Freshley-minted World Champion Tony Gamez, drum major of the Bluecoats, joins us for this week’s LLL! He shares his journey from high school marching band straight to the Bluecoats, first in the hornline and then to the podium. Tony reflects on the corps culture that made 2024 unique and how he approached his leadership role throughout the season. Finally, he gives his advice for DCI auditionees.

→ TAKE LESSONS WITH TONY! https://silentcommand.org/lessons

→ The 8 to 5 Club podcast is made possible by Silent Command. Visit silentcommand.org for lessons, clinics, and videos.

This week, we share your responses to your first homework assignment. Find out what you have in common with your fellow listeners and hear Jared’s answers to the self-reflection questions. Thanks for your submissions, and stay tuned for your next task!

→ The 8 to 5 Club podcast is made possible by Silent Command. Visit silentcommand.org for lessons, clinics, and videos.

Today we bring to you the first installment of our new interview series, Lunch with a Legendary Leader! Jared and Corey welcome Carl Huang, former drum major of the Santa Clara Vanguard (‘17-‘18, Phantom Regiment ‘16, Vanguard Cadets ‘11-‘15). Whether you know him from the early days of Silent Command, his legendary Babylon head cam, or have had your life saved by his EMT skills, Carl has certainly made a massive impact on the marching leadership community. He takes us in detail through his 8-year drum corps journey, and we learn about his most valued life-lessons, observations on how DCI has changed over time, and much more.

→ The 8 to 5 Club podcast is made possible by Silent Command. Visit silentcommand.org for lessons, clinics, and videos.

Following up on last week’s episode about leadership application and interview prep, Corey assigns your homework for this week to get you thinking. We designed a set of 10 questions that allow you to address where you are now and what improvements you would like to make going forward.

*Share your own reflection answers here!*

https://gforms.app/r/nxprKi2

→ The 8 to 5 Club podcast is made possible by Silent Command. Visit silentcommand.org for lessons, clinics, and videos.

→ Find Corey at coreycastillo.com

NOW is the time to start preparing for audition season, especially for those aspiring to step into leadership roles. We reflect on our own drum major interviews and audition process and give insight into how we approach screening and selecting students leaders from the perspective of educators. We share common interview questions and guide you through the interview itself, from body language and confidence tips to making natural connections with your interviewers.

→ The 8 to 5 Club podcast is made possible by Silent Command. Visit silentcommand.org for lessons, clinics, and videos.

→ Find Corey at coreycastillo.com

Welcome to Season 4! The 8 to 5 Club is back from another summer filled with lots, and lots, and lots of band. We reflect on our recent growing pains as evolving educators. Jared dishes about his career shift into the corporate world and readjusting his mindset as a teacher as he faces new surprises with his home programs. Still on his endless bassoon grind, Corey reflects on his initial hesitations and season-long growth as a first-time drum corps staff member.

→ The 8 to 5 Club podcast is made possible by Silent Command. Visit silentcommand.org for lessons, clinics, and videos.

→ Find Corey at coreycastillo.com

For this week's episode, Corey welcomes sport psychologist Dr. Adam Gallenberg to talk about mental approaches to leading and performing. We talk about how to manage the "all eyes on me" pressure that drum majors and leaders experience, mental approaches to mistakes and recovery, overcoming mental blocks and "hitting the wall" during the season, and much more.

→ Find Dr. Gallenberg at premiersportpsychology.com and @dr.adam_sportpsych (IG)

→ The 8 to 5 Club podcast is made possible by Silent Command. Visit silentcommand.org for lessons, clinics, and videos.

This week we welcome a powerful group of DCI drum majors and leaders to discuss navigating leadership and the marching arts as women. We address core issues like representation, lack of support, bias in the audition process, and offer our action steps to create inclusive teams and educational environments.

With Dina Bratanovic, Peyton Brillhart, Megan Conlan, Sophia Fenske, Hannah Hawryluk, Jayden Jones, Keri McCourt, and Justine Nava.

→ The 8 to 5 Club podcast is made possible by Silent Command. Visit silentcommand.org for lessons, clinics, and videos.

Corey's book pick for this month is Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning -- the ability to learn and teach effectively is an essential skill for musicians, leaders, and teachers alike. Jared pulls a quote from Habitudes that addresses change within an organization.

→ The 8 to 5 Club podcast is made possible by Silent Command. Visit silentcommand.org for lessons, clinics, and videos.