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

Just in time for spring contest preparation, Alan  and Steve  unpack one deceptively simple idea: “There’s one rule in music – make it sound good.” If that’s true, what does it actually look like in rehearsal? Steve breaks the rule into six practical priorities great ensembles share: accurate attacks, correct pitches, the best possible tone, … Read more

Alan and Steve talk with choreographer and movement educator Michael Rosales (Carolina Crown, Bluecoats, Santa Clara Vanguard, The Breakdown Camp) about why every student—and every director—can move with confidence. They explore how to use simple, safe movement to teach rhythm and expression, how band and choir directors can lead movement without being “dance people,” and concrete ways … Read more