don’t you think he could make a mean italian beef?
eric rath is a phenomenal teacher, composer, and percussionist, and on top of that, a wonderful human being. he has dedicated his life not only to his own family (5 kids!) but also to music education and composing excellent works for band and percussion ensemble. with professional musicians as parents, music has always been part of his life. eric has spent many years in west texas, where he has helped contribute to a rich culture of arts appreciation. we talked with him about his west texas adventures, ice cream (including his slight disdain for dairy queen), decision fatigue, clifford the big red dog, and his favorite piece he’s written.

sponsored by:

• shawn murphy⁠ with fanpledge
• the band blueprint⁠⁠ (use promo code bandyap5 when you purchase)
• troubadour consultants⁠⁠

check out our uil pml playlists on youtube (all 5 grades available!)

listen to our ⁠mixtape⁠

listen to our ⁠march madness⁠ playlist

get help with your resume, or featured on our socials to assist in your job hunt, fill out our ⁠⁠⁠talent connect form⁠

welcome to band yap 8: the ocho

chris clifton knows more about military marching band than most people know about....anything. he's won multiple (consecutive) state titles, not to even mention that he's won honor band multiple times (also consecutive). chris' expertise is extraordinary, and he attributes some of his knowledge to the legendary east texas military marching band director stump burning tradition. yes, stump burning, we talked with chris about being a texas longhorn fan, his unusual path to music education, tacos, his strategy for purchasing clothing, the honor band experience, and his love of candy.

sponsored by:

• shawn murphy⁠ with fanpledge
• the band blueprint⁠⁠ (use promo code bandyap5 when you purchase)
• troubadour consultants⁠⁠

check out our uil pml playlists on youtube

listen to our ⁠mixtape⁠

listen to our ⁠march madness⁠ playlist

get help with your resume, or featured on our socials to assist in your job hunt, fill out our ⁠⁠⁠talent connect form⁠

jeff young is as connected to the marching arts as anyone. he is the director of camps for music for all, where he oversees the music for all summer symposium. he was the visual caption head for many years at carmel high school, his alma mater. he has both taught and judged within dci. additionally, he is the ceo of dynamic marching, a platform providing educational video content for band directors. not only has jeff dedicated his life to music education, but he also served as a science teacher for many years at carmel high school.

jeff is truly one of a kind. his unique path and experience provide him with a lens into the marching arts that simply cannot be replicated, making him a valuable consultant, clinician, and judge. we sat down to talk with jeff about his flirtation with gymnastics, how his hair is the gift that keeps on giving, the ins and outs of being the ultimate camp counselor, his experience at notre dame, his favorite science subject to teach, and his obsession with fine cuisine.

sponsored by:

• shawn murphy⁠ with fanpledge
• the band blueprint⁠⁠ (use promo code bandyap5 when you purchase)
• troubadour consultants⁠⁠

check out our uil pml playlists on youtube

listen to our ⁠mixtape⁠

listen to our ⁠march madness⁠ playlist

get help with your resume, or featured on our socials to assist in your job hunt, fill out our ⁠⁠⁠talent connect form⁠

this one will make you want a hot dog real bad.

tami goss is one of one. she's hilarious, warm, intelligent, and a bad ass band director. her views on student experience and leadership are valuable beyond measure, and she and jose might be the exact same person. we yapped with her about hot dogs cooked in chili, being a voracious reader, mini schnauzers, the midwest clinic with julie giroux on piano, and growing up in southeast texas.

sponsored by:

• shawn murphy⁠ with fanpledge
• the band blueprint⁠⁠ (use promo code bandyap5 when you purchase)
• troubadour consultants⁠⁠

check out our uil pml playlists on youtube

listen to our ⁠mixtape⁠

listen to our ⁠march madness⁠ playlist

get help with your resume, or featured on our socials to assist in your job hunt, fill out our ⁠⁠⁠talent connect form⁠

no bluffing here.

as a band director, you've undoubtedly heard jorge vargas' music. spanning many genres, his music is played in band halls and orchestra rooms across the land. while actively working as a composer, he has also been a full-time teacher, educating middle school band students for decades. his commitment to not only educating students but also creating quality literature for them shows that he has been working to up the ante. we talked with jorge about his life, mariachi, some of his hidden talents, advice he would give young educators, the fifth element, and what it is like to work as a composer.

sponsored by:

• shawn murphy⁠ with fanpledge
• the band blueprint⁠⁠ (use promo code bandyap5 when you purchase)
• troubadour consultants⁠⁠

check out our uil pml playlists on youtube

listen to our ⁠mixtape⁠

listen to our ⁠march madness⁠ playlist

get help with your resume, or featured on our socials to assist in your job hunt, fill out our ⁠⁠⁠talent connect form⁠

and she's a badass.

kendall is a master of efficiency. she fine tunes many aspects of her life, but her marching band systems and processes are top tier. she has the state championships to show for it, and has even given clinics over some of her processes. we yapped with kendall about advice she would give first year teachers, her love of cheese, her experience as a dci drum major, and her passion for weightlifting.

sponsored by:

• shawn murphy⁠ with fanpledge
• the band blueprint⁠⁠ (use promo code bandyap5 when you purchase)
• troubadour consultants⁠⁠

check out our uil pml playlists on youtube

listen to our ⁠mixtape⁠

listen to our ⁠march madness⁠ playlist

get help with your resume, or featured on our socials to assist in your job hunt, fill out our ⁠⁠⁠talent connect form⁠

"we will do what is hard. we will achieve what is great." jed bartlet said it, and josh gall lives it.

josh gall is a co-founder of ultimate drill book. if you want to talk about visionary, he's not only in the conversation- he is the conversation. josh has grinded for many years, selling sub sandwiches, hand printing and assembling dot books at kinkos, writing countless drills, and submerging his product in fish tanks, all with the goal of making band director's jobs easier. this has culminated in the creation of an app that many band director's consider a lifeline in this day and age, as well as other innovations such as beam and stridetv. we yapped with josh about drum corps, the early days of ultimate drill book, his time with the university of texas bands, oboe math, and his love of restaurants and entertaining.

sponsored by:

• shawn murphy⁠ with fanpledge
• the band blueprint⁠⁠ (use promo code bandyap5 when you purchase)
• troubadour consultants⁠⁠

check out our uil pml playlists on youtube

listen to our ⁠mixtape⁠

listen to our ⁠march madness⁠ playlist

get help with your resume, or featured on our socials to assist in your job hunt, fill out our ⁠⁠⁠talent connect form⁠

by grabthar's hammer...what an episode!

jason truly is a jack-of-all-trades. band director, administrator, composer, arranger, podcast host, lego-builder....the list goes on. jason hosts two podcasts of his own, composer chats and beyond the belt: adventures from the outer rim. luckily, he sat down to yap with us! we covered all of the bases on this one: stepping out of the band hall and into the role of a fine arts director, his love of sci-fi, which of his own compositions means the most to him, his lego collection (obsession?), and our shared love of the baylor bears.

check out jason's podcasts (beyond the belt: adventures from the outer rim and composer chats) wherever you listen to podcasts!

sponsored by:

• shawn murphy⁠ with fanpledge
• the band blueprint⁠⁠ (use promo code bandyap5 when you purchase)
• troubadour consultants⁠⁠

check out our uil pml playlists on youtube

listen to our ⁠mixtape⁠

listen to our ⁠march madness⁠ playlist

get help with your resume, or featured on our socials to assist in your job hunt, fill out our ⁠⁠⁠talent connect form⁠