In this episode, Nick Averwater talks with Tyler Swick, a celebrated and award-winning music educator from Robert and Sandy Ellis Elementary School in Las Vegas, whose YouTube channel, Swick's Classroom, has over 14,000 subscribers, and has been visited more than 3.5 million times.

We thought Tyler's enthusiasm for music education, and his innovative ideas, would be just right as a new school year is about to begin.

This conversation was recorded June 27, 2022.   

Swick's Classroom YouTube Channel
The LG phone commercial that Tyler mentioned in the interview

In this episode Nick Averwater talks with Emily Kelley, Director of Bands at Sylvania Southview High School in Sylvania, OH, and author of the new book Inclusion in Band and Orchestra, which is part of the Maximizing Student Performance series by the Kjos Music Company. Our conversation was recorded July 20, 2022.

This week Joel Hurd, one of the producers on the podcast, talks with composer and educator Brady Massey, who spent more than 20 years as a band director in three different school districts in Arkansas (Hoxie, Trumann, and Pocahontas), and is currently Director of Bands at Williams Baptist University in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. 
Joel talked with Brady just after he had given a talk at Amro University, which is a 2-day event in Memphis for college students and new band directors. Brady's talk was entitled, "Starting The Year On Your Left Foot."
Our conversation was recorded April 8, 2022.

This week Nick Averwater talks with Hunter Durham, Director of Bands in the Rivercrest School District in Wilson, Arkansas, a small town near the Mississippi River around 30 miles north of Memphis. He is originally from nearby Paragould, Arkansas.

Hunter has written a guide to sound reinforcement for marching bands, and in this episode he'll be sharing his ideas on mic techniques, how to make wise purchasing decisions, and more. This conversation was recorded April 9, 2022.

In the Interview, Hunter references the following:
Behringer X32 Digital Mixer
Shure SM137 Microphone
Drew Brashler's YouTube Channel
Lonestar Percussion's Marimba Mic Shootout

This week Joel Hurd, one of co-producers of the podcast, talks with Dr. Jennifer Hawkinson, Associate Professor of Music Education at the University of Central Arkansas.
Before joining UCA, Dr. Hawkinson spent 18 years in South Dakota as a music educator in several school districts, including one of the largest schools in the state, Sioux Falls Washington High School.
She joined us at Amro Music as part of Amro University, a two-day gathering of college students and new music educators, where she gave a talk entitled Increasing Retention In Your Music Program. This conversation was recorded April 9, 2022

In this episode of the After Hours Director Spotlight, Nick Averwater talks with Jason Deem, Director of Bands at Union City High School in Union City, Tennessee, a town of just over 10,000 people in the northwest corner of the state. 

Jason joined the Union City schools in 2006, and has been Director of Bands for five years. In this conversation, we'll learn about his early influences, how he carries on the tradition of success in the band program, and the importance of good communication with students, administration and the community.

This conversation was recorded April 29, 2022.   

This week Nick Averwater talks with Randy Dale, Assistant Professor of Music, Associate Director of Bands, and Director of Athletic Bands at the University of Mississippi, to get some ideas about recruiting new students for your band program. Our conversation was recorded April 8, 2022 in downtown Memphis, where Randy was giving a presentation for Amro University.

In this episode, Nick Averwater continues his with Dr. Matt Rowan, Director of Bands for the Pearl School District in Pearl, Mississippi, the 13th largest city in the state, located just east of Jackson. 

In this conversation, Dr. Rowan shares more ideas about how to help students who want to pursue a career in music education. The conversation was recorded March 2, 2022, and is broken up in to two episodes, and this is part 2.

In this episode, Nick Averwater talks with Dr. Matt Rowan, Director of Bands for the Pearl School District in Pearl, Mississippi, a city of around 27,000 just east of Jackson. 

In this conversation, Dr. Rowan talks about how he knew early that he wanted to pursue a career in music education, in large part because of the many educators along the way who encouraged him. We'll also learn about ways he now serves as a mentor for leaders in his band program who want to go on to teach music. The conversation was recorded March 2, 2022, and is broken up in to two episodes, and this is part 1.

This week Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Todd Shipley, Director of Arts Education for the Tennessee Department of Education. 

In this episode, they'll discuss the importance developing a positive relationship with your local school board, proactive  vs. reactive advocacy, and more. Our conversation was recorded February 14, 2022, and is broken up in to two episodes, and this is part two.