Podcast

Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Dr. Mike Yopp, Director of Bands at Middleton High School in Middleton, TN, a town of just a few hundred people in the southwestern part of the state. The high school serves Middleton and several surrounding communities as part of the Hardeman County School District. In March of 2023, a few weeks after this conversation, it was announced that, in the Fall, Dr. Yopp will be relocating to Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, TN, where he will be a professor and Director of the newly-formed jazz band.

In this episode we'll learn more about the recruitment strategies and philosophies that have served Dr. Yopp so well in seven high school and college programs.

Our conversation was recorded January 26, 2023. We've broken it up into two episodes, and this is part two.

This week, Nick Averwater talks with Dr. Mike Yopp, Director of Bands at Middleton High School in Middleton, TN. Middleton is a town of just a few hundred people in the southwestern part of the state, but the high school serves several surrounding communities as part of the Hardeman County School District. In March of 2023, a few weeks after this conversation, it was announced that Dr. Yopp will take on a new role as a professor and Director of the jazz band at Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, TN.

In this episode, he'll tell us about the people and experiences that inspired him to become a music educator, but the majority of the conversation will focus on his strategies and philosophies about recruitment, something he has been very successful at doing at both the high school and college level.

Our conversation was recorded January 26, 2023. We've broken it up into two episodes, and this is part one.

This week Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Dr. Matthew Arau, Chair of the Music Education Department at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, and author of the book, Upbeat! Mindset, Mindfulness and Leadership in Music Education And Beyond, pubished by GIA Publications.

In the last episode, we looked at the first part of the book, Ignite, and we encourage you to listen to that episode before listening to this one. This week we'll learn more about the rest of the book. This conversation was recorded January 24, 2023.

Dr. Matthew Arau, Chair of the Music Education Department at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, joins us to chat about the power of G.E.T. (gratitude, enthusiasm, treasure). 

 Dr. Arau also recently wrote the book, Upbeat! Mindset, Mindfulness and Leadership in Music Education And Beyond, published by GIA Publications. 

Our conversation was recorded January 24, 2023. It's broken up into two episodes, and this is part 1.

This week Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Adrian Gordon, Orchestra Director at Providence Day School in Charlotte, NC, and author of the new book, Note To Self: A Music Director's Guide For Transitioning to a New School and Building a Thriving Music Program.

In this episode, Adrian talks about the importance of mental wellness and a balanced life for educators, building and maintaining relationships with the community outside of the school, and creating a welcoming and positive environment for the students in the school.

Our conversation was recorded December 27, 2022. We've broken it up into two episodes, and this is part 2.

Adrian Gordon, a longtime music educator and author of the book, Note To Self: A Music Director's Guide For Transitioning to a New School and Building a Thriving Music Program is this week's After Hours podcast guest. Adrian is also Orchestra Director at Providence Day School in Charlotte, NC. In this episode, he'll tell us about his early experiences that inspired him to become a music educator, why he decided to write the book, and more.

Our conversation was recorded on December 27, 2022. We've broken it up into two episodes, and this is part 1.

This week Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Michael Wells, Principal at Clinton Junior High School in Clinton Arkansas, a town of around 2,600 located 70 miles north of Little Rock. 

For many years Michael was a band director in several small school districts, and in this episode, we'll get his perspective on how band programs can achieve excellence, no matter the size of the district. Our conversation was recorded on December 20, 2022. It's broken up into two episodes, and this is part two.

Nick Averwater continues his conversation with Jared Cassedy, K-12 Performing Arts Coordinator for Lexington Public Schools in Lexington, Massachusetts, a town of around 35,000 people located ten miles northwest of Boston.

Jared is the 2015 recipient of the GRAMMY Award in Music Education, and in 2022 he was one of 30 teachers who received the CMA Foundation's Music Teacher of Excellence Award. He is in his 20th year as a music educator.

This week's episode picks up in the middle of a wide-ranging conversation about incorporating DEI into a music curriculum and seeing how it leads to better musical experiences for students and better prepares them for life after high school.

If you haven't heard the previous program, we recommend you listen to that first to give proper context to this episode. 

Our conversation was recorded December 13th, 2022.