Today’s episode focuses on the former, and my guest is my dear friend Christopher Schroeder. Christopher is the Executive Director of the Boston Music Project, an organization that provides music education to hundreds of students through after-school programs. He’ll share with us how Boston Music Project was able to pivot at the start of the pandemic and find new ways to engage learners in music creation and learning despite being physically separated. I will tell you that the outcome they achieved is magnificent! 

This Episode is Available On:

• Spotify
  
• Soundcloud
  
• iTunes

Additional Resources:

• Boston Music Project
  
• The Global Leaders Program 
  
• Boston Music Project’s Soundcloud 
  
• Chrome Music Lab 
  
• BandLab 
  
• Soundtrap 
  

Liked this podcast? Check out more Music Ed Mentor Podcasts.

The post Music Ed Mentor Podcast Ep. 100: Meaningful Music Creation for All Ages appeared first on SmartMusic.

Today’s episode is the latter and I couldn’t be more excited. When I met Michael Raiber in the summer of 2019 I was going through a huge transitional period of my life and so was he. Mike was transitioning out of his 25 year career being a teacher and mentor for music education majors to go back into the middle school classroom. We met at a NAfME Collegiate conference where we both had the opportunity to run workshops with the students. It was an honor to be there and not just mentor the students, but to hear from Mike and the other speakers. He has always stood out as a true master educator and he’s proving that every day.

In this episode, Dr. Raiber is going to coach us through areas of focus that we can create or shift to ensure the longevity of our careers, which at times can feel so elusive. Where can we go for support when we don’t feel supported? How do we get back on track when we’re feeling off the rails and out of control? How can we serve all the experts who demand so much from us? Where should our focus lie: On performance? Competition? Or something else entirely? And is there one thing we can do every day to change our perspective? 

This Episode is Available On:

• Spotify
  
• SoundCloud
  
• iTunes
  

Topics Covered:

• Is it the love of music or the love of teaching that is more important?
  
• How do we get back on track if we’ve lost our way?
  
• How important is it for us to have passions outside the classroom?

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The post Music Ed Mentor Podcast Ep. 99: Developing a Focus For a Long Career appeared first on SmartMusic.

Steve started rocking the proverbial music education boat a few years ago when he published his first book, Rock Coach, to help traditional band directors start modern music ensembles in their school, regardless of their training to do so. In his second book, Creative Musicking, Steve talks about how to help our students open up to making music regardless of their ability to read music notation.

In this interview, we address some of the most overlooked questions in music education like why are we insisting on continuing to teach one type of musical notation, when there are many other types available for students to use? Why are we teaching the great composers when they weren’t even the popular musicians of their time, rather the music of the socially elite? Why have we so often said that sight reading is the truest test of musical skill and downplayed the ability of students to play by ear? Which is truly the test of musicianship?

This episode will either get you excited about rethinking the way we teach music in the classroom, or get you riled up because you’re not ready to consider these paradigm shifts (and that’s okay, too). Either way, I’m glad you’re here. 

This episode is available on:

• Spotify
  
• SoundCloud
  
• iTunes

Additional resources:

• Steve Gidding’s Website
  
• Follow Steve on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Patreon
  
• Do it! Play in Band
  
• Victor Wooten TED Talk
  
• Mark Ronson Music Sampling TED Talk
  
• Blog: Should We Learn by Ear Instead?
  
• Blog: 13 Things You Were Led to Believe Are True in Music School That Are Actually False
  
• Blog: Was Classical Music the Popular Music of Its Time?
  

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The post Music Ed Mentor Podcast Ep. 98: Paradigm Shifts in Music Creation for All Classrooms appeared first on SmartMusic.

Well, never fear! My outstanding guests today, Kat Reinhart and Sarah Gulish, aim to rescue us all from the fear of music creation and coach us through the process—for ourselves and for our students. In this interview, we talk about why songwriting isn’t always part of our core curriculum, how it aligns with the curriculum that we do have, how to fit it into our lives, and how to overcome our inhibitions and become the songwriters we always wanted to be. 

This episode is available on:

• Spotify
  
• SoundCloud
  
• iTunes
  

Topics Covered:

• We do a great job at teaching students how to replicate, but what about create?
  
• Determining the end goal that you have for your students.
  
• How songwriting can help students process life.
  
• Creating music motivates students to share ideas and feelings with peers.
  

Additional Resources:

• Kat Reinhart Bio
  
• Sarah Gulish Bio
  
• Songwriting For Me
  
• The Rise, by Sarah Lewis
  
• Blog: I Wrote a Song a Day for a Month
  

Liked this podcast? Check out more Music Ed Mentor Podcasts.

The post Music Ed Mentor Podcast Ep. 97: Learning and Teaching Songwriting appeared first on SmartMusic.

I also love episodes like this because it reminds me of why I created this podcast in the first place: To be a platform for knowledge from experts like my guest today, Dr. Kevin Johnson. I’ve known Kevin for a couple of years now and can testify to his authenticity and his willingness to be direct, open, and honest. I am incredibly grateful that he was willing to share this challenging conversation with us.

This Episode is Available On:

• Soundcloud
  
• iTunes

Additional Resources:

• Education Through Music | Quality Music For All Children
  
• Decolonizing the Music Room  (Facebook Group)
  
• Institute for Composer Diversity
  

Liked this podcast? Check out more Music Ed Mentor Podcasts.

The post Music Ed Mentor Podcast Ep. 96: Decolonizing the Music Room appeared first on SmartMusic.

My guest on today’s episode, Myra Rhoden, is the founder of the Athena Girls Music Leadership Camp, and today we discuss ways to activate your student leaders. We also take some time to talk about how we can support our girl leaders, because it can be challenging for girls—especially to be seen as authority figures, and especially to upperclassmen of the opposite gender. We’re going to dive into the #1 thing you can do to help them be the leaders you know they need to be.

This Episode is Available On:

• Soundcloud
  
• iTunes
  

Liked this podcast? Check out more Music Ed Mentor Podcasts.

The post Music Ed Mentor Podcast Ep. 95: Recovering Your Student Leadership appeared first on SmartMusic.

This episode is available on:

• SoundCloud
  
• iTunes
  

Additional Resources:

• The Body Keeps the Score (Book)
  
• Google Suite / Chrome Extensions:
  
  • Mote: voice notes & feedback – Chrome Web Store
    
  • Screencastify – Screen Video Recorder
    
  • Dualless
    
  • Save to Pocket
    
  • Clearly Reader
    
• iOS / Android Apps:
  
  • Remind
    
  • Headspace: Meditation and Sleep Made Simple
    
• Miscellaneous:
  

• FlipGrid
  
• WeVideo
  
• Adobe Spark
  
• SlidesGo & Slidesmania
  
• Piktochart
  
• Canva
  
• Instagram
  
• Facebook Group – Music Educators Creating Online Learning
  

Liked this podcast? Check out more Music Ed Mentor Podcasts.

The post Music Ed Mentor Podcast Episode 94: Essential Tech Tools that will Improve Your Teaching and Your Life appeared first on SmartMusic.

This is more important now than ever, with students returning from a year of mostly self-paced, at-home instruction. It’s going to take vigilance to ensure they feel safe, secure, and sure of our classrooms right from the start. Lori helps us discover how we can look at our teaching space with an eye for managing student behaviors, how to establish proper rehearsal etiquette, how to build and rebuild relationships with our students, and what to do when those students are not behaving in a way that serves their learning environment. 

This Episode Is Available On:

• SoundCloud
  
• iTunes

Topics Covered

• Use of instructional and rehearsal spaces
  
• Rehearsal etiquette and routines
  
• How to regain student trust and refocus attention
  
• Responding in situations when students don’t behave respectfully
  

Liked this podcast? Check out more Music Ed Mentor Podcasts.

The post Music Ed Mentor Podcast Episode 93: Managing Student Behaviors appeared first on SmartMusic.

This Episode Is Available On:

• SoundCloud
  
• iTunes
  

Topics Covered:

• Living with passion
  
• Work-life balance
  
• Finding a place for activism
  
• Digital intimacy and looking at what we can do with technology
  

Additional Resources:

• Creative Repertoire Initiative – Wind Repertory Project
  
• Facebook: Creative Repertoire Initiative
  
• Wind Repertory Project
  
• Putting the E- in E-nsemble syllabus
  

Liked this podcast? Check out more Music Ed Mentor Podcasts.

The post Music Ed Mentor Podcast #92: Interview with Composer, Activist, and Thought Leader Alex Shapiro appeared first on SmartMusic.

My guest today is my dear friend Dr. Scott Edgar, Associate Professor of Music, Music Education Chair, and Director of Bands at Lake Forest College, Illinois, and author of Music Education and Social Emotional Learning: The Heart of Teaching Music. Through our discussion, you will find answers to so many questions you may have as we make our return to the classroom. What has separated the survivors from the thrivers in music education this year? How can we support our students this fall after they’ve experienced trauma? How can we amplify what our students need and want to say, and why is that important? How do we balance empathy and understanding with the rigor that we need in our classrooms?

This Episode Is Available On:

• SoundCloud
  
• iTunes
  

Topics Covered:

• Understanding your educational environment in a new, unique way.
  
• Guiding students from trauma to trust.
  
• Connecting repertoire to your students’ lives.
  
• Determining what’s okay to discuss in the classroom, and what’s not.
  
• Letting music support emotional learning.
  

Additional Resources:

• Center for Arts Education and Social and Emotional Learning
  
• ArtsEdSEL on Facebook
  

Liked this podcast? Check out more Music Ed Mentor Podcasts.

The post Music Ed Mentor Podcast #91: Pandemic Impacts and Social Emotional Learning appeared first on SmartMusic.