The Beth and Kelly Show: Music Teaching (and Life)
By Beth Fortune and Kelly Clingan
Theme music by Sean MacCarthy-Grant
The Beth and Kelly Show: Music Teaching (and Life)Aug 21, 2020
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Sixteen: Nicole Melrose
How do we best serve students who have endured trauma and students with special needs? Music educators can always always benefit from support and ideas for building a more welcoming, safe environment for all in our learning spaces. Listen to this uplifting, HOPEFUL conversation we had with Nicole Melrose of StringRise — an org built around helping music educators build thriving and equitable music learning communities. As we near the first day of school — and we ALL need a pep talk right about now — this episode is a must-listen!
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Fifteen: Annie Booth
This episode is entitled “Tale As Old As Time.” Featuring musician/ composer Annie Booth of Brava Jazz Publishing, a music publishing company that publishes only jazz music by femme composers — for jazz bands of all playing levels, we engage in an AMAZING amazing convo — all anchored in the “Tale As Old As Time” — that being the ridiculousness regarding the speed bumps, roadblocks, traps, and flat out brick walls that femme contributors continue to encounter in the jazz community (and other music communities) STILL. In 2023. Please listen, and consider what YOU can do to take action toward change!
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Fourteen: Sarah Hart
The topics we discuss with WA music educator Sarah Hart have to do with shining a light on how the mental health of teachers plays directly into the ways that we can then turn around and serve our students and school community. Unfortunately, the systems we exist within are designed to both keep us perpetually “small” and we are made to believe we need give and give and give and just suck it up. It is an emotional topic and we need to start unpacking it. Thanks Sarah for helping us touch on the tip of the iceberg.
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Thirteen: Laurie de Koch
Anyone want to brush up on their nonprofit knowledge? This episode with Laurie DeKoch, Executive Director at Seattle JazzED is not to be missed! It is a shame that music educators are not taught more about nonprofits and nonprofit leadership in college. This type of understanding / work tends to be something that we inevitably find ourselves navigating. And, having an understanding of what boards do, etc. would really help those of us that want to pursue leadership positions in our MEAs or other associations.
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Twelve: Felipe Morales-Torres
Broadcasting from the Rochester, NY Hyatt in our “Live From NAfME NE” episode with music educator, pedagogue, and conductor Felipe Morales-Torres from The Bornoff Foundation for the Advancement of String Education! We got into a deeply riveting discussion about repertoire, and programming, and honoring cultures, and navigating/ working to bring authenticity to the music of various cultures that is available to us from educational music publishers. We didn’t want to stop the conversation!
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Eleven: Adrian Gordon
We had an amazing convo with Adrian Gordon, an outstanding composer, author, and full-time music educator! We talk about the educational music publishing business and roadblocks he’s experienced — causing him to create his own publishing company https://www.adriangordonmusic.com/compositions. He also shares with us about his new book “Note To Self: A Music Director’s Guide to Transitioning to a New School and Building a Thriving Music Program".
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Ten: Sasha Doran & Nora Hakimian
Today we talked with some brave women, Nora and Sasha, from the Roosevelt Jazz Seattle program; sharing about the Little Sibling/ Big Sibling group put in place at RHS to help female and nonbinary jazz students understand that they are welcome, valued, important, and NEEDED! Kudos to these awesome senior leaders, and kudos to their awesome teacher Hannah Mowry. Check this program out — every high school should have one!
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Nine: Kate Labiak
A fantastic convo with legendary music educator Kate Labiak! In this episode, we float some revolutionary ideas about the approaches of judges/ clinicians at adjudicated events. Take a listen! There might just be a way to put a little festive back into “festival.”
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Eight: Blake Saunders & Jared Sessink
We had such fun reminiscing with former colleagues Blake Saunders & Jared Sessink, both former Washington Middle School and current Garfield High School music educators. We start to unpack some complexities of these schools, the pipeline, and making big moves in the name of equity.
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Seven: Dawn Clement & Angie Keedy
What a fantastic trip to the Jazz Education Network Conference ‘23! A seriously wonderful conversation with attendees at The Beth and Kelly Show presentation on Saturday about setting the scene in a learning environment where girls feel safe, invited, and inspired to dig into musical improv, joined here as a “warmup” conversation with music/ music education experts from Colorado, Dawn Clement & Angie Keedy.
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Six: Chris Thomas
We talk with Chris Thomas, band director at Bainbridge Island HS, and we dig into his jazz combo curriculum and innovative small ensemble jazz festival. We talk about how “chamber technique” applies across the board for all levels and how it truly is a key tool for making music with anyone anywhere!
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Five: James Falzone
This convo with James Falzone, who oversees all programming at #cornishcollegeofthearts allowed the The Beth and Kelly Show to engage in the big picture dreaming we like to do when we think of how music and arts studies in higher ed could morph to be more and more person-based and reality-based. Cornish is doing some cutting edge things!
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Four: Steve Treseler
This show with music educator, performer, and creativity coach Steve Treseler is still spinning around in our brains. We talk about how imperative it is to teach our students that it is ok and healthy to be creative, and we confront what stops us from doing this as we maneuver within the rigid structures of music education in the US that never really did leave much room for creative decision-making . Unleash your / your students’ inner-artist!
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Three: Carol Burton
Today’s episode features one of our fave music educators — choral pedagogue and general music specialist , Carol Burton. So many uplifting words of wisdom, stories, and GEMS to be found in Carol’s narrative. You GOTTA listen! You’re not going to regret it.
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Two: Orlando Morales
We were joined by Orlando G Morales, the Associate Artistic Director and Community Engagement Officer at Seattle’s storied Fifth Avenue Theater! We talk about his remarkable life (as a Filipino American, a pro improvising musician, an arts non-profit community change-maker, certified educator, and arts learning standards expert)! LISTEN TO THIS SHOW! There are some amazing ideas and thoughts unearthed about moving the needle in Music Ed. It is TIME TO ACT! It is time to COLLABORATE!
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode One: Season Three Premiere
We talk about our over-arching philosophy that “the kids can play” — and how as teachers, we sometimes might inadvertently hold students back from “just playing” because we think we have to go through all kinds of complicated steps and procedures before they “start,” so that they are “ready,” putting learning on a long drawn out (potentially unnecessary) timeline. Then, we talk about a miraculous camp at Seattle JazzED where kids go from zero to performing in 4 days.
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Twenty-three: Season Two Finale-ish
This is our Season Two “Soft” Closer. We unpack the incredibly inspiring NAfME National Assembly, all of the rich topics we dug into last week in DC, and all of the 5-alarm emergencies that are happening in our world making teaching and learning extremely difficult (all while the devastating SCOTUS ruling overturning Roe v Wade happened). This dovetailed into both of us sharing narrative about why teaching “5 shows a day” for 40 years in the public schools is not sustainable for us (nor for a huge and growing cross-section of current and not-yet music educators nation-wide).
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Twenty-two: NAfME Town Hall
As we wrap up what many would consider one of the toughest teaching years on record, it is a great time for secondary instrumental; and choral educators to dream big about ways to utilize the understandings and knowledge we’ve gathered over this trying period about our students, and what really matters. It has been a time of reckoning for many of us as we realize that many of our students (and we) have different needs after all that has happened, yet we are still often obliged to engage in many of the same types of adjudicated events that likely needed an overhaul pre-covid, with unadjusted requirements, and unchanged rubrics. This has to be causing some cognitive dissonance for us as we saunter into the summer. Join Beth Fortune and Kelly Clingan (co-hosts of the popular Music Education podcast The Beth and Kelly Show) and string specialists Dr. Kelsey Nussbaum (University of Washington), and Corie Benton (Cobb County School District) in an interactive discussion and idea-gathering NAfME Council for Orchestral Education Town Hall all about putting the FESTIVE back into student festivals!
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Twenty-one: David Myers
Today’s guest was Dr. David Myers, chairperson of the Taskforce on the Undergraduate Music Major, and one of the writers of “Transforming Music Study from Its Foundations: A Manifesto for Progressive Change in the Undergraduate Preparation of Music Majors.” We had an EPIC conversation that really started to give us actual hope that the critical transformation of university level music and music education programs — the kind of transformation that then allows k12 music education to ALSO truly evolve — is POSSIBLE! Listen to what David has to say — it’s time for some grand gestures!
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Twenty: Ruth Boden & Dean Luethi
Today’s show features “music ed power couple” Ruth Boden (low strings specialist) and Dean Luethi (choral specialist) — 2 amazing music faculty members at Washington State University! We dig in to the life-changing aspects (for our students) of participation in music and the flip-side of the coin: navigating the gauntlet of time-honored structures in music ed that have shown (especially in this era touched by COVID) to sometimes cater to only the super-served, and sometimes even extinguish the deeply personal joy that we as educators KNOW our students can attain.
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Nineteen: Ailisa Newhall
This episode features an exceptionally inspiring music educator, performer, singer-songwriter, and music education mover/ shaker named Ailisa Newhall! She is SO aligned with our vision of collectively transforming our practice to focus on the artistic PROCESS and de-emphasize the sports-like mentality of competitive music performance. You will come away with motivation and ideas for making moves of your own — so check it out , and join our coalition!
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Eighteen: Kelsey Nussbaum
In this show we talk with thought-leader Kelsey Nussbaum about ways to shift music education to be more about honoring and building skills in the Artistic Process (over competition, and perfection in performance). And we “go there” by opening up discussion about Texas. Yes. We. Did.
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Seventeen: Liana Green
Wobbly internet won't stop a music educator that KNOWS WHERE ITS AT — Liana Green. Empowering kids to love music and giving them the tools to seek it out and make it happen for themselves (even (gasp!) non-trad band or orchestra instruments). If you need a boost of inspiration, check this out. And — be on the lookout for work that Liana is contributing to in our community orgs The Rhapsody Project and Seattle JazzED!
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Sixteen: Scott Glasser
“Part Deux” of our assessment discussion with string and Mariachi educator/ music ed pedagogue Scott Glasser . We talk about strategies for building a culture in the classroom where PROCESS is finally valued more than PRODUCT. He shared some interesting ideas for ensuring the ability to provide feedback to students on a regular basis through low-stakes “rough drafts” for playing tests.
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Fifteen: Jenny Stogner Neff
Are you looking at an empty grade book and thinking , “hmm…maybe I should have a playing test…?” We are only BEGINNING the convo about assessment in the music classroom, and what it all means as we emerge form COVID. We kick it off with Music Ed professor and inspiring pedagogue Dr. Jenny Stogner Neff from UARTS!
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Fourteen: Scott Brown
The one. The only. The amazing. Scott Brown. Roosevelt High School is in the house for our first ever public broadcast!
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Thirteen: Megan Huston Vinther
Megan Vinther teaches in Everett, WA and does it ALL. It's concert/contest season and we dig into being a woman with a baton and the hurdles that come with it.
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Twelve: Derek Douget
We got the chance to hear from saxophonist and educator Derek Douget , Director of Music Education at the Heritage School of Music, a part of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation. 1. You SIMPLY MUST listen to Derek talk about his inspiring approach to teaching kids and reaching them not just with music but with community building, PLUS his amazing story (how he was mentored by and then was the saxophonist in Ellis Marsalis’s band for more than 20 years). And, H. You WILL ABSOLUTELY BE WAY TOO EXCITED to plan your next student travel excursion to the BIG EASY.
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Eleven: 2022 Welcome to the Dumpster Fire
This week’s show was just Kelly Clingan and I asking YOU: what should we talk about next?!?!! Who should we have on the show to enlighten us in this dumpster fire-within a dumpster fire-within a dumpster fire of a a year?
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Ten: Reese Tanimura
This week’s show was with Reese Tanimura, one of the main organizers of NW Foklife and a huge contributor to all kinds of other arts and culture things in our region. We had a great convo about what FOLKLIFE is (not just a cool festival in Seattle in May), and how it is literally the convergence of everyone/ everywhere/ everything in a community. Our schools and our music classrooms are gardens where Folklife blooms with the type of fruit that changes the course of our students’ lives! What would happen if we decided to identify, and then center the folklife in our midst?
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Nine: Estela Aragon
ATX educator and entrepreneur Estela Aragon is the founder and CEO of two great companies for trumpet learners: MusicFit Academy and Trumpet Headquarters. We dig into the concept of folks like us (music educators with degrees in music ed and/ or music performance) actually making a living as an entrepreneur. Actually making life happen and THRIVING outside of the confines of the classroom walls WHILE STILL SERVING OUR GREATER MISSION of furthering and bettering the structures of what we do — helping others realize their potential in the arts (and specifically music).
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Eight: Lesley Moffat
We are joined by best-selling author Lesley Moffat for some real talk about the business of choosing to take back our own health and well-being as human beings that happen to be educators for a career during this unprecedented time; so that the health and well-being of our music-learning communities and all the people in them can ALSO flourish!
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Seven: LaSaundra Booth
Dr. LaSaundra Booth (professional cellist, professional conductor, music educator, professor, and founder of the Wake Forest Community Youth Orchestra) tells us her story of building orchestras for youth despite roadblocks at every corner. She charges us with an important to-do list for making our learning space relevant and culturally responsive.
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Six: Tits & Tats
On this rare show without a special guest, we get autobiographical in our first #metoo discussion. We open up with the story of how two young tattooed music teacher colleagues (us) who decided to create a music department website that had our new professional headshots on the teacher page were characterized in feedback from the public. You’ll want to listen if you are interested in the sordid details. This is an important and uncomfortable topic to get into. Thanks to our listeners for “going there” with us!
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Five: Tristan Scroggins & Annie Savage
We are joined by music educator and performer extraordinaire Annie Savage, and one of Nashville’s most in-demand pro mandolin players Tristan Scroggins (who also does a lot of music teaching ). We open up about deliberately choosing a sober lifestyle in our personal lives and our music teaching and professional performing careers. We are honest about our stories, and what brought us to realize we needed to make a change. And, we’re upfront about about what life is like now.
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Four: Jared Cassedy
We are joined by GRAMMY Award winning music educator and leader Jared Cassedy, the Director of Performing Arts for the Lexington, Massachusetts School District. We talk candidly about why it seems so god-awful hard to do our jobs in this specific moment in time, coming out of the most unprecedented year in education’s history and feeling like we have to revive all the things we used to do pre-Covid (even though some of the stuff we used to do pre-Covid was actually kinda harmful). We talk about strategies for making it through to the other side too — spoiler alert: it’s all about remembering we and our students are human.
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Three: Chandra Rampersad
Are the all-consuming ways we approach teaching music in high school sustainable? Chandra decided to address this problem head-on.
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Two: Adam Rupert
Adam shares about his new course "Black American Music" for non-musician high schoolers. Check out this honest discussion about an important curriculum.
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode One: Liz Harvey, Jennifer Marin, & Carri Rose
The Beth and Kelly Show Season Two Premiere! We are joined by members of the Washington Music Educators Association board of directors to talk about our return to the classroom and our State’s updated guidance document. Super Informative, and GREAT perspectives are shared!
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Forty-Five: NAfME Town Hall
It's our Season One Finale and we're joined by former students Maia Nelson, Tate Linden, Sean MacCarthy-Grant, and Mariah Roberson. In conjunction with the NAfME Council for Jazz Education, we talk openly and honestly about the effects our "jazz is for everybody" program had on their creative lives. Extra bonus as we're joined at the end by listeners David Kauffman and Scott Brown.
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Forty-four: David "Doc" Wallace
Berklee has very purposefully changed the narrative on who can study music in college, on what instruments are acceptable, and on what type of music must be demonstrated to get in. Further demonstrated with The Berklee World Strings, and an extremely cutting edge American Roots degree program (i.e non classical for strings and other instruments) whose grads are making a presence on the airwaves and on the world-wide stage, Berklee not only allows, but encourages cross-collaboration.
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Forty-three: Lisa Linde
Lisa Linde is the ultra inspiring instrumental music director at Newton South HS in Newton Center, Massachusetts. She is ALSO one of the only female band directors whose jazz band has ever played LIVE on the stage of the storied Rose Theater (the home of Jazz at Lincoln Center)for the Essentially Ellington high school jazz band festival/ competition. Listen in as we discuss how this festival is simply beyond comparison, waaaaay at the head of the line in terms of the life-altering experiences students, educators, and audiences receive by participating. We also discuss the lack of female presence in this environment and some ideas that we have, which could potentially start to address this problem if we are bold enough to try them out!
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Forty-two: Enion Pelta-Tiller, Renata Bratt, & Darol Anger
We discuss the skills that ACTUALLY help us play music with other humans, and why it is imperative for us as educators to help students bring their own musical interests to life.
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Forty-one: Peter Briggs
Peter Briggs is the band director at Lincoln HS in Tacoma, WA and has made a lasting impact on his community by centering students. Music is just the vehicle, folks!
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Forty: John "Adidam" Littlejohn
Celebrating Episode 40 of the B&K Show with concert violinist, hip hop artist, pastor, and educator John “Adidam” Littlejohn, our neighbor to the north (from Vancouver, BC)! John shares ideas for connecting with communities through really listening; for transforming our teaching, our programs, our schools and our organizations by seeking, welcoming, and honoring new voices and perspectives and talents — listen in for some real inspiration!
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Thirty-nine: Riley Mulherkar & Willem de Koch
Today’s guests, members of the ultra creative brass quartet The Westerlies, were Riley Mulherkar and Willem DeKoch. In our conversation, we unpack at length the observation that the creativity/ vision/ intuition/ collaboration aspect of the Artistic Process is the hardest to cultivate in our students.
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Thirty-eight: Marcus Pimpleton
We're joined by Marcus Pimpleton, Executive Director for Racial and Educational Justice for Yakima Public Schools. He is also an experienced school administrator AND a band director! Marcus makes the point that these are the things kids want: happiness and pride. He challenges us to focus in on these things and watch the transformation start to happen to our music making communities!
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Thirty-seven: Shaina Ellis
Ever wonder what college music ed majors wish could be a part of the undergrad curriculum? Listen to CWU Junior, saxophonist Shaina Ellis, a student leader in the CWU music program and the CWU JEN Chapter talk with us about what she wishes could be required courses of study. We also get deep into the concept of student teaching (from both the student teacher and mentor teacher perspective).
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Thirty-six: Anuradha Truax
Anu shares some courageous ideas, approaches, and mindsets for giving more choice and control to students, which stand to transform and empower their present AND future lives, should we decide to put them to practice! Are you interested in making the most of this unique moment in time and furthering music education? Then listen to this!
The Beth and Kelly Show Episode Thirty-five: Sarah Gulish
Listen in for Sarah’s (quite frankly genius) ideas about approaching a total overhaul of an instrumental music program in a secondary public school setting. Many of us have thought that change is needed in our “traditional” approaches to teaching music in the public schools...take it from Sarah: It can be done, in super cool ways, and the time is now.