Alan and Steve dig into a common teacher frustration: students who don’t take deadlines seriously. Alan shares a practical approach to setting deadlines that actually mean something—by clearly explaining the “why,” distinguishing between preferred and true drop-dead dates, and avoiding fake or inflated due dates that desensitize students. Steve adds perspective as someone who struggles … Read more
Alan and Steve talk with educator and mind‑shifting coach Mitch Weisburgh about how music teachers can help students—and themselves—move from limbic “survival mode” into resourceful, resilient, and collaborative mindsets. They explore how to respond when students say “I can’t do this,” how to use music itself as a powerful self‑regulation tool, and how small shifts … Read more
Alan and Steve share a fast, practical debrief tool you can use after a concert, contest, trip, marching season, or school year: WWW/TALA — What Went Well and Take A Look At. Built on Alan’s longtime approach to project improvement, this quick tip shows music teachers how to gather useful feedback in just a few … Read more
DJ, author, and music business professor Amani Roberts joins Alan and Steve to unpack how today’s students are listening to and creating music—and what that means for K–12 music educators. In this episode, they discuss: Amani also shares highlights from his book on the history of R&B groups, his life as a touring DJ, and a few personal … Read more
Student trips are more expensive and more complex than ever—so are they still worth it? In this episode of Music Ed Insights, Alan and Steve return to the very same Disney resort room where they recorded a student travel episode two years ago to unpack what they’ve learned from nearly 30 years of group travel. They … Read more
Alan and Steve talk with Athens, Georgia–based music educator and Tones Collective co‑founder Cortez Daniel about what he’s learning from teaching “today’s kids” in K–12 and community settings. Cortez shares how his work in public schools and with organizations like Evergreen Children’s Chorale and Tones Collective informs his approach to accommodations that maintain rigor, preventing learned helplessness, … Read more
In response to a listener request, Alan and Steve share practical advice for first-time clinicians and adjudicators. Alan focuses on the clinic side—how to quickly build trust, avoid undermining the director, and zero in on one or two changes that can immediately raise performance quality. Steve then tackles the judging side, with smart pointers on … Read more