Episode 186 - Tonya Mitchell-Spradlin

03/02/21 • 67 min

Tonya Mitchell-Spradlin is the director of bands at Penn State University. She joined the show to share the story of her career, challenges that she has faced, and some thoughts about concert band programming.

Topics:

Tonya's background and education.
Representation matters!
Programming music.
Thoughts about teaching and conducting.

Links:

Biography:

Tonya Mitchell-Spradlin is Director of Wind Band Studies and Assistant Professor of Music. In addition to conducting the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, overseeing the graduate wind conducting program, teaching courses in wind band literature and wind conducting, she oversees all aspects of the concert band programs at Penn State. Her appointment at PSU follows three years as Assistant Director of Bands and Associate Director of Athletic Bands at the University of South Carolina. Prior to her tenure at UofSC, Mitchell-Spradlin taught at Valdosta State University as Director of Athletic Bands and was Director of Bands at Chamblee High School in Chamblee, Georgia.

Mitchell-Spradlin has a diverse background as a clinician, adjudicator, educator, and speaker. She is a frequent guest conductor, and has presented regionally at the South Carolina Music Educators Association Conference, nationally at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic, internationally at the International Society for the Promotion of Wind Band in Austria, and has served as Tau Beta Sigma’s local and national Women in Music Speaker.

As a proponent of new music, she is engaged in building the wind band medium. She led the consortium and premiere of Aaron Perrine’s Beneath a Canvas of Green for wind ensemble and percussion quartet which was also the source of her doctoral dissertation. Additionally, she is active in a number of premieres and consortiums for new music.

Mitchell-Spradlin serves as the National Vice President of Professional Relations for Tau Beta Sigma: National Honorary Band Sorority. She also holds memberships in Kappa Kappa Psi, the College Band Directors National Association, National Association for Music Education, and Women Band Directors International.

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The Everything Band Podcast Team:

Host and Creator: Mark Connor
Outreach Manager: Colin Peters
Creative Director: Jake Walker

Topics:

Tonya's background and education.
Representation matters!
Programming music.
Thoughts about teaching and conducting.

Links:

Biography:

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The Everything Band Podcast Team:

Host and Creator: Mark Connor
Outreach Manager: Colin Peters
Creative Director: Jake Walker

Previous Episode

Episode 185 - Jared Cassedy

Jared Cassedy is the current band director at Lexington High School in Massachusetts, after teaching in New Hampshire for many years. He was the 2015 recipient of the Grammy Music Educator of the Year award and offers some great perspective for all band directors.

Topics:

Jared's background growing up in New Hampshire, his education and training and his early career.
Winning the Grammy Music Educator of the Year Award and being locked in a room with Kanye and Kim.
Advice for band directors of all ages about the value of music education and some wisdom that he's learned during his career.

Links:

Biography:

Jared Cassedy is currently the K-12 Performing Arts Coordinator for the Lexington Public School System in Lexington, Massachusetts where he supports, supervises, and evaluates the department’s teachers, curriculum and assessment development, budget, and performing arts programming. Along with his administrative responsibilities he conducts the most advanced concert band at the high school, the LHS Wind Ensemble. Jared is also the conductor of the Junior Massachusetts Youth Wind Ensemble at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School and currently serves as Chair-Elect for the Massachusetts Music Educators Association: Northeastern District. Previous to coming to Massachusetts, he served as President-Elect for the New Hampshire Music Educators Association (NHMEA). In 2015 Jared was the recipient of the prestigious GRAMMY Music Educator Award furnished by the GRAMMY Foundation and The Recording Academy having been selected out of a pool of almost 10,000 nominees nationwide.

Previous to his appointment in Lexington, Jared was the Director of K-12 Performing Arts for the Salem School District in Salem, NH and was the Director of K-12 Fine Arts for the Windham School District, in Windham, NH. Jared began his teaching career in Windham, NH in 2005 first as the middle school band director and then was appointed as the first Director of Bands for the newly constructed Windham High School in 2009. Jared’s continued collaboration with his students has enabled his ensembles to be selected to participate in a myriad of national performances and festivals including the National Band and Orchestra Festival at Carnegie Hall in NYC, the Festival of Gold at Orchestra Hall in Chicago, the NAfME Eastern Division Conference in Hartford, CT., and the Bands of America National Band Festival sponsored by Music for All and Yamaha in Indianapolis. His ensembles were also selected to perform for the Mayor of Quebec City and the Governor of Montreal. In 2011 the New Hampshire Band Directors Association honored Jared with the “Outstanding Young Band Director of the Year Award.” He was also nominated for New Hampshire Teacher of the Year in 2014.

Jared has conducted a number of regional honor bands in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and Connecticut, given a variety of lectures on leadership and best practices in teaching, and has participated in TEDx talking about his journey and philosophies through education. He graduated Summa cum Laude from the University of New Hampshire – Durham where he received his Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education and has a Masters of Education degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus in Educational Leadership from Southern New Hampshire University. He is a member of NAfME, MMEA, NBA, and ASCD, and the prestigious Pi Lambda Theta Education Honors Society.

Next Episode

Episode 187 - Colin Peters and Jake Walker

In this special episode we welcome Colin Peters and Jake Walker to the podcast and interview them to learn their stories and hear their plans for the future of the podcast. Topics covered include origin stories, teaching during COVID, teaching beginners, and their answers to the big questions.

Colin Peters Bio:

Mr. Colin Peters has completed his fourth year of teaching public school band and is now pursuing a Masters degree in Wind Conducting at Sam Houston State University. Prior to Sam Houston, Colin served four years as the Assistant Band Director at York Junior High in Conroe ISD. While at York, he conducted the Symphonic band, Concert II/III bands, assisted with the Wind Ensemble and other concert bands, as well as assisted with the marching band at Grand Oaks under the direction of Mr. Peters, the Symphonic Band and Concert II/III Bands received superior ratings at the UIL Concert & Sight-Reading Contest, along with First Division and "Best in Class" awards at local area festivals.

Colin Peters grew up in Dickinson, TX, just south of Houston. He graduated from the University of Houston with a bachelors degree in Music Education. While at UH, he studied clarinet under Chester Rowell and Randy Griffin. His performance experiences include playing clarinet and bass clarinet in the UH Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, and Opera Orchestra. While at UH he also had the opportunity to perform with the Wind Ensemble at the Texas Music Educators Association, The Midwest Clinic and Convention, and the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles Convention. Colin was also a five-year member of the “Spirit of Houston” marching band where he served as Drum Major for three of those years.

With his time outside of teaching, Mr. Peters has played in the Woodlands Concert Band, worked with marching bands and leadership teams, and judged solo and ensemble contests around the Houston area. He also spends his summers attending Texas area workshops, including the Sam Houston State University’s Teaching the Middle School Band.

Colin's professional affiliations include the Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, Tau Beta Sigma and Phi Mu Alpha.

Jake Walker Bio:

Mr. Jake Walker is in his second year as the 5th Grade Band Director at Hannah Martin Elementary School, in Huntley, Illinois. After earning his teaching degree, Jake launched the new Martin Band program. In his first year, he recruited over 100 beginning band students into the program. In 2018, he was named the Assistant Marching Band Director at Huntley High School, where he worked for two marching band seasons alongside his full time position.

Jake is also a Summer School Band Director for the Wauwatosa School District in Wisconsin for 5th-10th grade students, a position he accepted in 2020. In January of 2021, he joined the Everything Band Podcast team as their Creative Director, where he creates graphics and manages social media content.

Jake graduated and received his Bachelor of Music Education degree in 2019 from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois. While attending NIU, Jake studied with trumpet professor Dr. Mark Ponzo, ensemble and conducting professors Dr. Thomas Bough and Dr. Ronnie Wooten, and music education faculty Dr. Mary-Lynn Doherty and Dr. Christine D’ Alexander. In 2018, he was named the Head Drum Major for the NIU Huskie Marching Band and the President of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) collegiate chapter. Jake was recognized for his efforts in the Huskie Marching Band when he received the Outstanding Band Member of the Year for two consecutive seasons (2016, 2017) and the “Director’s Award” for excellence (2018).

In the Fall of 2020, Jake contributed to the Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) Band Best Practice Committee to curate a collection of health and safety recommendations during the Covid-19 pandemic for Illinois band programs.

Jake was selected to represent Illinois in the upcoming 2022 Rose Parade in Pasadena, California as a member of the "Salute to America's Band Directors Marching Band". The band will be composed of up to 300 band directors from across North America and will pay tribute to the exceptional instruction, character development and inspiration provided by music educators everywhere.

Links:

The Everything Band Podcast team includes the following contributors: