Oral History - all
Ryan Arp is the Associate Band Director at Iowa City High School in Iowa City, Iowa. He gives insights on networking and recruiting the help of fellow music education colleagues from the University of Iowa to make a beneficial impact to his music program.
Andrew Vickers teaches middle school instrumental music in DeWitt, Iowa. Classes under his instruction range from concert band, jazz band, and even guitar classes, as well as private lessons for all ages. He speaks here about teaching in a small school and about being new to a school.
Charles Staley is the Fine Arts Chair at Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, Illinois. He speaks about growing as an educator and the importance of placing students first to provide for successful music-making and education.
Barbara Siler is the Assistant Director of Bands at Bellbrook-Sugarcreek Schools, a small but growing school system. She teaches grades six through twelve. At the beginning of her career, she served as a long-term substitute teacher. Here, she talks about the interview process for music educators... more
Ray Ostwald Originally from Wisconsin, Mr. Ostwald has taught orchestra in Illinois for twenty years and has been at York Community High School in Elmhurst for the past sixteen. He comes from a musical family, and provides insights here about the hiring and interview process for music educators.
Frank Lestina has taught for eleven years at Vernon Hills High School in Vernon Hills, Illinois. He speaks here about attracting and retaining students and about the importance of visibility to incoming middle school students.
Jeff Heid is the Head Band Director at Muscatine High School in Muscatine, Iowa. He speaks here about rebuilding a program, that was once numbering in the two-hundreds, by focusing on retention and offering options to students.
John Espy teaches at Milford Exempted Village Schools in Milford, Ohio, where he teaches music at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Here, he speaks about transitions into middle and high school music programs and about how to retain students by continually seeking and showing the... more
Marguerite Wilder was a band director for 25 years and now works in publishing as an editor and clinician. Over her time as an educator, she taught at a variety of levels, ranging from primary and secondary to junior college.
Alyce Spoto is the Beginning Band Director in Muscatine, Iowa, where she assists 4th graders in choosing their instruments and teaches 5th graders in the development of their technique. She talks about different recruitment tactics and the importance of understanding how previous musical... more
Todd Smith is the Band Director at River Trails Middle School in Mount Prospect, Illinois. He began teaching 17 years ago in River Grove, Illinois and moved to RTMS 12 years ago to his current position. He says he became inspired to become a music educator because of his passion for music and his... more
Glen Schneider teaches band, technique, and percussion classes at Metea Valley High School in Aurora, Illinois. He received his education at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and has been teaching instrumental and general music for ten years across the K-12 spectrum.
Beth Lyons is the 5th through 8th Grade Band Director at five different elementary schools and one middle school in Oak Lawn, Illinois. She has taught several elements of music, ranging from instrumental, choir, and general music. Ms. Lyons received her education at Bradley University in Peoria,... more
Lisa Lang is the 5th and 6th Grade Band Director and Assistant High School Band Director in Independence, Iowa. Ms. Lang has taught for 25 years in both Iowa and Delaware and received her education at the University of Iowa.
Dorothy Jacobi is the Instrumental Music Educator in the Solon Community School District. She is in her 15th year of teaching, and has taught everything from general music, instrumental music, and choral music at all K-12 levels. She received her education as a music educator at Jamestown College (... more
Bryan Itzkowitz is the Director of Bands at Holmes Middle School in Wheeling, Illinois. He became interested in becoming a music educator in eighth grade when his band director gave him the opportunity to run rehearsals for a piece of music he had become interested in; he even got to conduct the... more
Phillip Hash is the Associate Professor and Coordinator of Undergraduate Music Education at the School of Music - Illinois State University. He holds an Ed. D. in music education from the University of Illinois, a M.M. in wind conducting from Northwestern University, and a B.M. in music education... more
Nancy Golden teaches band in four of the seven elementary schools in the Hinsdale District 181. She discusses various methods of recruiting new students for the band, such as showing recruitment films featuring children throughout their development as musicians in school, interactive programs with... more
Chip DeStefano has served as the Director of Bands at McCracken Middle School for fifteen years now. Under his direction, the McCracken Middle School Symphonic Band has received first division ratings at all district and state organization contests of the Illinois Grade School Music Association (... more
Anthony Camarda received his education at DePaul University and is the band teacher at Marlowe Middle School in Lake in the Hills, IL. His experience ranges across a number of different types of band classrooms, where he has learned the value of communication with other faculty and how to... more