Ask Mike
Helping other Music Educators learn from our mistakes! No need to reinvent the wheel, Mike has been there and done that. Just ask Mike!
Mike Lunney spent 31 successful years as a head band director in the State of Texas, where his bands were consistently recognized as superior bands. Mike is still active as a clinician, mentor and adjudicator.
Derrick Killam has been involved in school music programs in the state of Texas since 1990 through music retail. Derrick has been a repair tech, shop foreman, Education Rep and currently is the Operations Manager for N-Tune Music and Sound, a NAMM Top 100 Dealer!
Episodes
25 episodes
Finish Strong! Helping your group down the home stretch!
You're almost there, the target is in sight... so why are your kids slowing down? In this episode, Mike Lunney encourages educators to remember that when your group has been working hard for a few months toward your performance, there will be s...
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Season 1
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Episode 24
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45:31
"F is First Valve!" A Visit with Eric Baker
This episode welcomes friend Eric Baker! We discuss DCI, Trumpets Mic'd Up, and the great things going on at the University of Texas Permian Basin! Great episode to help get your high school musicians connected with a college or university, hel...
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Season 1
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Episode 23
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1:03:34
Field Timing: Fixing the Tears In Your Tempo!
Again, discussing marching bands as we rush toward contest season at the speed of sound! Some call it "phasing," some call it "a tear in the tempo." Either way it can be frustrating to pinpoint the source and install the fix. You are in luck! M...
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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40:56
Marching Festivals: Everybody's Doing It
This episode the guys consider the benefits of marching festivals. And discuss how to determine which festival is right for your group. They even ponder the question, how many festivals are enough? Are there enough? Listen to Mike Lunney educat...
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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35:32
Classroom Management: Help Me Help You!
Sometimes student teachers and/or first year younger teachers have a hard time navigating their relationships with students AND with those they are working with or for. Not the head director, not a student in the program. How can we help them g...
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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52:03
Examining the Petri Dish of Band Culture
In this episode of Ask Mike, Mr. Lunney revisits the concept of student leadership and pushes it further to consider the culture of an organization. Is this something that happens organically? Can we as music educators help shape this elusive a...
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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57:39
Marching Band Rehearsals: Are you rehearsing the right things? Pt 2
Are we being efficient in our Marching Rehearsals? Do we even rehearse the things that need to be rehearsed? Listen to Mike Lunney share his best practices and how he eliminated time wasters and things that were stealing from his rehearsals.
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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45:25
Marching Band Rehearsals: Are you rehearsing the right things? Pt 1
Are we being efficient in our Marching Rehearsals? Do we even rehearse the things that need to be rehearsed? Listen to Mike Lunney share his best practices and how he eliminated time wasters and things that were stealing from his rehearsals.
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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45:11
Get on the bus, Gus! Let's talk traveling to football games!
Have you made your list? Checked it twice? This week, Mike Lunney shares his accumulated checklist to make sure your group is ready to travel to your Friday night football game. It's not just away games, if your stadium isn't on campus, it's th...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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55:47
Sometimes They Quit...It's Probably Not Personal
Mike Lunney's three stages of how to handle a student quitting: Begging, Anger, Best of Luck To You! There's lots of reasons kids feel the pressure to quit, and the large majority of them aren't, "I don't like my director!" Credits, other inter...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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34:02
Retirement: Never Too Early To Plan
Mike Lunney is joined by guest and fellow retiree, Mike Watts, to discuss how its never too early to start retirement planning. It does sneak up on us all! Best practices, and maybe some things you hadn't considered before. It's a great listen!...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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53:06
Where, Oh Where, are my summer band kids?
We all hope every student shows up to every rehearsal during summer band. If they don't, what do we do? Some considerations for a win/win in Summer Band Attendance with your friend and mine, Mike Lunney!
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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30:27
Welcome to Teaching! Some thoughts for our First Year Teachers
It's been a little while, but Mike really was a first-year teacher way back when! And since then, Mike has help many first-year teachers survive and become great veterans! This episode, Mike and Derrick discuss some helpful things to remember a...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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1:00:05
Beat the Heat! Guidelines for Summer Band
Mike and Derrick discuss the UIL Recommendations for dealing with the heat during summer and fall outdoor rehearsals!
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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57:25
Student Leadership, Pt 2 - This is the Way
Goal setting, Communication, and Recognizing Different Personalities within your leadership team. Creating a great organization takes a great leadership team. Here is a great process to get your group operating with a great leadership team!
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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45:25
Student Leadership...This Is The Way
If you aren't making time for student leadership in your program YOU are holding your program back! Listen to Mike Lunney discuss the process and considerations to create a successful leadership team in your program.
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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38:54
Repeat After Me...Self Care
Mike Lunney says the quiet part out loud. You matter in the process! Recognizing the signs of burn out and mental fatigue, some thoughts on how to deal with it, and some tips for managing or preventing it from happening all the time. Not ...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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44:42
Can We Rebuild It? Yes We Can! w/Lynsey Gold pt 2
Part 2 of this great conversation!Looking at a rebuild in your school music program? Join Mike Lunney and Lynsey Gold for practical and real-world tips that have worked for them. Lynsey Gold has taken two Texas high school band programs...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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43:57
Can We Rebuild It? Yes We Can! w/Lynsey Gold
Looking at a rebuild in your school music program? Join Mike Lunney and Lynsey Gold for practical and real-world tips that have worked for them. Lynsey Gold has taken two Texas high school band programs from not-that-impressive to WOW!
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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38:36
Interviewing 101 w/Jay Lester
Jay Lester spent years hiring music educators in Texas ISD's. In this episode he shares some great tips and best practices to make your interview successful. Between Mr. Lester and Mike Lunney, there is a lot of years of experience in this epis...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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55:12
Audition Drama: Are You Crying? There's No Crying in The Music Program...
We've all experienced it in our school music auditions, how do we teach students (or their parents) to handle auditions with a little grace and humility? How do we teach students that if they don't win the audition, it doesn't mean they aren't ...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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41:26
We Don't Need No Stinking Boosters...Or Do We?
Mike Lunney discusses the importance of a strong booster organization. Mike also touches on how to locate and recruit some of the diamonds in the booster system, as well as helping booster land in the best position for them to help your school ...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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35:40
Relax! It's the Last 6-Weeks, You Got This!
Continuing Mike's helpful punch list for finishing strong and setting up for success next year!
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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29:16
Let's Get Started! How Do We End?
Meet Mike Lunney and Derrick Killam, two average Joes who have a little life on us in the world of School Music Education. Our goal is to help those we can by answering some of the questions our degrees didn't! And providing a resource for some...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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23:30