The Global Band Room – Details, episodes & analysis

A woman who needs no introduction to the marching arts world, Amy Knopps is my guest on this week’s episode of the Global Band Room Podcast.

The Associate Director of Bands and Director of Athletic Bands at University of Missouri, Amy is no stranger to what it takes to become a marching band sensation.

From the pandemic affecting Marching Mizzou’s trip to Dublin for St Patricks Day to coming back swinging in the Macy’s Day Parade, the last five years has been just as wild for them as the rest of us.

We chat all about Amy’s path that led her to where she is now, what it’s like to be a part of the programme at University of Missouri, and — most importantly — the importance of creating an environment that inspires and facilitates success on an individual and group level.

Find more about Amy and her programmes at:
https://music.missouri.edu/people/knopps
https://www.instagram.com/marchingmizzou/
https://www.facebook.com/MarchingMizzou/
You can find me on theglobalbandroom.com for more information about the podcast or about this show's sponsor, Kaleidoscope Adventures.

Until next time, happy banding!

Back in the band room once again, but this time, the episode sounds just a little bit different! This week’s guest, Kevin McKeown, is an impassioned conductor from Belfast and California who worked with me to bring his wind ensemble at Santa Monica High School to Edinburgh, Manchester, and London.

Taking this episode a little closer to home, we talk about Kevin’s unique experience being an Irish immigrant who moved to California during the Troubles in the 1980s, how music became a huge part of his new life, how the pandemic shook things up in his band room, and the tour of the United Kingdom we were on at that moment — all from the comfort of a cosy pub in London!

You can find me on theglobalbandroom.com for more information about the podcast or about this show's sponsor, Kaleidoscope Adventures.

Until next time, happy banding!

Welcome back! I was delighted to welcome Giovanni Santos as my first guest of the new season of the Global Bandroom. We chat all about band in California, his career as a composer and conductor, and the importance of diversity at all levels of band. To find out more about Giovanni Santos head over to his website at https://giosantosmusic.com/

This is a special episode of the Global Bandoom with our friend Cathy Likhuta as we talk about the war in Ukraine, her family, and her music. Thank you so much to Cathy for the conversation and all of the updates she's been posting to help us understand the conflict a little more. Our sincere best wishes to her and her family right now. You can help Cathy support Ukraine by purchasing her music at www.catherinelikhuta.com

For the first time since the podcast started at the beginning of the pandemic, we're on the road! Over the past month, I visited San Antonio TX, and Columbia SC. On this week's episode, I'm bringing you some of the best conversations from those events with Emily Burch Williams, Adam Chitta, Patrick Moore, Paul Buyer, and Austin Armstrong.

We’re heading to Texas next week for TMEA and before we do, we had a great conversation with Amy Bovin, Associate Director of Bands at Texas A&M, Kingsville. We talked about boojie milkshakes, changing paths during covid, moving to Texas, and how we might support and encourage more women to not only join the profession, but stay!

Lori is back! Lori Schwartz Reichl was one of the first guests on the Global Bandroom back on St. Patrick's Day 2020. This week we talk all about her journey throughout the last two years, building a freelance career in music education, and how flexible approaches to the workplace may lead to a more diverse pool of great directors and a happier environment to create and learn for everyone.    Find out more about Lori at https://makingkeychanges.com/

This week the Global Bandroom visits Nakhon-Rachasima in Thailand to chat with Apivut Minali, conductor of the Suranaree Girls Wind Symphony & Marching Band. in addition to conducting in Thailand and Japan, Apivut has adjudicated in Taiwan, Malaysia, Germany, and Canada. We talked about how he started his career in music education in Thailand, his time with Aimachi in Japan, and how beginner bands have different pressures on them outside of the USA,

It was great to chat a length with Jeffrey Spenner, assistant director of the US Coast Guard Band this week. We spoke about service bands, what it takes to be a service musician, and how much of the time these world-class musicians and bands can be taken for granted and undervalued, a problem around the world.

Happy New Year! We're back and heading back to Calgary for the first episode of 2022. Chris Herard is the Head of Fine Arts at Bishop Carroll High School and an Executive Council member of the World Association of Marching Show Bands. We had a great conversation about student leadership in music education, the important relationships between school and community bands, and how Chris balances the numerous projects he's involved in.    Find out more about WAMSB at https://wamsb.org Find out more about SLAM at https://slamleadership.org