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Beyond the Measure: A Podcast for Music Educators
Listen as Christian, a young composer, and Kara, a young choir director, interview music teachers of all kinds in order to learn everything they can about music education. This is the perfect podcast for beginning and veteran music educators alike, as well as composers and music students. Whether you teach choir, band, orchestra, or something else, all are welcome! It's time to go beyond the measure.
Brought to you by Christian Fortner Music.
Episodes
41 episodes
#41: Through the Eyes of an Administrator | With Jay Lester (Part 1)
This week, former Fine Arts Director of Abilene ISD Jay Lester joins us to discuss the many roles that an administrator plays in music education. He also shows the key things that admin looks for when hiring, as well what you should and should ...
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Episode 41
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46:09
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#40: How to Leave a Lasting Legacy | With Loyd Hawthorne
We had the honor of sitting down with Dr. Loyd Hawthorne to learn how he impacted the lives of countless students over the course of his career. From conducting all-state choirs to traveling across the state of Texas to recruit for his program,...
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Episode 40
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43:51
#39: Tone Sets the Tone for Success | With Mary Jane Phillips (Part 2)
In the second part of our interview with Mary Jane Phillips, we learn the story behind her ensembles' successes - and how great tone quality in her groups was the foundation of that success. She also gives us a behind-the-scenes look at how her...
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Episode 39
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47:48
#38: Middle School Music Hacks | With Mary Jane Phillips (Part 1)
We are excited to welcome Mary Jane Phillips onto the show, who is a well-known mentor for choir directors across the country and co-author of the SOS sight-reading books. She is also the creator of “Choir Hacks,” her TPT store materials. Mary ...
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Episode 38
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50:51
#37: Student Connection as the Foundation of Music-Making | With Mike Lunney
Welcome to the first episode of Beyond the Measure - Season 2!Many of us get so caught up in creating music that we forget that we are actually creating leaders. Student leadership and connection is the foundation of everything else we ...
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Episode 37
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53:15
#36: The Importance of Honesty to Students... And Yourself | With Tanatchaya Chanphanitpornkit
Welcome to end of "Season 1" of Beyond the Measure! Our final guest is Tanatchaya (Tanya) Chanphanitpornkit, who is the orchestra director of many different ensembles, including the Crescendo Orchestra at the New York Youth Symphony. We discuss...
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Episode 36
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1:01:50
#35: How To Grow Your Conducting Skills | With Andrew Kim
We've all heard that there is much more beneath the "tip of the iceberg" when it comes to conducting, but what does that actually look like? And what best practices can we do as conductors to grow as music educators?This week, Dr. Andre...
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Episode 35
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1:02:55
#34: Acknowledging What Skills Need to Improve | With Andrea Cruz
Being in a profession like music education comes with a lot of scrutiny. This can cause a lot of stress on us and make us afraid to be truly vulnerable - and not just with other people, but with ourselves. It’s important to take time to look in...
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Episode 34
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45:39
#33: Creating the Right Tone - in Music AND in Leadership | With Brandon Farren
This week, Brandon Farren, head choral director at Canyon High School, joins us to discuss how directors can maintain a healthy tone in their ensemble - both from a musical perspective and from the students' perspective. Download the sh...
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Episode 33
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47:50
#32: The Future of Music Education | With Stephen Cox
In this episode, Grammy Award-winner Stephen Cox joins us to discuss how the current systems in the music education field will make an impact on the future of our profession. What are we doing now that is working? What's not working? And what c...
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Episode 32
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1:07:19
#31: Finding Balance and Renewal in the Music Profession | With Frank Eychaner (Part 2)
This is the second part of our interview with Dr. Frank Eychaner, Director of Choral Activities at the University of Central Arkansas. Frank discusses ways that music educators can continue to renew themselves and take the right steps toward st...
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Episode 31
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34:20
#30: What Excellence Looks Like as a Music Teacher | With Frank Eychaner (Part 1)
Enjoy the first part of our interview with Dr. Frank Eychaner, who is the Director of Choral Activities at the University of Central Arkansas. In this episode, Frank talks about how music directors can have mental and emotional sustainability i...
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Episode 30
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41:39
#29: Big Schools vs. Small Schools - Is There A Difference? | With Jason Jones
This week, we welcome Jason Jones to the podcast, who is the band director at Central High School in San Angelo, Texas. Jason has much experience in both large and small music programs, and he tells us about what sort of differences you can fin...
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Episode 29
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47:05
#28: How Student Leaders Can Positively Contribute to Classroom Culture | With Sarah Gleason (Part 2)
In the second part of our interview with the New Canaan High School Choir Director, Sarah Gleason provides simple ways that student leaders can help influence others to be all-on-board with the purpose of success for an ensemble.Downloa...
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Episode 28
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38:35
#27: Creating Community Through Student Leadership | With Sarah Gleason (Part 1)
This is the first part of our two-part interview with Sarah Gleason, Choral Director of the New Canaan High School Choir. In this episode, Sarah stresses the importance of community in an ensemble as the foundation of success in all other areas...
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Episode 27
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37:16
#26: Evolving Concerts to Engage Audiences | With Jeff Goolsby
Dr. Jeff Goolsby, Director of Choral Activities at Abilene Christian University, joins us to discuss how he came to be a choir director and how he takes many different avenues to create a unique concert experience. We no longer live in an age w...
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48:53
#25: Fostering a Culture of Success in an Ensemble | With Troy Robertson
This week, we have Dr. Troy Robertson, head choral director at Tarleton State University, join us on the show! Troy has worked with many different choirs across the country and tells us what he believes are the most important foundations of any...
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Episode 25
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44:09
#24: The True Purpose and Practice of Conductors | With Miguel Harth-Bedoya
In this week's episode, we have the privilege of talking to Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor of the Baylor University Symphony Orchestra and Director of Orchestral Studies. With many years of experience conducting orchestras all around the ...
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Episode 24
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55:53
#23: How Composers Can HELP Music Educators | With Luke McMillan
This week, we sit down with composer Luke McMillan, who is very well-known for creating accessible marching shows for small school band programs. Luke tells us how he came to become a full-time composer and the strategies he uses to be a resour...
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Episode 23
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54:02
#22: Creating Enthusiasm Through Ensemble Innovation | With Darcy Radcliffe
Darcy Radcliffe, former orchestra director at Abilene and Cooper High Schools, created a new type of string orchestra ensemble called Revolution Strings. After experiencing many incredible successes with the group, she has joined us on this wee...
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Episode 22
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48:53
#21: How Band Directors Handle an Onslaught of Necessary Planning | With Jon Kraemer
For music educators, the constant task of having to observe, evaluate, and improve is imperative for having a successful experience for students. However, this habit, paired with the overwhelming amount of tasks needed to be done each week can ...
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Episode 21
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56:24
#20: Uniting Different Ensembles and Experiences | With Allison King
We are very excited to bring our first guest with an orchestral background onto the show! Mrs. Allison King is the orchestra director at L.D. Bell High School in Hurst, Texas. Allison brings a variety of insight for directors finding their firs...
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Episode 20
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1:05:06
#19: How to Keep Your Students Accountable in the Music Classroom
It can be hard leading a rehearsal when your students don't have the motivation to try in your classroom. In this week's episode, we discuss different ways you can incentivize your students to come to class with an attitude and expectation of s...
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Episode 19
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29:51
#18: How to Discipline Your Students and Earn Their Respect | With Reece Kingcade
One of the hardest aspects of teaching for many people is disciplining students while keeping them engaged and enjoying the class as a whole. In this episode, Mr. Reece Kingcade, Head Choral Director at Cooper High School, joins us to discuss h...
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Episode 18
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1:15:27
#17: From Composer, to Teacher, to Administrator: A Variety of Leadership Positions | With Jeffrey Cottrell
Dr. Jeffrey Cottrell is the Associate Dean of the School of Music at Hardin-Simmons University. He is also the director of the HSU Jazz Band, a private instructor of low brass, an active performer, and award-winning composer. In this week's epi...
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Episode 17
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1:05:42