AS 314 – What’s It All About?

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In this episode, Darcy and Jenna talk about any number of musings reflecting another year completed and the bigger idea of what the whole point of band might be.
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In this episode, Darcy and Jenna talk about any number of musings reflecting another year completed and the bigger idea of what the whole point of band might be.
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In this episode, Darcy and Jenna revisit many of your questions concerning what tuners we use, why we prefer those, how we utilize them in 6-8 band, and why we think they are important to our pedagogy.
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In this episode, Darcy and Jenna talk about they recent Honor Clinic in North Carolina.
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In this episode Darcy and Jenna revisit the combined sax/trumpet class and then talk about all things contest ratings.
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In this episode Darcy and Jenna talk about being a woman in our profession. Spoiler… Chicks are strong.
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In this episode Darcy and Jenna talk about the impact mentors can have on your career and choosing wisely.
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In this episode we talk about sight reading, particularly when utilized in a contest.
A caveat before you listen: we are purposely playing devil’s advocate with this topic.
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In this episode we talk about some of the above and beyond activities that help our 8th graders love band.
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In this episode we talk about our goals for the year and soggy pancakes.
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In our last official episode of season 3, Darcy comes back for band auditions and talks about how the semester went with her on maternity leave.
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In this episode we talk about how we utilize the beginner book in our classes.
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We dedicate this episode to the almighty Concert F.
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In this episode we talk about what MUST be in place first before you can be “mean” plus Alex’s UIL recap.
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In this episode we talk about how to handle unprepared students.
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In this episode we talk about what beginner fundamentals we are focusing on this semester and planning when to approach them with each of our classes.
Fundamentals to be addressed:
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In this episode we talk about things you can do with your band classes while you are gone to things like TMEA.
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In this episode we talk about recognizing the need for and implementing a change of course.
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In this episode we talk discuss creating a healthy non-varsity band culture and easy tips for literacy.
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In this episode we talk about some of the specific do’s and don’ts of the band hall. Much of this episode is about how you present yourself to the kids.
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In this episode, Jenna and Darcy talk about the revamped objective sheets for the 2nd six weeks.
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In this episode, we talk about one of our major program overhauls that is NOT working…
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In this episode we talk about reclaiming your personal time!!!
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In this episode we (very tiredly) talk about the first week of school.
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In our first episode of season 3, we answer your listener questions.
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In this episode, Darcy, Jenna, and Alex wrap up the year with their greatest failures and successes from 2016-2017.
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In this episode, Robert Herrings and Jason Robb join Darcy ask they talk about interviews.
Know a band director getting ready to interview? Take 2 seconds to share this episode!
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In this episode we talk about solo and ensemble, rubrics for scoring, and the personal criticism each of us has received that has left a lasting impression on our careers.
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In this episode Darcy talks about how she teaches the concept of major vs. minor to the beginner classes ready to handle that concept, and then the ranting begins.
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By popular request, we talk about how we design our beginner instrument placement. In this episode we cover:
Below are the files we discuss in the episode.
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In this episode we talk about kids that are too involved to be in band… or stay in band.
If you enjoy our podcast, take 2 seconds to share it with a friend or 15 seconds to review us on iTunes… Okay maybe a solid minute for the review. Your word of mouth helps band directors like you find our voice with which to commiserate, learn, and just relax.
Thank you for sharing your car, band hall, and earbuds with us. #trypod
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In this episode we talk about sight-reading nerves, The Power of Vulnerability, and how we are using tuners in our classes on a daily basis.
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This episode of After Sectionals takes you into one of Darcy’s Honors trombone/euphonium sectionals.
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In this episode, we take a few minutes to rant… and THEN we talk about how we plan for the week ahead with beginners and our band.
A picture of Darcy’s “List that Leads to Life” can be found on the After Sectionals Facebook page.
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In this episode, Darcy and Jenna talk about the frustrations that come with “this time of year” and techniques they are using to clean their bands.
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In this episode we interview musician and motivational speaker SaulPaul. You can find out more about him at his website SaulPaul.com.
For information about the music careers expo, visit http://musiccareerexpo.wordpress.com
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This episode is a recording of our TMEA 2017 clinic entitled Success Through Accountability. We talk about specific methods we use to approach accountability with our own kids and how individual skill leads to program success. You can find the YouTube video from the actual presentation below.
Beginning Band Band Entry Checklist
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This episode is another direct window into Darcy’s flute/double reed class from January 2017. This class works:
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In this episode we finally answer the often asked question about the chicken.
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In this episode Alex, Jenna, and Darcy talk about what factors they consider as they choose music for their bands during contest season.
Concert Band
Symphonic Band
Honors Band
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In this episode we talk about our New Year’s resolutions for BAND.
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In this episode we talk about the touchy subject of recognizing students with awards.
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In this episode I spend a Christmas vacation evening talking to my family about our existence as a “band family.”
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In this episode we interview world renown composer and conductor Brian Balmages.
If you would like to contribute to Brian’s GoFundMe “A Solitary Wish” campaign, you may do so by following this link.
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In this episode we START talking about District Band, but that quickly morphs into talking all things band.
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In this episode we talk about Alex getting good at teaching tuba and mid-90s – early-2000s rap.
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This episode is a direct window into a beginner flute class.
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In this episode Jenna and Darcy talk about FINALLY getting into the book with our beginner classes and the marches we have just started with in our full bands.
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In this episode we talk about our Fall Concert from Thursday, October 13th.
Concert Band
Symphonic Band
Honors Band
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This episode is a recording from my October 6th trombone/euphonium class.
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In this episode we talk about how daily pacing helps your beginners love band.
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In this episode we talk about what’s working and what’s NOT working after 5 weeks with our kiddos.
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In this episode we talk about what we are doing in our beginner classes in Mid-September.
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In this episode, we talk about our most recent ego check… and our response to DIRECTOR feedback.
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This episode takes you straight into our beginner saxophone and horn class as they learn changing time signatures and then 8th notes. teachingrhythmlogically.com
For more information about how Darcy structures her rhythm lessons, please visit Teaching Rhythm Logically.
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In this episode we recap week one and talk ice cream.
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In this episode, we talk about our new beginners!
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In this episode, we chat about last minute needs and pterodactyls over lunch.
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In this episode, we talk about what we do with our kids starting on the second day of school until that magical moment that we open the cases!
ALSO… if you are interested in Teaching Rhythm Logically – the method for TEACHERS, not kids – you can find it here.
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In this episode, the Honors Band brass has a large group sectional during the first week of summer band focusing on tone fundamentals.
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In this episode, our FIRST of SEASON TWO, we talk about the prep work that leads up to the first week of band.
You can sign up for our “The Right Way, Your Way” clinic sponsored by SHSU, TBA, and TMEA by following this link. 6 hours of CPE credit are offered for attending.
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In this episode, Darcy convinces her (non-band) boyfriend John to take a sax lesson. By the end he’ll either be playing George Michael or Hot Cross Buns. Listen to find out! 😉
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In this episode we talk about recognizing which kids you can save (or maybe should) when they want to drop band.
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On May 24, 2016 Darcy sat down with composer James (Jim) Meredith to talk music, band, composition, and what it’s all about.
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In this episode we talk about spring band auditions, final exams, and course expectations.
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This one time in band class… Everyone has that one go-to funny story they tell every year that happened in band. We tell ours.
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In this episode tuba teacher Dusty Steinle joins Alex and Darcy to talk beginner tuba.
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In this episode we talk EASY good ideas that anyone can incorporate into their everyday beginner classes.
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In this episode, Sunil Gadgil (sax teacher at Stiles) and Darcy talk about private lessons, choosing solos,  and smelling like alcohol. 🙂 Jenna’s band is rehearsing American River Songs in the background.
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In this episode Darcy’s band does a lot of duet work from their “Unison Attack” page for The Nightingale and The Two Sisters by Grainger.
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Jenna teaches half of the flute class, and the spring semester is all about vibrato in the flute world! In this episode Jenna expressed her concern about teaching vibrato when (as a horn player) that is not a skill she’s ever had to perform. The beginners are also incorporating octave slurs into their fundamental time, and the flexibility required to slur without over-blowing is not something her brass face has yet. In this episode we cover vibrato techniques and discuss exactly what a good flute face should do when changing octaves. An I-Play-You-Play demonstration is provided! 🙂
CHECK OUT OUR FACEBOOK PAGES FOR A LIVE FEED VIDEO OF DARCY & JENNA’S I-PLAY-YOU-PLAY FLUTE FLEXIBILITY!
Or, watch the same (but less amusing) basic premise on this YouTube Video.
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With UIL completed, Darcy’s Honors Band starts working on The Nightingale and The Two Sisters by Grainger (grade 4). This episode focuses on approaching a new piece in a full band setting with no prior sectional work.
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In this episode, we discuss picking Spring Concert music. The goal of the Spring Concert is different for all three bands, and Alex, Jenna, and Darcy talk about what factors go into choosing the right music for their kids based on those goals.
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In March every Texas band director received a survey from TMEA about our health/sanity/balance/burnout. It was a survey fueled by questions about exercise, diet, and what we do outside of the school day. Jenna, Alex, and I have talked about this a lot over the course of the last two years as none of us want to find ourselves in the place in which band simply is overwhelming to the point of a career change (as many of our friends have reached).
The Texas band system is one on steroids. To say that we brag about how many hours outside of school we spend at the band hall is maybe an understatement. Early in my own career, I decided that was not a path in which I was interested, and therefore efficiency vs. time on the job became the goal.
Each of us physically active outside of work. Â I (Darcy) exercise 5-6 days a week in addition to the yard work that centers me more than maybe anything. Alex spends his evenings alternating between basketball, jumping rope (for real), and video games. Jenna miraculously manages to find time to work out most days of the week after putting the two tiny Yees to bed. And all of this in the name of not hating our lives or our jobs.
So many of my college friends have already left the profession. While I attribute much of that to kids majoring in music simply because they liked playing their instrument (as opposed to teaching), I strongly believe that music educators create an environment of success by working more. If I worked at Chili’s and chose to show up 2 hours early and leave 2-4 hours late, people would look at me like I was crazy. But band directors arrange their own schedules dictating 12+ hour days for pennies on the hour with pride.
It’s not sane. It’s not healthy. And it’s not heroic.
Despite what we may tell ourselves.
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The last 12 weeks of school is 100% prep time for next year’s bands. While we definitely are still teaching beginner classes, we have split most of those periods amongst the three of us into two speeds: those who who need 12 more weeks to master Essential Elements book one and fundamental skills (ex. one octave scales), and those who are ready to potentially finish most of Essential Elements book two as well as more advanced skills (ex. unmetered vibrato, two octave scales, focus on musicality). Our number one goal is ensuring that 100% of our beginner students are prepared for 7/8th grade band, and that means meeting the kids at the level that they currently are at. Continuing to teach all students at the same pace denies the reality that kids learn at different speeds and sets some up for failure and others for boredom. We speak specifically about what that split looks like in the podcast.
In our full band classes, we are creating next year’s leaders. Whereas 8th graders might have been assign the majority of first parts most of the year, we are now pairing a 7th grade first part with an 8th grader so that they can learn to confidently take on harder roles while still with the safety of their older partner.
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This shortie gives ideas for verbalizing clarinet fingerings with your beginners. If they can say it, they can play it!
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Having a student teacher on campus brings to mind all of the lessons a new teacher still has to learn, lessons that most often can only be learned from making their own mistakes.
As the three of us talked, classroom management and injecting your specific personality into your teaching style were the major themes. Finding a balance in front of your kids is something that takes experimentation and is constantly evolving. I certainly don’t teach anything like first year me, and that is a good thing in more ways than one.