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 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.

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.

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.

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 Studio
Soundtrap
Garage Band
Launchpad
BandLab
Logic
Ableton Live
Cubase
Ableton Push
Akai MIDI Controllers

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.

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

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:
Launchpad
Ableton
Soundtrap
drumbit
Groove Pizza
Chrome Music Lab

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.

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

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:
LyricLab
ChatGPT
Suno
Udio
ChordChord
Hookpad
Padlet
Music Snippet

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.

Nick Averwater talks about ways to improve student morale and engagement with three guests:
Stephen Price, South Gibson County High School, Medina, TN
Kaitlin Roll, Annie Camp Jr. High School, Jonesboro, AR
Jacob Campos, Franklin High School, Franklin, TN

Nick Averwater talks with author, speaker, clinician, consultant and renowned educator, Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser. Dr. Tim shares his thoughts on the impact of COVID-19 on music education, what challenges are on the horizon, and what steps we can take to make 2021 our best year yet.

Nick Averwater talks with music educator Tyler Swick and Yamaha's Lisa Steele-McDonald about the unique partnership between Yamaha and Disney/Pixar to grow music awareness and participation as the film Soul is released on Disney Plus. Recorded January 5, 2021.

Nick Averwater talks with Scott Lang, founder of Be Part of the Music, about the "State of Music Education" survey that was recently completed by 2,100 music educators across the country. They discuss the survey's findings, what it means for music education, and where we go from here. Recorded December 8, 2020.

Nick Averwater and Dr. Brandon Robinson, Director of Bands at Mississippi University for Women, talk about developing student leaders in your music program. Recorded November 17, 2020.

Marcia Neel and George Quinlan, Jr. join Nick Averwater to discuss the many benefits of hosting a beginner concert in the first semester of learning to play. We will discuss turnkey materials to make it your easiest (and most fun!) concert of the year, plus great resources if you are teaching online this semester.

In this episode of "After Hours: Conversations for Music Educators", author and educator Scott Lang joins Nick Averwater to discuss ways to stay positive, and seize new opportunities in the challenging age of Covid 19. Recorded October 13, 2020.

In this episode of "After Hours: Conversations for Music Educators", author Scott Rush joins Nick Averwater to discuss the online learning resources available through the "Habits of a Successful Musician" book series. Recorded August 18, 2020.

On this week's After Hours podcast, Nick Averwater talks with a panel of middle school directors who share how they will lay out their classroom and rehearsal spaces, manage instrument storage and classroom logistics, instrument hygiene and more for the upcoming school year during COVID-19.

Guests include:
Terri Green (Olive Branch Middle School, Mississippi)
Emily Brown (South Gibson County, Tennessee)
Andrew Lynn (Stewarts Creek Middle School, Tennessee)
Brittany Jerrell (Stewarts Creek Middle School, Tennessee)

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 website
Here's Theresa's "Pass The Baton" podcast

In this week's conversations, Nick Averwater talks with Jeremy Payne, Brand Director for The Music People. Jeremy shared with us technology solutions for teaching, streaming and online learning, including USB hubs, microphones, classroom PA systems, and more.

Nick Averwater and his guests discuss how to assess your music program's needs for the coming school year.

Panelists include:
Francie Beard - Douglass High School (Memphis, TN)
David Stevens - Adamsville High School (Adamsville, TN)
Greg Bruner - Highland High School (Highland, AR)

Nick Averwater talks with Rebecca Lowry from Mill Creek Middle School in Nolensville, TN about her successful practice of placing beginning band students based on facial features and characteristics. Recorded August 3, 2020.