie is presented in two episodes. This is Part 1.

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.

Nick Averwater talks with Dan Emery, Founder and CEO of the NYC Guitar School. They talk about techniques for more effective practicing.

Nick Averwater and his three guests discuss ways to plan for a successful recruiting season for band, orchestra, and choir.
Guests include:
Marcia Neel - Yamaha's Senior Director of Education
Barry Trobaugh - Director of Bands, Munford High School, Munford, TN
Tyler Swick - Elementary Music Educator, Las Vegas, NV

Nick Averwater talks with Hope and Greg Bruner, band directors in the Highland School District in northeastern Arkansas. They talk about what it's like maintaining a successful band program in a small, rural community, balancing family time and work time, and techniques for recruiting and retaining new students.