I get to chat with Dylan Ford, Director of Bands and Orchestras at Dakota Ridge HS in Littleton, Colorado. We discuss the toll of mental exhaustion, inequities in compensation, and teacher retention.

Nick was at the helm of a Colorado 5A State Championship marching band program at Loveland High School, and despite much success, found himself needing to leave the classroom. He didn't leave band completely behind him. We talk in depth, during a road trip from Colorado to Arizona, with an unexpected stop along the way.

Britt Sawyer has spent her entire career teaching in what is a hybrid community of suburbia and rural Colorado. She has come to love teaching middle school, and has found in recent years, a great way to balance out her personal and professional life, without sacrificing good teaching.

Peter and Shanna Toews made some big decisions pretty early in their careers that dramatically shifted the direction of programs and family. Today, they're incredibly successful, with two bright kids who have accomplished amazing things. Listen as we discuss their decision making process and how that's worked out. I also get to chat a bit with their children, who are about to head off to college.

Kathy and Doran Azari, recent retirees, share some wisdom from their long careers. We talk about having children and being music teachers, transitions in teaching lines, the "golden handcuffs", and minivans.

Colonel Jason Fettig is the commander of the President's Own United States Marine Band in Washington, D.C. and he joins me to discuss the culture in an ensemble, managing what might be the craziest schedule in the band world, and forgiveness towards ourselves. We pull back the curtain to see what makes this institution operate, and see beyond the uniforms, pomp and circumstance.

Cindy and Mandart are from Victoria, British Columbia in Canada and bring in some stories that parallel some of the things we face here in the US, including working to keep programs and positions funded, revisioning our program focus, and making tough decisions about our own career paths. 

Julie Bounds is the director of bands at Sheldon High School in Eugene, Oregon. We discuss moving schools, the boys club that is the band director profession, and making time for the people we love. I also breakdown my observation of her rehearsals.

Tate Sakamoto is the band director at Waiākea Intermediate School in Hilo, Hawaiʻi, on the Big Island. He's relatively new to teaching, but has learned and is learning a lot in a community that is supportive and closely knit. We have a lot of similar experiences having to figure a lot of things out without having much to work with. He's in a unique club of directors who started teaching just as the pandemic hit, so he's got experiences and skills that I definitely don't have.

Jeremy Lawi is the Director of Bands at Mid Pacific Institute in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. Jeremy teaches band in grades 6-12 at this smaller private school, and has faced unique challenges and benefits of starting and keeping the same students through the entire Gr. 6-12 band experienced, as well as the unique setting of the small school. He is also active as a performing musician, with the Oʻahu Band Directors Association, and the Hawaiʻi Youth Symphony's Pacific Music Institute.