Directing Band

Episode 11 is an episode based on a listener request.   In this episode, Josh describes what he ideally wants every student to know when they enter the high school band as a 9th grader. 

When every student enters the band as a new student, they are given a "Step 0" sheet of tasks to complete.  The purpose of a student completing these tasks is to demonstrate what they already know.  The tasks are created from the GMEA middle school all state band requirements.  In addition, the tasks are created based on the UIL sight-reading requirements for Level 1 and Level 2. 

Show Links:
Click here for a free copy of Josh's "Step 0" Pass Off Sheet.
Directingband.com
Free Lunch Coffee

This episode is taken from my interview on the Within the Musician Podcast with Monica Williams.  it was an honor to be on her show and talk about issues related to virtual band during the pandemic.  We talk about several key issues related to developing mastery, technology, and more.  If you would like to hear the full episode, you can find it using the link below.

Show Links:

Within the Musician Podcast by Monica Williams (https://www.bayareaflutist.com)

Monica Williams bio and website

DirectingBand.com

Free Lunch Coffee

Welcome to another episode of Free Resource Friday.  In this episode we are talking about Mike Robinson Music.  Mike Robinson's website is fantastic with free exercises related to articulation, lip slurs, scale studies, and more.

Here is a link his website: Click Here (https://www.mrobinsonmusic.com/free-resources.html)

For more free resource Friday's please subscribe to our show on whatever application you are listening to this episode!  DirectingBand.com 

This episode was created from feedback from teacher feedback on social media.  We discuss classroom management strategies, teaching methods, and more.  This episode includes 11 key classroom management ideas that are broken down into practical strategies.  In addition, we include direct quotes from multiple master teachers.

Guest contributors include: Amber Dudley, Kelsey Armstrong, Kayla Peavy, Heather Wyman, Alan Armstrong, Chuck Jindrich, Damien Gaiters, Matthew Price, Robert Grogan, Grayson Lawrence, Kimberly Anne, Jared Kaufman, Brandon Robinson, Lilith Tate, Kathy Brown, Maria Menendez, Josh Brandon, Denis Naughton, and more.

Rachael joins as a guest co-host of this episode.

For this episode, we created this Classroom Management Toolbox Handout for you and your students.  (CLICK HERE TO GET THE HANDOUT). https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XX3_ZoMoYqtn8drhbJV8oDKZiLbnuCoOpKTNuKVeHvc/edit?usp=sharing

Find us online at https://www.directingband.com
Instagram: @DirectingtheBand
Twitter: @JoshRBoyd
Email: [email protected]
Youtube: Directing Band

One of our favorite resources is John McAllister Music.  John as a great website where he delivers instrumental exercises related long tones, technique, scale builder, and more.  His cinematic series fundamental program includes backing tracks that the students can play with.  This can easily be used to encourage student engagement in your classroom.  Additionally, he has several compositions and methods for sale. 

Show Notes:

CLICK HERE to go to John McAllister Music (https://www.johnmcallistermusic.com/free-resources.html)

DirectingBand.com

Free Lunch Coffee

In this episode, Josh responds to a listener request to talk about his process to preparing his concert bands for sight reading at Large Group Performance Evaluation.  Josh gives you his month by month preparation plan and breaks down the timing and reasoning behind each step in the process.

5 tools we use for sightreading:
1.  Rhythm sheets

• Fussell Rhythms
• UIL Level Rhythm sheets

2.  Method Book

• Foundations for a Superior Performance (Freshmen Band)
• Habits for a Successful Musician (Middle Band)
• Tone and Technique (Mastery Band)

3.  Sight Reading Factor generated excerpts

4.  Concert works from the State List

5. UIL Sight Reading Charts

In this episode, Miranda Carlsen, the band director at Harris County High School, talks about ways that she is creating a big sound in a rural area.  She talks about her daily warm up and fundamental routine, her approach to marching band, running a band contest, her fundraisers, and more.  The idea behind this podcast is that you can do big things, even in a rural area.  Mrs. Carlsen's band program is experience growth in numbers, ensembles offered, and students being accepted into collegiate programs. 

I hope that you enjoy this interview and feel encouraged to make big things happen at your school. 

Here is a link to the show notes handout that accompanies this episode. 

In this first episode of Free Resource Friday, we share with you a website where you can receive 36 free chorales.  This resource was brought to our attention by band director, Adam Swan. 

Aaron Cole teaches high band at Mayo High School in Rochester, MN and plays horn in the Rochester Community Band.  He created a chorale warm up book for band that he has posted for free on his website.  On his website you can download a zip file that already has the chorales organized in instrumental student books.  Josh has uploaded these into a google drive for his students to be able to access them on their chromebooks.  Other teachers have printed them and found a local shop to bind them.  You could also simply print them off for your students as you need them. 

Aaron Cole has a DONATE link on his website where you can donate to him for providing this wonderful resource.  I hope that you will consider supporting him.

Here is a link to the 36 chorales by Aaron Cole.

(http://aaronmcole.com/chorale.html?fbclid=IwAR2oTgfi1B2oIifwJA75mFlOKLiSbSkqnxrlLmeMlAlyL1EA44wEKE8aOmc)

Other Links:
DirectingBand.com
Free Lunch Coffee (Use code Community at checkout for a 10% discount)

Monica Williams is a musician, flutist, teaching artist, composer, lifelong learner from the Bay area of San Francisco.  She is also the host of “Within the Musician,”  a podcast designed to be a place of discovery for all students, performers, educators and future educators.

In this episode, Monica and I discuss  ways to develop phrasing and expression in young musicians.  It is a fantastic conversation between a professional performer and private lesson instructor and a high school band director.

I highly recommend Monica's podcast, "Within the Musician."  You can find and subscribe to her podcast by clicking here.

Show Notes:
Within the Music Musician with Monica Willians: https://nycpodcastnetwork.com/podcast/within-the-musician-monica-williams/

Monica Williams Bio

Christian Gordon is the band director at Westglades Middle School in Parkland, Florida.  Both Christian and Josh teach band through a mastery system by which students work to develop their individual musical skills first, and in doing so, the band reading ability continues to grow.

Christian talks about the concept of a mastery system, gives examples of tasks that his students work on individually, and then further discusses the benefits of encouraging and measuring student achievement.  Josh talks about how his mastery system at the high school connects to Christian's system.  This includes studio recitals and mastery recitals and working through targeted exercises in select method books.  

Key concepts that are discussed:

• Ensemble skills are a byproduct of individual musical ability.
• Know what you want your students to do.  Start with the end in mind.
• Organize tasks into measurable items that students can do.
• Meet students where they are at while always leading them to the next area of success.

Links to items discussed in this episode:
Interview with Alfred Watkins by John Thomson (mentioned on the show)
Power in the Progress System (a Mastery System that Christian and Josh have used and loved)
Christian Gordon Instagram (send him a message if you would like him to share some of his resources).
Youtube presentation on Josh's system