Every month we sit around with band directors, planning an imaginary concert and maybe (definitely) have a drink or two! This months programme is called "Mother Nature!" and I was joined by Gail Brechting of the Association of Concert Bands, Andrew Trachsel of the University of North Texas, and Irish composer Vincent Kennedy.

This week I had the opportunity to chat with Courtney Brandt, author of Confessions of a Teenage Band Geek. We discussed marching band in modern media, her journey to Dubai, how bands can best represent themselves on social media and some upcoming books and sequels.

Find out more about Courtney at @courtneybrandtauthor on Facebook and @cbrandtwright on Instagram.

You can purchase Confessions of a Teenage Band Geek at www.amazon.com/dp/B08N19S41C

This week we’re off to Kuching, Malaysia to talk with Wilson Tan, director of a number of local school concert bands as well as Vice-president of WASMB Malaysia. We talk about music education there, how they’ve managed to keep their kids engaged online, and the 2021 Malaysian International Virtual Band Championships.

This week we head to the University of Illinois and talk to Barry L. Houser, Director of the Marching Illini. We chat about his career, the history of the Marching Illini in Ireland, Marching Band v Concert Band, and how the University has adapted over the past year.

This week I was joined by Amy Knopps of the University of Missouri and Marching Mizzou. We chatted about her musical journey, the decisions to move from middle school teaching to university conducting and why she loves marching band to this day.

It's almost St. Patrick's Day! This month's imaginary concert is called "Ireland Calls!" and I'll be joined by Gail Brechting, John Carpenter, and Amy Knopps as we plan a concert to kick off St. Patrick's Festival featuring Irish song, Irish composers, and Irish inspired works.

This week I caught up with John Meehan, Arranger and Co-Brass Caption Head of the Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps to find out how the last 12 months have shaped him and this famous Drum Corps. we chatted about his career, his work with concert and marching bands and what the year ahead might have in store for our activity.

Such a fun episode this week as we head to Norway to chat with the guys from Blåsemafian ahead of their final round to represent Norway this year at the Eurovision Song Contest. On the episodes we chat about marching and brass bands in Norway, the let loose movement inspiring kids around Europe, and what it would be like for the first every brass lineup of this kind to perform at the Eurovision.

This week we're off to Alberta, Canada to chat with Ryan Hancock of the Calgary Stampede Showband.

Ryan is the bands' Director and a product of the incredible system they've built in Calgary. We chat about the band, WAMSB, DCI, and of course the world-famous Stampede.

This week we travel to Denmark to visit Jan Ulrick Hansen to chat about bands in Denmark, the evolution of marching band in Europe, and the famous Tivoli Guards Band in Copenhagen.

Jan has been a member of the WAMSB Judges Bureau since 2001. His jury experience includes marching, show and parade band assignments at several different national, international and world championships. As a member of different musical boards in Denmark, he is past chairman of the union of music schools in greater Copenhagen.