welcome to band yap bandtober essentials, where we look back on some of our favorite episodes to help fuel your jam-packed competition schedule. whether you’re on the road to contests or just needing a quick dose of inspiration to keep you going, these hand-picked episodes are here to keep you company all october long.

enjoy this essential episode with josh gall, originally released on july 24, 2025.

"we will do what is hard. we will achieve what is great." jed bartlet said it, and josh gall lives it.

josh gall is a co-founder of ultimate drill book. if you want to talk about visionary, he's not only in the conversation- he is the conversation. josh has grinded for many years, selling sub sandwiches, hand printing and assembling dot books at kinkos, writing countless drills, and submerging his product in fish tanks, all with the goal of making band director's jobs easier. this has culminated in the creation of an app that many band director's consider a lifeline in this day and age, as well as other innovations such as beam and stridetv. we yapped with josh about drum corps, the early days of ultimate drill book, his time with the university of texas bands, oboe math, and his love of restaurants and entertaining.

sponsored by:

• ⁠⁠shawn murphy⁠⁠⁠ with fanpledge
• ⁠⁠the band blueprint⁠⁠⁠⁠ (use promo code bandyap5 when you purchase)
• ⁠⁠troubadour consultants⁠⁠⁠⁠

check out our uil pml playlists on ⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠ (all 5 grades available!)

• ⁠⁠uil pml grade 1s⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠uil pml grade 2s⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠uil pml grade 3s⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠uil pml grade 4s⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠uil pml grade 5s ⁠⁠

listen to our ⁠⁠⁠mixtape⁠⁠⁠

listen to our ⁠⁠⁠march madness⁠⁠⁠ playlist

get help with your resume, or featured on our socials to assist in your job hunt, fill out our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠talent connect form⁠⁠

welcome to band yap bandtober essentials, where we look back on some of our favorite episodes to help fuel your jam-packed competition schedule. whether you’re on the road to contests or just needing a quick dose of inspiration to keep you going, these hand-picked episodes are here to keep you company all october long.

enjoy this essential episode with mike howard, originally released on june 13, 2025. since that time, mike has taken on a new role as deputy director for tmea.

band directors: assemble

mike howard has collected all of the infinity stones. he's won honor band, state marching contest, and grand nats. more importantly than any of those accomplishments, he has committed himself to the betterment of band education across the state of texas. to do so, he currently serves as vice president and band division chair for the texas music educators association (tmea). we talked with him about his band experiences, his love of seinfeld, the texas water safari, superior chicken establishments, and what it was like to have his dad as his band director.

sponsored by:

• ⁠shawn murphy⁠⁠ with fanpledge
• ⁠the band blueprint⁠⁠⁠ (use promo code bandyap5 when you purchase)
• ⁠troubadour consultants⁠⁠⁠
• 
  

check out our uil pml playlists on ⁠youtube⁠ (all 5 grades available!)

• ⁠⁠uil pml grade 1s⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠uil pml grade 2s⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠uil pml grade 3s⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠uil pml grade 4s⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠uil pml grade 5s ⁠⁠

listen to our ⁠⁠mixtape⁠⁠

listen to our ⁠⁠march madness⁠⁠ playlist

get help with your resume, or featured on our socials to assist in your job hunt, fill out our ⁠⁠⁠⁠talent connect form⁠⁠

welcome to band yap bandtober essentials, where we look back on some of our favorite episodes to help fuel your jam-packed competition schedule. whether you’re on the road to contests or just needing a quick dose of inspiration to keep you going, these hand-picked episodes are here to keep you company all october long.

enjoy this essential episode with luke mcmillan, originally released on february 28, 2025.

he's the king of small school marching band productions, and he has the hair to back it up.

luke mcmillan works with bands across the country, providing marching shows for schools of all sizes. as a prolific composer and arranger for over 20 years, he has fine-tuned his process for working with bands to create an excellent product, in both educational and entertaining capacities. we sat down with luke mcmillan to talk about his creative process, barry hurt, chili's, how many lab bands unt actually has, and more!

sponsored by:

• ⁠shawn murphy⁠⁠ with fanpledge
• ⁠the band blueprint⁠⁠⁠ (use promo code bandyap5 when you purchase)
• ⁠troubadour consultants⁠⁠⁠

check out our uil pml playlists on ⁠youtube⁠ (all 5 grades available!)

• ⁠⁠uil pml grade 1s⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠uil pml grade 2s⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠uil pml grade 3s⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠uil pml grade 4s⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠uil pml grade 5s ⁠⁠

listen to our ⁠⁠mixtape⁠⁠

listen to our ⁠⁠march madness⁠⁠ playlist

get help with your resume, or featured on our socials to assist in your job hunt, fill out our ⁠⁠⁠⁠talent connect form⁠⁠

welcome to band yap bandtober essentials, where we look back on some of our favorite episodes to help fuel your jam-packed competition schedule. whether you’re on the road to contests or just needing a quick dose of inspiration to keep you going, these hand-picked episodes are here to keep you company all october long.

enjoy this essential episode with kim shuttlesworth, originally released on april 18, 2025.

no really, this goes a little off the rails.

we talked with kim about...wow. a lot. her upbringing in carthage, her rock-solid dedication to her students, appropriate plumage, her coloring hobby, meat parade, and more. featuring a phone call from robert herrings, and some text-to-confirm moments with dr. kevin sedatole and jarrett lipman.

sponsored by:

• ⁠shawn murphy⁠⁠ with fanpledge
• ⁠the band blueprint⁠⁠⁠ (use promo code bandyap5 when you purchase)
• ⁠troubadour consultants⁠⁠⁠

check out our uil pml playlists on ⁠youtube⁠ (all 5 grades available!)

• ⁠⁠uil pml grade 1s⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠uil pml grade 2s⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠uil pml grade 3s⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠uil pml grade 4s⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠uil pml grade 5s ⁠⁠

listen to our ⁠⁠mixtape⁠⁠

listen to our ⁠⁠march madness⁠⁠ playlist

get help with your resume, or featured on our socials to assist in your job hunt, fill out our ⁠⁠⁠⁠talent connect form⁠⁠

how many times do you hear 6-7 every day?

simon bosch is a man of many unique talents. from disc golfing to unicycling to trumpet playing, he is well-rounded in every sense. on top of that, he’s an outstanding band director. he has taken groups to the midwest clinic, placed highly in the honor band competition, and earned many more accolades with his ensembles. simon holds his students to high expectations, but he is equally passionate about the way music can shape their lives. we yapped with simon about his tall stature, his growing family, his homeschool upbringing, his journey to baylor university with wiff rudd, disc golf, and the mentors who have influenced him most.

sponsored by:

• ⁠shawn murphy⁠⁠ with fanpledge
• ⁠the band blueprint⁠⁠⁠ (use promo code bandyap5 when you purchase)
• ⁠troubadour consultants⁠⁠⁠

check out our uil pml playlists on ⁠youtube⁠ (all 5 grades available!)

listen to our ⁠⁠mixtape⁠⁠

listen to our ⁠⁠march madness⁠⁠ playlist

get help with your resume, or featured on our socials to assist in your job hunt, fill out our ⁠⁠⁠⁠talent connect form⁠⁠

don't worry, we will also yap the yap.

joe walker is the all-american band director. he's originally from missouri, but don't worry- he appreciates texas barbecue. joe served in the us army before becoming a band director, loves riding motorcycles, and is a social butterfly. we talked with joe about his journey to texas, the support of his community in godley, his favorite part of marching band, being a kansas city chiefs fan, and the joy of being a region coordinator.

sponsored by:

• ⁠shawn murphy⁠⁠ with fanpledge
• ⁠the band blueprint⁠⁠⁠ (use promo code bandyap5 when you purchase)
• ⁠troubadour consultants⁠⁠⁠

check out our uil pml playlists on ⁠youtube⁠ (all 5 grades available!)

listen to our ⁠⁠mixtape⁠⁠

listen to our ⁠⁠march madness⁠⁠ playlist

get help with your resume, or featured on our socials to assist in your job hunt, fill out our ⁠⁠⁠⁠talent connect form⁠⁠

and he got it (the right stuff!)

adam mothersole is new to the head band director club. a seasoned educator and trombone player, he has a vast amount of band experience. he's been involved with drum corps as both a performer and a teacher, taught at schools of various classifications, and is even a fellow baylor bear. now as the head director of the storied china spring band, he's making sure to leave his mark of excellence. we talked with adam about his love of soccer, what it is like to be engaged to an oklahoma sooner, his dad's profound influence on his life, playing trittico with lips numb from oragel, and his most embarrassing moment as a teacher.

sponsored by:

• ⁠shawn murphy⁠⁠ with fanpledge
• ⁠the band blueprint⁠⁠⁠ (use promo code bandyap5 when you purchase)
• ⁠troubadour consultants⁠⁠⁠

check out our uil pml playlists on ⁠youtube⁠ (all 5 grades available!)

listen to our ⁠⁠mixtape⁠⁠

listen to our ⁠⁠march madness⁠⁠ playlist

get help with your resume, or featured on our socials to assist in your job hunt, fill out our ⁠⁠⁠⁠talent connect form⁠⁠

don’t you think he could make a mean italian beef?
eric rath is a phenomenal teacher, composer, and percussionist, and on top of that, a wonderful human being. he has dedicated his life not only to his own family (5 kids!) but also to music education and composing excellent works for band and percussion ensemble. with professional musicians as parents, music has always been part of his life. eric has spent many years in west texas, where he has helped contribute to a rich culture of arts appreciation. we talked with him about his west texas adventures, ice cream (including his slight disdain for dairy queen), decision fatigue, clifford the big red dog, and his favorite piece he’s written.

sponsored by:

• shawn murphy⁠ with fanpledge
• the band blueprint⁠⁠ (use promo code bandyap5 when you purchase)
• troubadour consultants⁠⁠

check out our uil pml playlists on youtube (all 5 grades available!)

listen to our ⁠mixtape⁠

listen to our ⁠march madness⁠ playlist

get help with your resume, or featured on our socials to assist in your job hunt, fill out our ⁠⁠⁠talent connect form⁠

welcome to band yap 8: the ocho

chris clifton knows more about military marching band than most people know about....anything. he's won multiple (consecutive) state titles, not to even mention that he's won honor band multiple times (also consecutive). chris' expertise is extraordinary, and he attributes some of his knowledge to the legendary east texas military marching band director stump burning tradition. yes, stump burning, we talked with chris about being a texas longhorn fan, his unusual path to music education, tacos, his strategy for purchasing clothing, the honor band experience, and his love of candy.

sponsored by:

• shawn murphy⁠ with fanpledge
• the band blueprint⁠⁠ (use promo code bandyap5 when you purchase)
• troubadour consultants⁠⁠

check out our uil pml playlists on youtube

listen to our ⁠mixtape⁠

listen to our ⁠march madness⁠ playlist

get help with your resume, or featured on our socials to assist in your job hunt, fill out our ⁠⁠⁠talent connect form⁠

jeff young is as connected to the marching arts as anyone. he is the director of camps for music for all, where he oversees the music for all summer symposium. he was the visual caption head for many years at carmel high school, his alma mater. he has both taught and judged within dci. additionally, he is the ceo of dynamic marching, a platform providing educational video content for band directors. not only has jeff dedicated his life to music education, but he also served as a science teacher for many years at carmel high school.

jeff is truly one of a kind. his unique path and experience provide him with a lens into the marching arts that simply cannot be replicated, making him a valuable consultant, clinician, and judge. we sat down to talk with jeff about his flirtation with gymnastics, how his hair is the gift that keeps on giving, the ins and outs of being the ultimate camp counselor, his experience at notre dame, his favorite science subject to teach, and his obsession with fine cuisine.

sponsored by:

• shawn murphy⁠ with fanpledge
• the band blueprint⁠⁠ (use promo code bandyap5 when you purchase)
• troubadour consultants⁠⁠

check out our uil pml playlists on youtube

listen to our ⁠mixtape⁠

listen to our ⁠march madness⁠ playlist

get help with your resume, or featured on our socials to assist in your job hunt, fill out our ⁠⁠⁠talent connect form⁠