Take Note

We're talking with the newly crowned Miss America 2026, Cassie Donegan. She talks with us about how the arts shaped her and how she is using her voice as Miss America to bring attention to the arts.

Music for All is celebrating their 50th anniversary. We're talking with someone that has been part of many of those 50 years - Cam Stasa, Music for All's Senior Director of Participant Relations.

This week, Pennsylvania's Temple University will appear in the 99th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! We talk with their director Dr. Matthew Brunner and student Carynn O'Banion about all of the excitement leading up to the parade.

We're talking with a team of professors and student from Penn State about a program where they used teaching artists to create an opera with a second grade class. Learn about the project and the role of teaching artists in music education.

We're talking with Dr. Brad Townsend, Director of Bands at the University of Pittsburgh. Learn about his career and the Pitt Band.

You many have heard of the NFHS but do you know who they are and what they do? Chris Paulson is the Director of Performing Arts and Sports for the NFHS and he joins us to talk about what they offer for music education.

Here are some NFHS resources Chris references in the podcast:

• https://nfhs.org/
• https://nfhs.org/activities/music
• https://artsadvocacy.nfhs.org/
• https://nfhslearn.com/
• https://copyright.nfhs.org/ - (note – materials will soon be under review, and some may become temporarily unavailable)

The Museum of Making Music is located in the NAMM music products industry headquarters in Carlsbad, CA. We're talking with Carolyn Grant, the Executive Director of the museum about what you can find there and a new program that can help bring the museum to your classroom. Learn more at: https://www.museumofmakingmusic.org/education/curriculum

We're joined by Pennsylvania's Acting Secretary of Education, Dr. Carrie Rowe. She talks with us about the importance of music and the arts in education and addresses some of the challenges schools and educators are facing.

Dr. Laura Jacob is the superintendent of the California Area School District. She joins us to talk about an innovative program she's implemented to get instruments in students hands.

Pittsburgh based singer/songwriter Anyah Nancy joins us to talk about her music making and her participation in UniSound's Black Teaching Artist in Residence program.