Reaching out to band directors looking for percussion resources- I'm a veteran band director with four decades of experience and a percussion background. I have recently organized and posted most of my materials into resources for band directors on Teachers Pay Teachers under the name All About Percussion. There are so many great resources for middle school and high school directors and students and I am happy to answer any and all questions about the materials. I am here to serve.

That's the best and most truthful speech about band teachers I've ever heard!!

That was so enlightening! I'm a first year band teacher and that helped a great deal! Thank you!

Except... I didn't go to university and get a music education degree. I noticed that the band program was cut at our local school, and my kid is set to start there next year, so I took it upon myself to restart the program from the ground up...

This is all so true. I struggled to get anywhere with guitar on my own and struggled with the euphonium (part of that was due to second year of beginner being eliminated the year I was about to enter it so I suddenly got thrust into the intermediate/senior group. And then I was just functioning as a rhythm piece playing stuff that was a little above my abilities which is not very thrilling when practicing alone at home. I remember being thrilled when we did the Pirates of the Carribbean theme because I was more than just rhythm there. I could play it unaccompanied for my family and they recognized it. On guitar I remember being 13 or 14 spending hours watching and rewatching a video made by a kid who was probably not much older, drawing guitar diagrams based on what he taught me just to learn the intro to Dance of Death by Iron Maiden. I still remember it but the work to reward ratio was too high and I never learned anything else on guitar. Now in my late 20s I somehow ended up playing ukulele and it was completely different. The simplicity of the chords meant I had learned my first song in an hour. And the availability of chords (I still don't like tabs lol) and tutorials now meant I could learn more and more songs. And they were all songs I would know and enjoy. So it never felt like practice, it was just play. I couldn't find the motivation to pick up my guitar as a kid, as an adult I can't put down my ukulele. Not exaggerating about putting it down, it's bad. We're talking "woops it's morning?" bad

Hey fellow musicians and music educators! I have a question /call out for support-- so I’m now in my nineteenth year of teaching; and my 11th teaching as a licensed certified music teacher. I’m a vocalist. The past few years I’ve spent doing music appreciation and general music in urban public schools with a little bit of choral and vocal music even though I’m a singer first. I just got a full time job as a band director/ guitar instructor/ choir director at a catholic school. (After I left private school I never thought I’d go back; then they started paying way better and I needed a job) in any event… I was blessed to attend a pretty band heavy teacher training program for my masters and license: VanderCook College of Music. So even though I am a singer- I had to take ALL of the instrument families; so I can coach kids on that instrument because I had to go through the idiosyncrocies and ups and downs of putting the instrument together; appeture, embochure; posture etc etc on various instruments. Having said that-- it’s been a long time. And I’ve never actually been THE BAND DIRECTOR. I’ve taught instrumental music to like one or two kids or a bunch of kids doing piano or guitar. Having said that- they’re trying to revitalize this band program. I have some ideas. A lot of it is exactly like choir just also with instruments. But who has tips and resources I could use? Hit me either on here or in my professional email address at saraherios2@gmail.com. Thanks so much. I appreciate all of you very much. What we do is important; very important-- as educators; as musicians as performing arts educators.

This man is amazing

Great video! I just graduated from a 4-year college as a music pedagogy major, and I am currently enrolled in the single subject program for music. I was raised in South Korea and have a strong string orchestra background, so I am able to teach all string instruments and conduct the band. However, in the U.S., it seems like public schools have stronger programs in wind bands rather than strings, possibly due to the history of marching bands. I also have perfect pitch, so whenever I see transposed sheet music, I freak out. Can you recommend any resources or books (I love reading) that will help me prepare to teach wind band? In college, I took brass fundamentals, woodwind fundamentals, and percussion fundamentals classes where I learned and performed on many instruments. But now that I have a year left in the credential program, where music instruction isn’t covered, I need to prepare myself with musicality and learning the instruments. Please recommend some resources!

Great video

I’m 13 and my band teacher wants me to Direct the band 😫 and I don’t know how to

What’s the name of the piece?

What are the first five notes students learn?

Where can I find the five note beginning concert piece mentioned here?