My 100th Podcast Episode!
I am one of those people who commits 100% when I decide to do something. When I was approached 5 years ago to create a podcast, I thought quite a bit before saying yes. I have seen SO many well-intentioned folks start podcasting and then give up a few episodes in. I TOTALLY get it. I’m just not that type of person. This morning, the 100th episode of my podcast titled Profiles in Teaching with Technology was released, and I thought that this would be a good time to reflect on the past 5 years, the MANY amazing educators I have interviewed, and the future of the podcast. I hope you’ll indulge me a little here.
I started this podcast in January of 2019 and my very first guest was Shawna Longo. Here is that first episode:
The intent of the podcast is to highlight what K-12 classroom teachers from around the world are doing with music technology in their instruction. It is NOT meant to be a commercial for MusicFirst at all, but instead an illustration of the many ways that teachers are integrating technology into all facets of a music program. The format of the episodes is almost always the same: I have the guests trace their musical journey from falling in love with music to becoming a music educator. I love hearing all of the different stories as it is proof that while we all might have different backgrounds, the things we have in common when it comes to music and teaching are many. I have interviewed teachers all across the United States, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and Europe and they all are teaching music with technology for one main reason - it engages the students and makes music learning and creation more accessible. I couldn’t agree more.
I have had LOTS of amazing guests, but a few stand out to me as extra special for a variety of reasons. One of my all time favorite podcasts was with the inimitable Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser. We did the interview right at the tail end of the pandemic, and his sage advice and stories were much needed medicine. If you’ve ever heard Dr. TIm speak, you know what I’m talking about.
I also LOVED talking to my dear friend Richard McCready. I absolutely LOVE his approach to teaching music with technology. Definitely worth listening if you haven’t yet.
Another memorable episode for me was speaking with my mentor and dear friend Lee Whitmore, without whom I wouldn’t be in the corporate world. It was so great to just talk shop with him and find out more about his path through the music education field.
One of the most interesting conversations from the many I’ve had over the past 5 years was my chat with John Mlynczak, the new President & CEO of NAMM - and former colleague in the music ed tech business. It was a great conversation about his path and the many connections between the classroom and the business world.
I have interviewed SO many of my dear friends, including Stefani Langol, Barbara Freedman, Patrick Burns, Andrea Maas, Amy Burns, Katie Wardrobe, Stefanie Weigand, Cara Bernard, Stephanie Sanders, and MANY MANY More. I urge you to check out all of those episodes as well - each one is very special to me. For my 100th episode I had the honor of interviewing Scott Sheehan, current President of NAfME. I have known and admired Scott for many years and it was very special to feature him as my 100th guest. NAfME is in VERY good hands right now, and the future looks very bright.
Thank you for indulging me a little with today’s post. I have no plans to stop podcasting and I have so many great music educators yet to interview. Six seasons in and I’ll never get tired of hearing the inspirational stories of music educators. Their resilience through a global pandemic, budget cuts, and many more obstacles didn’t dampen their spirits nor impact the incredible passion and creative that they approach their teaching with. Here’s to the next 100 episodes! I hope you’ll listen and subscribe.