This week's show is a really uplifting and positive step into 2021 with an inspiring leader and director. Matthew Arau is Chair of the Music Education Department and Associate Director of Bands at the Lawrence University and Founder of Upbeat Global which focuses on leadership and professional development in our music education community!

We're back for a new year, and what better way to kick off the year than with a close friend and colleague. John DeNovi has been helping to grow the activity and Drum Corps and promote the marching arts across the world for years and has been one of the driving forces behind DCI's SoundSport and Drumline Battle programmes.

 

Find out more about DCI at www.dci.org

Join us as we say goodbye to 2020 with our new monthly podcast. Every month we'll be sitting around with band directors, planning an imaginary concert and maybe (definitely) have a drink or two!

This months programme is called "A 2020 Christmas" and I'm joined by Gail Brechting, Mark Nichols, and Andrew Jordan as we plan the only Christmas concert most of us will be able to this year!

So great to be able to wrap up the show for 2020 with these amaaaaaazing guests! Thanks so much to Darcy and Mark for joining me on Thursday and to Kaleidoscope Adventures for their ongoing support of all three shows!

I really enjoyed my conversation with this weeks guest John Lynch of the Sydney Conservatorium. John is a fascinating guy having started with a successful career in the USA before moving to Australia to lead the development of wind band in Sydney!

Björn Bus is an award-winning and hugely in-demand conductor from the Netherlands and serves as the Artistic Director of the World Music Contest in Kerkrade as well as a member of the WASBE (World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles) board of directors.

Björn joined me to talk about his career, his views on conducting and commissioning, and the hard decision to postpone the WMC festival to 2022.

2020 has been a challenging season for bands across the world, but with the 2020 DCI season cancelled in the USA, Drum Corps faced a particularly difficult year. Mike Scott, CEO of the Bluecoats joined me to talk about the innovative ways that they've approached the year and the lessons that they plan to carry into 2021 and beyond.

This week I was joined by Philip Harper, conductor of the Cory Brass Band, and we talked about the amazing virtual workshops, performances, and competitions that they’ve been doing this year - as well as finding out a lot more about the brass band scene in the UK.

Find out more about Philip at

http://www.philipharper.co.uk/

The Cory Band:

https://coryband.com

Einheit Fanfarenzug - Livestream

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6obDluIBgc&feature=youtu.be

GIFTS Medal of Distinction:

www.giftsmovemnt.org

I had the pleasure to meet Eimear Noone recently as she helped launch a fundraising campaign for the band that I teach in Ballinasloe. Eimear grew up close by and was a member of the band before moving on to have one of the most successful careers in composition and conducting. From her compositions and orchestrations of music for video games such as World of Warcraft to this year being the first woman to conduct at the Oscars...Eimear is truly an Irish superstar, and it’s been wonderful to have her support for our band in Ballinasloe...and for her to join me on this episode...

The drum corps season is a crescendo that ends in a truly magnificent display of talent and skill each August. It's DCI Finals Week, and in episode 7 Keith turns his gaze to Lucas Oil Stadium to explore the season-ending events of the DCI Summer Tour.

Special guests include: Santa Clara Vanguard brass caption head Nark Nichols, Bluecoats drum major Peyton Grunzke, Blue Devils brass arranger John Meehan, DCI CEO Dan Acheson, DCI Judge Administrator John Phillips, Old Bridge Elementary Drumline director Colin Bell, Crossmen drum major Lydia Marshall, and former Blue Knights member and Finding Drum Corps co-producer Mallory Anderson.