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.
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Episode 183 - Frank Troyka
Everything Band Podcast
Frank Troyka was a longtime band director in Richardson, Texas and now serves as an adjunct instructor at SMU, educational consultant for Conn-Selmer, and director of education for System Blue.
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Episode 182 - Allan McMurray
Everything Band Podcast
Allan McMurray enjoyed a 35 year career as the Director of Bands at the University of Colorado. Over the course of his remarkable career he has earned numerous honors and awards and is a past president of CBDNA.
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Episode 181 - Mark Spede
Everything Band Podcast
Mark Spede is the band director at Clemson University and the current president of the College Band Directors National Association. In this episode he shares his story and talks about CBDNA’s role in funding the aerosol study at the University of Colorado.
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Episode 180 - Michael Giannetta
Everything Band Podcast
Michael Giannetta is the band director at Oyster Bay High School on Long Island. He has been a band director for 18 years and joins the show to talk about his program and also the Long Island Wind Ensemble.
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Episode 179 - Susan L. Smith
Everything Band Podcast
Susan L. Smith has taught general, choral, and instrumental music at the elementary through collegiate level in Florida, Virginia and Alabama and has served as an author, clinician, conductor, and adjudicator across the United States
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Episode 178 - Scott Rush
Everything Band Podcast
Scott Rush is the Director of Fine and Performing Arts in Dorchester School District Two in South Carolina and is the former Director of Bands at Wando High School. He is the lead author of the "Habits" series published by GIA and is an active conductor, adjudicator and clinician.
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Episode 177 - Nicholas Williams
Everything Band Podcast
Nicholas Williams is an Associate Professor of Music, Music Director and Conductor of the Wind Symphony and Concert Band at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. He joins the show to talk about growing up and starting his career in Texas and his recent move to Australia.
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.