Band Hacks

Doug and Jason swim into the murky waters of adjudication in the primarily "concert band" realm of things. This one is not for the faint of heart and examines both sides of the adjudicator/director perspectives. Get your popcorn ready!

Have you ever had a designer say or agree to one thing, and completely miss or blow the deadlines/expectations...then act like it was no big deal? Doug and Jason look closely at items to consider as you are in talks with a new or current designer for your marching band. This is very much a "on the soap-box" episode as we look at some of the traps we can fall into unknowin

Doug and Jason take a closer look at things to consider as we develop the individual student musicians in our band programs. Individual gains will pay enormous dividends in ensemble strength and performance.

It is Marching Contest Season 2023! Doug and Jason take our listeners through reflective and critical evaluation techniques to consider and employ as you refine your contest show. This is not an exhaustive list, but is a great starting place into evaluating current status as well as the "next steps to refinement" as we near the later part of the season. Take a listen befo

Doug and Jason take a detailed look at things to consider/plan as you prepare for your first football game! It's been a whole year...take a listen for some helpful reminders and Jason being Jason!

As promised, Doug and Jason go very "in depth" with Booster Operations, Spending, Transparency, Meetings, 501 c3, Tax Implications, as well as some reminders from the last episode. If you have never had a booster club, or want to start one, or want to hear the advantages to moving towards a 501 C3 status, this is your episode! It will also shed some light on operations an

Doug and Jason take a deep dive into band boosters! Episode 1 takes a look at relationships, roles, governing documents, processes, procedures and perspective! This will be a two parter...we do scratch the surface of finances, but episode 2(in 2 weeks) will get into more specifics(Law, Policy, 501C3, etc).

Doug and Jason take a look at how best to enter a new job situation and dive into all the possible/potential landmines one might encounter along the way! If you are changing schools or just want a reminder of how to manage some of these unique challenges, please take a listen!

Doug and Jason take a deep dive into band director burnout, employment contracts and expectations, quiet quitting, and having difficult conversations with your supervisor about workloads.  This episode looks at both extremes of the job from working so much that you burn out on one end, or doing just enough to keep your job on the other end.  It is a little long, but we co

Doug and Jason take a deep dive into developing your Marching Band show!  We try to offer some common sense ways to approach the scary parts of this design/discovery/research process.  If you are a young director or a director that thinks your creativity is lacking when it comes to show ideas, this episode is for you!