Category: Podcast

This coronavirus pandemic has taught me a lot. Even though it was difficult, it has made me a better person. In this episode I share ten things I learned about music and life.

Here is the music video link mentioned in the podcast: Flowing Water at Sunset

Has the show benefited you? Would you consider making a one time donation of $40? Donate here: 

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I have four courses at Udemy: Music, Instruments and Science which includes 8+ lessons that are great for use on sub or distance learning days, Get Started Writing a Book because I think everyone has a book inside of them waiting to come out, and two free courses, 40 Ways To Make Money as a Musician, and 30 Days of Motivation. 

Need a speaker for your event? Need leadership training for your students? I’d love to talk.

Have a question for the podcast? jamesthedivine@gmail.com or 719-238-4193. 

Multitude of links and resources here

What should I be doing this summer? How can I get back into playing my instrument? Should I start planning for next year? We talk about these things and more in today’s show. In the show, I mention the free download 40 Ways to Make Money as a Musician.

Support the show at Patreon.

Find out more about fundraising for your program at Scool Services

I have four courses at Udemy: Music, Instruments and Science which includes 8+ lessons that are great for use on sub or distance learning days, Get Started Writing a Book because I think everyone has a book inside of them waiting to come out, and then two free courses, 40 Ways To Make Money as a Musician, and 30 Days of Motivation. 

Need a speaker at your event? I’d love to talk.

In this episode, I share several tips about job hunting, including the MOST important skill to have…Persistence.

Send your resume’ to me (not an expert but I’ll give it a look) at www.jamesdivine.net or check out an expert and get in touch with Kevin at careermaverick4@gmail.com.

Here’s the link to my Searching for a Job  article. It covers different areas than the podcast.

Support the show at Patreon.

Find out more about fundraising for your program at Scool Services

I have four courses at Udemy: Music, Instruments and Science which includes 8+ lessons that are great for use on sub or distance learning days, Get Started Writing a Book because I think everyone has a book inside of them waiting to come out, and then two free courses, 40 Ways To Make Money as a Musician, and 30 Days of Motivation. 

There are so many ways to teach kids how to practice. In a Title I school where almost nobody practices at home, this is a method I have found successful with my students. If you like the podcast, consider supporting us at www. patreon.com/themusicedpodcast.

We can always make our rehearsals more interesting by adding some spiciness to them! What makes Italian food delicious is having the right spices in the right amounts. Check out these eight ideas. Incorporate some or all of them over several weeks, and if you like the podcast, consider supporting us at www.patreon.com/themusicedpodcast.

A quick and easy tip to make lesson planning easier as a music teacher.

This episode is a little different. In this podcast, I’m sharing a presentation I made on The Story Project, a show similar to The Moth for those who have heard that on NPR. In the presentation, I use my 100 year old saxophone to tell the story of how music saved my life (specifically teachers).

Playing the saxophone was life-changing for me!

Listen all the way to the end and you can get the code to receive a free digital copy of my book that tells my story in more depth. You can also see the live video of the Story Project by visiting www.jamesdivine.net.

What you do as teachers makes a difference!

In this episode, I interview Wendy Reeves, band director at Sells Middle School. Wendy shares tips with us on how to reduce the amount of time spent on paperwork, classroom management, equipment, travel, and more, so we can devote time to what we really enjoy – teaching music! You’ll find several tips you can immediately incorporate into your teaching right now.

Wendy has graciously shared her materials. Click HERE for a link to her website where you can get her entire 90 minute presentation on powerpoint, as well as downloads of handouts and more information.

Wendy is a member of the American School Band Director’s Association as well as Women Band Directors International.

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I have made ALL of these mistakes – and MORE. You can learn from me and others and move ahead in your career faster.

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If you have a basic rhythm section – a good bass player and set player at minimum – you can make almost any combination of instruments work for a jazz band. These 7 strategies will provide you with additional resources you can use.

Jamey Aebersold Jazz Play-Alongs

Custom Backing Tracks

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The longer I teach – 22 years and counting – the more time I spend on fundamentals. You may be surprised at just how much time!

Like the podcast? Become a patron, get free gifts and support us at www.patreon.com/themusicedpodcast

Here’s the link to the Student Led Rehearsal episode mentioned in the podcast: https://www.jamesdivine.net/2017/01/18/episode-75-student-led-rehearsal/

Tu-Ning – that great Chinese song that nobody seems to play right. Tuning is not an act – it’s a lifestyle. Join me as I share some tips and strategies to help you with tuning your ensembles, no matter what their age.

We all have the same 168 hours per week. The key is NOT to spend more time at work, but to use your time more wisely. These tips helped me gain 5-8 hours of my week back!

It’s normal – after achieving a goal or spending a lot of time in an activity – to feel some post-season blues.

When percussionists get bored, they tend to get in trouble. Plus we have the most active students placed in the back of the room – and we give them sticks! These tips can help keep them engaged and actively doing great things.

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Oh the mistakes – so many – I made as a young director going to festival. I share 16 things I learned the way, tips that can help you do better.

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Repertoire selection can MAKE or BREAK your band’s performance! Focus on musicianship, not those gems you played in college. In this episode I share some tips and huge MISTAKES I made.

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Do you struggle with what to say – or not say – at the concert. There’s a fine line between being informative and helpful, and just rambling. Here are some tips to help.

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Dare I say that a positive student teacher relationship is even MORE important than teaching music skills? You may not agree totally with that statement, but you have to agree it is an important piece in the puzzle.

In this episode I share 5 strategies that have worked for me, several for over 20 years. As a music teacher, you have a great opportunity to influence a student’s life (for the good or bad). Choose good.

I would love it if you would consider supporting this work of love at www.patreon.com/themusicedpodcast. Your support would help take this podcast to the next level.

I highly recommend Harry Wong’s The First Days of School.

When beginner trumpets have a hard time changing partials, it’s almost always about the air. We as music educators know what we want the students to do, but they often don’t understand what we are asking.

In this episode I share more than six tips to help your trumpet players change partials. It’s also effective with other brass players.

Has this podcast been a help? It’s a labor of love for me. I’ve been doing it for seven years for free. There are some costs involved. Would you consider supporting the podcast for as little as $5/month? Go to www.patreon.com/themusicedpodcast.

This was my first year back teaching beginning band after a 14 year hiatus while I taught at a suburban high school. My first experience 14 years ago was at a prestigious private school where the students and parents all seemed to care and were on their best behavior. Now I’m at an urban school. My how things are different!

It took persistence and consistency over a six week period, but the students are finally where I want them to be (well, 42 of the 43 are). You’re often going to have an outlier on whom nothing seems to work. He spends most of his time in the hallway. We have a conference scheduled with his guardians. Not saying it as an excuse, but he has had a difficult life thus far.

In this episode I share some strategies that have worked for me. Try them. They may work for you. Just remember, each situation is different. I saw a post on a media site about this same problem. Some teachers answered “All I have to do is threaten to call home.” That was my same strategy when I was at the private school.

It helps if you have a very supportive admin, which I do.

If this podcast has been a blessing to you, would you consider supporting us at www.patreon.com/themusicedpodcast?

My rehearsal time looks completely different starting my 22nd year than it did when I first started out. I find myself devoting more and more time to fundamentals. Join me as I share tips for how I structure my rehearsal time, and join me as a supporter on Patreon. You’ll get some cool free things as a thank you.

Traditions are such an important part of every band program, and traditions need to be unique to you and your school. When I started at one of my schools, they only had one tradition, and it was terrible! It was hard for me to continue it, but I needed to just for one year.

Would you consider supporting us on Patreon? Your support will help bring this free podcast to the next level and enable me to continue to make it available.

Canon City Music and Blossom Festival

The dreaded “I want to switch instruments.” Although there are occasionally legitimate reasons for kids switching instruments, most of the time you have to become a psychologist and dig deep to find the “real” reason. You are a coach! Here are ten tips to help you out.

Even more dreaded is when students say they want to switch to drums! I covered that in Episode 123.

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Join me as I interview Marc Gelfo, musician and creator of the Modacity Practice App – an all inclusive practice aid that also includes a recorder and drone.

Find out more and download the app at www.modacity.co. Questions about the app? Contact the team at hello@modacity.co.

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I had never heard Baby Shark until recently when my six month old grandson came over for a visit. He did not like being in the car so my daughter sang this and many other songs to him. I became an expert at it. It’s a fun – albeit annoying – song that your students may enjoy learning, and it’s easy to teach by rote, incorporating some theory and scales into your lesson. Have fun!

Director language is so full of fun similes and colorful language. The most fun ones are those that spill out in the spur of the moment. These are my favorite top ten uttered by me and others.

It’s hard to eat properly as a band director. If you’re not careful you will find yourself eating a lot of fast, unhealthy food. I once weighed thirty pounds more than I do right now. In this episode, I share tips for easy healthy meals that have worked for me and others.