This week, Jared interviews Troopers horn sergeant Jake Spinagotti and former Madison Scouts horn sergeant Ethan Hacker to learn all about brass leadership. Ethan shares his advice on dealing with disagreements between leadership while on the road and how educators can best help their student leaders. Jake talks about being a link between members and staff and how his mindset shifted through the season.

→ 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

Corey and Jared welcome Pacific Crest drum major Justine Nava to highlight the differences between open class and world class corps, and how her move from BDB to PC significantly changed her drum major responsibilities. Breaking away from a tradition of rigidity and stoicism, Justine reflects on what makes her drum major team welcoming and joyful. Finally, "Goddess" fanboys Corey and Jared geek over the origin story of (allegedly) the most iconic drum major uniforms of DCI 2023.

→ Follow Justine on Instagram @navajustine

→ 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

The 8 to 5 Club welcomes Jesse Walker and Jacob Yudho to talk about leadership in drum corps, indoor, and high school color guard. From Jesse's experiences at Dartmouth HS and the Boston Crusaders and Jacob's time with Carolina Crown and Paramount, we learn about the importance of being a cheerleader for your peers and having a standard of professionalism for performers of all ages and skill levels.

→ Take lessons with Jesse and Jacob at silentcommand.org/lessons

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

In honor of the upcoming drum corps audition season, Jared and Corey share some of their advice for auditionees. We talk about what went into our own successful auditions, such as mock auditions, prep schedules, and embracing the learning process. We also answer questions about picking repertoire, how to handle "ticking" and performance anxiety, and the role that vets play in the audition experience.

→ 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

Silent Command Brand Ambassadors Lily Tow, Miguel Flores-Padilla, and Nick Ramos join the podcast this week to discuss traits of an effective staff-to-leadership working relationship. These drum majors share the ways that their band programs increase transparency and communication from the directors down to the students, and how excitement and creativity from staff can impact everyone in the band.

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

... and the lessons he learned along the way. This episode, Jared gets candid about how he has reevaluated his teaching approaches in the last few years. Realizing the limitations of one-size-fits-all lesson planning, he has become an educator focused on being receptive to student needs and perspectives. An unexpected tear in the relationship between Jared and his students reveals the value of building trust while building a team.

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

We asked our 8 to 5 Club listeners to submit their questions for us this week! Corey shares the story of his decision to move up from marching member to drum major. Jared brags about his summer of NOT sleeping on gym floors and the other luxuries of age-out life. Among many other hard-hitting topics, we address our thoughts on leading a group with differing individual mindsets, techniques for handling interpersonal conflict, and how to strengthen your "calm, cool, and collected" reflex in difficult situations. 

→ 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

Corey is back this week with a 1-on-1 episode reflecting on his biggest leadership lessons from his final summer of drum corps. The heightened internal and external expectations that come with being a veteran leader means that the job is almost never smooth sailing. Corey shares some of his challenges with the shifting relationships with members, member leaders, and staff. "As a leader, if you feel comfortable then you're probably doing something wrong."

→ Find Corey at coreycastillo.com

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

In this segment on percussion leadership, Jared interviews Phantom Regiment front ensemble member and Stryke section leader Henry Santos. Henry reflects on his intensive audition process and the people who inspired him throughout. We talk about the traits of great members and leaders, connecting it all to the pursuit of positively impacting the people around us.

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

In this segment on percussion leadership, Corey connects with Bluecoats battery section leader Sebastian Martinez to discuss his strategies for leading through organizational and personal change. His successes within his own section and the corps on a broader scale highlights the importance of putting people first and always committing to improvement. Finally, we explain common issues and scenarios with ensemble tempo responsibilities between drum major and battery.

→ 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