John Denis is an Assistant Professor of Music Education at Texas State University. He has 8 years of teaching experience as a high school and middle school band director in Texas and is the host of the Program Notes: The Beginning Band Director Podcast.

Topics:

• John’s background growing up West of Fort Worth and thoughts about why he became a teacher.
• Some advice for young teachers who might be discouraged or burnt out in their first years of teaching.
• The music education program at Texas State University.
• Best practices for classroom management and a serious in-depth discussion of teaching beginning band.
• Finding a music teaching job in Texas.

Links:

• John Denis
• Program Notes: The Beginning Band Director Podcast
• For Clarinets Only by Marilyn Mattei
• Intelligent Music Teaching by Robert A. Duke
• Bocal Majority Method Books
• Teaching Rhythm Logically by Darcy Vogt Williams
• Grainger: Molly on the Shore

Biography:

John Denis, Assistant Professor of Music at Texas State University, has 8 years of Texas band directing experience working with middle school and high school students. He recently completed a PhD degree at the University of North Texas and is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association, the Texas Music Adjudicator's Association, NAfME, Pi Kappa Lambda, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. Dr. Denis has been active as a clinician in North Texas and Oregon. He has also presented at the TMEA Convention, California All-State Music Education Conference, Maryland Music Educators February Conference, the NAfME Music Research and Teacher Education National Conference, ISME World Conference, and NAfME Teacher In-service Conference.