Episode 193 - Paula Crider
Everything Band Podcast
Paula Crider has had an illustrious 33 year teaching career as a band director, 17 of those as the director of the University of Texas Longhorn Band. She continues to be powerful voice in the band community as a clinician and consultant.
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Episode 192 - JaRod Hall
Everything Band Podcast
JaRod Hall is a band director in Frisco, Texas and an up and coming composer at the beginning of his writing career. He is infectiously positive throughout our conversation about his creative journey, including a discussion of representation and why it matters for our students.
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Episode 191 - Greg Bimm
Everything Band Podcast
Greg Bimm has been the band director at Marian Catholic in Chicago for 44 years. During his time there his bands have been consistently excellent both on the marching field and on the stage, including Bands of America's Grand National Champion seven times and a whopping 40 straight years undefeated in their class at the Illinois Superstate competition.
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Episode 190 - Alfred Watkins
Everything Band Podcast
Alfred Watkins was the longtime band director at Lasseter High School in Georgia and one of the finest band directors of his generation. He joins the show to talk about his career and share the wisdom from his 37 years as an instrumental music teacher.
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Episode 189 - James Swearingen
Everything Band Podcast
James Swearengen has composed over 700 published works and is one of the most recognizable names in the wind band community. He joins me to discuss not only his music but also the story his early career as a band director and some of the wisdom he has acquired over a stellar career.
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Episode 188 - Ronnie Wooten
Everything Band Podcast
Dr. Ronald Wooten is a professor of music at Northern Illinois University and has a long history of success as a band director and music educator. He joined the show to spin an entertaining story of his life and share some tremendous wisdom.
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Episode 187 - Colin Peters and Jake Walker
Everything Band Podcast
In this special episode we welcome Colin Peters and Jake Walker to the podcast and interview them to learn their stories and hear their plans for the future of the podcast. Topics covered include origin stories, teaching during COVID, teaching beginners, and their answers to the big questions.
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Episode 186 - Tonya Mitchell-Spradlin
Everything Band Podcast
Tonya Mitchell-Spradlin is the director of bands at Penn State University. She joined the show to share the story of her career, challenges that she has faced, and some thoughts about concert band programming.
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Episode 185 - Jared Cassedy
Everything Band Podcast
Jared Cassedy is the current band director at Lexington High School in Massachusetts, after teaching in New Hampshire for many years. He was the 2015 recipient of the Grammy Music Educator of the Year award and offers some great perspective for all band directors.
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Episode 184 - Steve Danyew
Everything Band Podcast
Steve Danyew is a composer living in Rochester, New York. He has written several very successful for band, including Magnolia Star and Into the Silent Land.
info_outlineJustin McClean is a band director in Houston, Texas and co-host of the “The Score”, which is an urban music education podcast. He joins the show for a very remarkable conversation about how we build a better band community.
Topics:
- Justin’s background story growing up in Texas and the role of the church in his background and why the church is so relevant to so many African-American musicians.
- Making connections to kids with the music that they listen to and some lessons that Justin took from his own high school band director.
- Justin’s thoughts about attending an HBCU (Historically Black College or University) and the important role that HBCU’s play in the music education community.
- A broad discussion about race in music and the band community and what we can do as band directors to communicate better and build a more inclusive profession.
Links:
- The Score: An Urban Music Education Podcast
- Ijeoma Olua: So You Want to Talk about Race?
- Holsinger: A Childhood Hymn
Biography:
Justin McLean is currently the Percussion Director/Assistant Director of Bands at Hightower HS and Lake Olympia MS Band in Fort Bend ISD.
Prior to his appointment at Hightower he was the Percussion Director/Associate Director of Bands at Heights High School and former director of bands at Hamilton Middle School. During his time there he has received superior UIL ratings at both middle and high school, developed region band students, and a quality indoor percussion ensemble.
Mr. McLean is a Texas native raised in Rosenberg, Texas a humble community right outside of Houston. Justin’s love of music began at an earlier age and was heavily influenced in church through both gospel and secular artists/musicians. His ambitions propelled him to strive for excellence not only in his personal aspirations, but also in his academic/professional life.
He received a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Prairie View A&M University in 2011 and has had the pleasure of educating and training young musicians as a band director and percussion instructor for the past 9 years in HISD and now Fort Bend ISD. He is also devoted music director and student minister in his local church and currently pursuing an Masters Divinity degree through Reformed Theological Seminary.