Beyond the Stage

Harold stone is a legend in the music business. At the 2022 CMEA Conference, Drew had the pleasure of talking with Harold. Though the conversation went well over an hour, it only scratched the surface of a life lived in music and devoted to promoting music education and participation.

In part two of our interview, Harold remembers a no-so-fond memory of when his daughter was discouraged from pursuing the flute. This led to a great discussion on the role of music educators in early instruction and how a small shift in mindset can make all the difference to a kid.

We dive deeper into the many companies he has worked for, from Coon to Getzen, Leblanc, to Roth, and the varied roles and responsibilities he had at each stop along the way. The one consistent theme throughout is his commitment to music education.

#BeyondTheStage

Drew had the opportunity to speak with Danielle Gillespie at the 2022 Colorado Music Educator’s Association conference in Colorado Springs. Danielle is owner of Music @ Mainstreet, a private music studio in Parker, CO, and has an extensive background in vocal music. An Alum of the Colorado Springs Children's Chorale and heavily involved in musical theatre all through school, she went on to study classical voice performance at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music and graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor of Music, with advanced coursework in vocal pedagogy and choral conducting.

In Part 2 of our conversation, we talk about how even as a K-6 teacher in Korea, music still found her. We discuss the importance of knowing your part (and the value of supporting roles), how ensembles reinforce the skills of team building and empathy, the value in trying out new musical styles, and the future plans for growth and expansion of Music @ Mainstreet.

Drew had the opportunity to speak with Danielle Gillespie at the 2022 Colorado Music Educator’s Association conference in Colorado Springs. Danielle is owner of Music @ Mainstreet, a private music studio in Parker, CO, and has an extensive background in vocal music. An Alum of the Colorado Springs Children's Chorale and heavily involved in musical theatre all through school, she went on to study classical voice performance at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music and graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor of Music, with advanced coursework in vocal pedagogy and choral conducting.

In Part 1 of our conversation, we talk about the winding path that took her from studying international business to owning a lesson studio. We discuss how her studio creates a network for performers and encourages participation in the local musical community, how quitting piano as a kid has helped her to inspire students to stick with music making, and how online lessons made weathering the storm of the last two years possible.

At the Colorado Bandmaster’s Conference on July 16, 2021 Drew had the pleasure to sit down with Professional Music Educator Sean Marquis. Sean teaches band at Frontier Academy in Greeley, Colorado. This conversation occurred in the cafeteria of Lakewood High School during the lunch break while we were demonstrating the livestreaming rig at our booth.

We explored many topics relating to the challenges not only music educators but educators in general are facing with the state of the world as we prepare for the new school year. We discussed the lack of answers we had (and still have) for dealing with a global crisis, the technological inequality facing some student demographics, what together means, and how music education impacts us and teaches us to be human.

Anyone who is in or is touched by the education field should listen to this episode.

In the interest of brevity the title of this episode calls Wes Kreitz a "Manufacturer Representative" but he does so much more.  Wes is the District Manager for the Western US for Yamaha, but more than that he is a School Services Representative.  If you are a school of any kind in the western US and want Yamaha instruments, Wes is your guy.

In this episode we talk about the great Harold Stone, the lessons he has taught us, and how the history of any profession is crucial to learn.  Wes discusses the three classes he wished he had taken, the unique skill that has been crucial to his success, and his worst disaster on the job.  You won't want to miss that story!

In the interest of brevity the title of this episode calls Wes Kreitz a "Manufacturer Representative" but he does so much more.  Wes is the District Manager for the Western US for Yamaha, but more than that he is a School Services Representative.  If you are a school of any kind in the western US and want Yamaha instruments, Wes is your guy.

In this episode we talk about how Wes started making music growing up in rural Pennsylvania.  He discusses why he loves working for Yamaha and how that gives him the opportunity to help people to love music.  He also goes into how his early plans to become a farmer led him to teaching music and eventually Yamaha.

What better place to start with the first episodes of our podcast than with the woman who started it all?  Cindy "Boomer" Haraway is the founder of the retail store Boomer Music Company in Fort Collins, Colorado (now owned by Beyond the Stage host Drew Holmes).  In part two of our conversation, we delve deeper into the mind set it took to make such a bold career choice, what musical activities Cindy is currently engaged in, and who has and continues to inspire her.

What better place to start with the first episode of our podcast than with the woman who started it all?  Cindy "Boomer" Haraway is the founder of the retail store Boomer Music Company in Fort Collins, Colorado (now owned by Beyond the Stage host Drew Holmes).  In part one of our conversation, Cindy talks about how she first learned to love music making and what inspired her to pursue music retail as a career.