Ask Mike

Oct 17 2024

Ask Mike Podcast artwork

Helping other Music Educators learn from our mistakes! No need to reinvent the wheel, Mike has been there and done that. Just ask Mike!

Mike Lunney spent 31 successful years as a head band director in the State of Texas, where his bands were consistently recognized as superior bands. Mike is still active as a clinician, mentor and adjudicator.

Derrick Killam has been involved in school music programs in the state of Texas since 1990 through music retail. Derrick has been a repair tech, shop foreman, Education Rep and currently is the Operations Manager for N-Tune Music and Sound, a NAMM Top 100 Dealer!

Subscribe on Podcast Addict

Finish Strong! Helping your group down the home stretch!

Oct 17 2024 45 mins

Send us a textYou're almost there, the target is in sight... so why are your kids slowing down? In this episode, Mike Lunney encourages educators to remember that when your group has been working hard for a few months toward your performance, there will be some tired moments of resistance. How do we motivate our group when they seem to be hitting a plateau? Great ideas to change up

"F is First Valve!" A Visit with Eric Baker

Oct 10 2024 63 mins

Send us a textThis episode welcomes friend Eric Baker! We discuss DCI, Trumpets Mic'd Up, and the great things going on at the University of Texas Permian Basin! Great episode to help get your high school musicians connected with a college or university, helping them to keep making the music they love!

Field Timing: Fixing the Tears In Your Tempo!

Oct 03 2024 40 mins

Send us a textAgain, discussing marching bands as we rush toward contest season at the speed of sound! Some call it "phasing," some call it "a tear in the tempo." Either way it can be frustrating to pinpoint the source and install the fix. You are in luck! Mike Lunney applies the laws of physics and geometry to help you fix this common problem. Sound complicated? Nah! It's as easy

Marching Festivals: Everybody's Doing It

Sep 27 2024 35 mins

Send us a textThis episode the guys consider the benefits of marching festivals. And discuss how to determine which festival is right for your group. They even ponder the question, how many festivals are enough? Are there enough? Listen to Mike Lunney educate Derrick Killam on all things festivals!

Classroom Management: Help Me Help You!

Sep 20 2024 52 mins

Send us a textSometimes student teachers and/or first year younger teachers have a hard time navigating their relationships with students AND with those they are working with or for. Not the head director, not a student in the program. How can we help them get their best experiences and teach them great foundations for classroom management? Fortunately, Mike Lunney has been there!

Examining the Petri Dish of Band Culture

Sep 12 2024 57 mins

Send us a textIn this episode of Ask Mike, Mr. Lunney revisits the concept of student leadership and pushes it further to consider the culture of an organization. Is this something that happens organically? Can we as music educators help shape this elusive and fickle aspect of music programs? Sure glad we can Ask Mike!

Marching Band Rehearsals: Are you rehearsing the right things? Pt 2

Sep 05 2024 45 mins

Send us a textAre we being efficient in our Marching Rehearsals? Do we even rehearse the things that need to be rehearsed? Listen to Mike Lunney share his best practices and how he eliminated time wasters and things that were stealing from his rehearsals.

Marching Band Rehearsals: Are you rehearsing the right things? Pt 1

Aug 29 2024 45 mins

Send us a textAre we being efficient in our Marching Rehearsals? Do we even rehearse the things that need to be rehearsed? Listen to Mike Lunney share his best practices and how he eliminated time wasters and things that were stealing from his rehearsals.

Get on the bus, Gus! Let's talk traveling to football games!

Aug 22 2024 55 mins

Send us a textHave you made your list? Checked it twice? This week, Mike Lunney shares his accumulated checklist to make sure your group is ready to travel to your Friday night football game. It's not just away games, if your stadium isn't on campus, it's the same thought process! Be sure to go to ntunemusic.com/askmike to get the download!

Sometimes They Quit...It's Probably Not Personal

Aug 15 2024 34 mins

Send us a textMike Lunney's three stages of how to handle a student quitting: Begging, Anger, Best of Luck To You! There's lots of reasons kids feel the pressure to quit, and the large majority of them aren't, "I don't like my director!" Credits, other interests, just not up to the commitment... how do we respond to students leaving our program?Listen to Mike explain his experience