Ask Mike

Send us Fan MailIn previous episodes, Mike Lunney has discussed fundamentals and techniques. This week he discusses his thoughts on creating a working vocabulary for your ensemble to reduce instruction time, and different procedural aspects of introducing fundamentals and teaching concepts to help your ensemble achieve success!

Send us Fan MailAs our friend Mike Lunney is fond of saying, "I teach fundamental skills because there are no advanced skills, just advanced situations requiring strong fundamentals." In this episode, Mike discusses the fundamentals for marching, whether it's posture, step offs, or a box drill. The proper fundamentals are the key to looking like an advanced marching ensemble!

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Mike Lunney breaks down the eight core or fundamental principles for marching techniques and movement. These are borrowed from the book "Beyond the Basics" by Nick Benson, Adam Oswald, and Dylan Thomson. Mike introduced these principles early in the marching series, but this week he gives a deeper definition and provides some practical application examples.

Send us Fan MailBorrowing from the book, "Beyond the Basics," by Nick Benson, Adam Oswald, and Dylan Thompson, as well as sharing experiences from 39 years as a performer, educator, and clinician, Mike Lunney offers great insight for taking your ensemble past basic marching. Practical and applicable thoughts, tips, and ideas that will help you teach your group to be advanced level thinkers and performers this marching season!

Send us Fan MailHere we are, looking at a new marching season ahead through fresh eyes! The canvas is blank and opportunity awaits. Mike Lunney has set up a series of episodes to help you set your program up to take advantage of the opportunities that are waiting for you. We discuss things like setting the standard and encouraging the students to make the conscious decisions up front to be successful. And Mike incorporates helpful tips for you, the directors, to lead into this successful season by example!

Send us Fan MailLearning, Knowing, Understanding, Communicating, and Mastering. The five boxes your marching ensemble goes through on their way to becoming the most successful version of themselves. Listen this episode as Mike Lunney explains how our ensembles move from box to box, hopefully landing in the box of Mastery, that experience of communicating and sharing the vision with the audience (and the adjudicators) in a way that leaves no doubt about your ensemble's successful season!

Send us Fan MailIn Max Ehrmann's "Desiderata," he encourages each of us to, "Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth." In this episode, Mike Lunney offers insight from his personal experience for aging well, whether it is professionally or personally. Aging happens to all of us, it is actually a privilege! Embrace the process, welcome the lessons, and be willing to gracefully share this with those who follow!

Send us Fan MailGood friends Brian Hecimovich and Stephen Cox join Mike Lunney for a friendly debate on the pros and cons of competition in music education. Both of our friends are passionate, successful music educators. But they view competition differently. Enjoy this debate/discussion and consider the extrinsic vs. intrinsic, the motivation of competition goals, and the fact that we all agree, the students should be the primary concern. 

Send us Fan MailTalking with guest Tim Edins about his retirement and subsequent rehire. Great visit with lots of insight from both Tim and Miike Lunney. Is retirement the best option right now? What if I decide to teach again, what does that do to my retirement? Are there penalties? Is it easy to navigate? Some things to think about!

Send us Fan MailWhether you are leaving for greener pastures, or you're leaving because it's just time to leave, there IS a right way to leave a job. Consider the next person in line, consider the program as a whole, consider your students. "Burn it to the ground!" might seem like it will make you feel better, but will it? And if you're leaving for what you consider a better job, don't you hope the person leaving that position sets you up for the best transition possible? The high road isn't always the easiest path, but it is worth it.

Send us Fan MailSo you got the interview! When was the last time you had an interview? Mike Lunney walks us through the process of researching for an interview, rehearsing for an interview (yes, rehearsing!), and then communicating before, during, and after the interview. 

Send us Fan MailIf you find yourself looking for a new position, or considering it, Mike Lunney talks us through the waves and gives some great insight into a good decision-making process. And Mike reminds us to take our fingers off the panic button, it's going to work out!

Send us Fan MailAre we on track for marching season? Yes, it’s still spring, but if we aren’t actively preparing for next fall, we’re probably already behind! Mike Lunney offers some great tips and anecdotes from his 30+ years of experience to help get you locked in and on the right track for a successful summer and fall with your marching ensemble!

Send us Fan MailConcert and Sight Reading Evaluations are wrapping up for another spring. The time of reactions and reflection is upon us. If the ratings weren’t what you hoped for, what do we do with that? Are we defensive and looking for someone or some circumstance to blame? Mike Lunney offers a different perspective in this episode. What can we learn? How can we improve? If we’re honest, did we just not have our best day? The big question, are we coachable? Are we looking for the lessons and for help to correct things? A simple hard truth, until we accept help, honest help, we’re doomed to repeat our weaknesses!

Send us Fan MailIn Part 1, Mike Lunney gave us tips for a great process to help create the leadership team. In Part 2, Mike gives great ideas for actually making them a team! This includes teaching communication skills and using them to create vision and goals for your group.

Send us Fan MailWhat is your goal for student leadership? What positions will you have on your leadership team? What responsibilities will the positions hold? If your goal is to have an effective and cohesive team of students helping create positive culture and driving the group toward a collective goal, you need a process. It doesn’t just happen. You need a process… welcome to Student Leadership, Pt. 1!

Send us Fan MailDr. Anthony King is rebuilding the Wayland Baptist University instrumental program. Mike Lunney and Derrick visit with Dr. King on how it is going, challenges he has faced, and his mindset on recruiting musicians from his experience as a collegiate professor and his time teaching in public schools. An entertaining conversation that has more than a few laughs!

Send us Fan MailMike Lunney and Derrick enjoy a conversation with the TBA Executive Director-Designate, Phillip Clements, as he highlights the upcoming 2026 Convention and shares vision for the organization moving forward!

Send us Fan MailA great discussion with Mike Lunney about how we define success. Is it really the trapezoidal statue? Is it what you think your peers think about you? Let’s talk about it.

Send us Fan MailCan you feel it? The indecision paralysis trying to decide what to fix, do you have time to fix it, can it be fixed? Everybody breathe. In. Out. Again...Mike Lunney has some great thoughts on helping you rehearse in the heat of the final few weeks. Priorities and some tips from 30+ years of successful educating. We're gonna get there!

Send us Fan MailNick Saban is widely recognized as an elite football coach. It is interesting that he considers creating character and awesome people more important than X's and O's. In this episode, Mike Lunney shares insights from Saban's book "How Good Do You Want To Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life" as they relate to being a Music Educator!C'mon Coach, let's learn something about creating excellence!

Send us Fan MailIn the fall of 2021, Joseph "JJ" Firenza was on the band staff for Andrews High School in Texas when the unimaginable happened. The tragic crash of the band buses on the way to a football game made local and national news.Out of this event, Mr. Firenza created several checklists and guidelines and went through much training for preparing if an event were to ever occur again. This episode is part of a three-episode series with Mr. Firenza sharing his thoughts on what types of things should be included on ANY band trip, as well as some best practices for students and educators alike before the buses leave your school or event.We are grateful for the transparency and candor in these episodes.

Send us Fan MailIn the fall of 2021, Joseph "JJ" Firenza was on the band staff for Andrews High School in Texas when the unimaginable happened. The tragic crash of the band buses on the way to a football game made local and national news.Out of this event, Mr. Firenza created several checklists and guidelines and went through much training for preparing if an event were to ever occur again. This episode is part of a three-episode series with Mr. Firenza sharing his thoughts on what types of things should be included on ANY band trip, as well as some best practices for students and educators alike before the buses leave your school or event.We are grateful for the transparency and candor in these episodes.

Send us Fan MailIn the fall of 2021, Joseph "JJ" Firenza was on the band staff for Andrews High School in Texas when the unimaginable happened. The tragic crash of the band buses on the way to a football game made local and national news.Out of this event, Mr. Firenza created several checklists and guidelines and went through much training for preparing if an event were to ever occur again. This episode is part of a three-episode series with Mr. Firenza sharing his thoughts on what types of things should be included on ANY band trip, as well as some best practices for students and educators alike before the buses leave your school or event.We are grateful for the transparency and candor in these episodes.

Send us Fan MailSome musings as we move into our spring season of concert and sight reading. It has been an observation through the years, that some folks wait until the week or two before adjudication dates to start asking some questions. And, most of those questions could or should have been asked and discussed MUCH earlier! Fortunately, Mike is here! This episode is a checklist of problem areas that need to be addressed early in the process, i.e. now! From tone to phrasing to dynamics, let's address the areas early in the game.

Send us Fan MailJay Lester joins Mike and Derrick again to help you and your program squeeze all the juice from a visiting clinician. What if we told you there are small things that will reap big dividends in having a clinician in your rehearsal hall. And nothing is complicated or even very much effort. You need other ears to hear what's happening, here is how you can help them help you!

Send us Fan MailTwo wonderful guests in this episode, John Carroll and Britt Cole. They join the podcast to discuss their experiences with TMEA and ATSSB, two great associations dedicated to further music education and our students. John and Britt discuss how they got involved, what they expected vs what it was, and how you could benefit and help by being a part!

Send us Fan MailOur last conversation in a series of episodes discussing tools to make your group better, this week Mike discusses some of the tools and apps he has found useful to make your workday smoother so you can spend more time doing the part you love, building up the musicians of tomorrow!

Send us Fan MailWe hope you are looking forward to all the great possibilities 2026 has for you and those you work with and lead. Time to recharge and head boldly into the spring!

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Send us Fan MailJoined again by Tim Jones, the crew talks about tech and electronics. The conversation discusses what equipment we really need, what to look at for budgets, and helps refocus on what is a must. This episode moves from outside to inside. What considerations and equipment do we need to address in the rehearsal room?

Send us Fan MailJoined again by Tim Jones, the crew talks about tech and electronics. The conversation discusses what equipment we really need, what to look at for budgets, and helps refocus on what is a must. 

Send us Fan MailJoined again by Tim Jones, the crew talks about tech and electronics. The conversation discusses what equipment we really need, what to look at for budgets, and helps refocus on what is a must. The first part of the conversation will help you think through what you think you need vs. what you really need.

Send us Fan MailHappy Thanksgiving! Today is a simple thank you from Mike and Derrick. Thankful for the journey of music in our lives and for those who helped shape us along that path. Have a blessed day!

Send us Fan MailWhether we realize it or not, the words we choose in our classrooms matter! And our actions speak louder than our words! Excited to have guest Jett Lowrance with us on the podcast again for this episode.What great insight from Jett has he discusses an intentional shift in our teaching from "This is what I need!" to "What do my students need from me so they can be successful?" Recognizing that our students will engage and become successful musicians when we intentionally give them genuine encouragement and create opportunities for them to be successful!Jett also shares some great strategies to help when our students are having a tough time being amazing... it happens.As always, fantastic conversation with Jett Lowrance on Ask Mike!

Send us Fan MailWe all have moments of reflection. Moments when we take an assessment of where we are and where we'd like to be. Take it from a couple of olds... this doesn't go away with age! In this episode, Mike and Derrick take a lighter view of some ways to move forward with positive results. The inspiration for this conversation was comedian Tim Minchen's graduation address several years ago at a university in Australia. Take a few moments to drink your favorite refreshment and breathe easier as we discuss 9 Life Lessons.

Send us Fan MailThe concert march, it could be such a fantastic addition to your program. Unfortunately, the correct march style has been either ignored or not passed down long enough that it seems like the perfect time for Mike to answer the quiet question out loud, “What do I do with this march?”

Send us Fan MailDaniel Coyle is the author of, among others, The Culture Code, a best selling book looking at tools to build culture in groups. In this episode of Ask Mike, Mike pulls out some key thoughts that should resonate with music educators as they work through the process of discovering what a great culture is, and work to build or repair it in their programs.

Send us Fan MailIn Texas, UIL Competitions and Evaluations are an annual part of our calendar and curriculum. It’s just part of what our music educators do in Texas. From the big picture overview, it should be straight forward and used as a tool to measure the progress of our students and programs. But as an educator responsible for those students and programs, we are often more emotionally invested than that. Should we be? Do these ratings define who we are?Let’s ask Mike how to detach and use the rating system in the most positive way for both ourselves and our programs! 

Send us Fan MailDon't mind Derrick fan-girling during this episode. Mike introduces us to the teaching methods and concepts that Matt Harloff (and brother Ben) developed to create the incredible sounds of the Carolina Crown brass, among others.Simple concepts with the commitment to do them consistently and correctly. Now, let's play the Mahler...

Send us Fan MailEverybody wants to get to heaven, but nobody wants to go today...One of the certainties of life, along with taxes. Is it uncomfortable to talk about? Usually. But does it have to be? Not really.We're joined by guest Tim Jones, owner and president of N-Tune Music, as he and Mike share their experiences with helping others through the process of making sure they have plans in place for all the things.Your people need you to plan and make things clear for them. It's a good thing. Also, watch Mike and Tim call out Derrick... good times.

Send us Fan MailAfter Mike and Derrick get through debating whether people work their way to talent or they are born with it, Mike has some great points from “The Talent Code” by Daniel Coyle. Mike walks us through deep practice habits, ignition points, and master coaching.It is an amazing thing as an educator to see young people hit their ignition points and become excited to reach for their potential! And no one has to be left behind, everyone can be successful.

Send us Fan MailSo you record your Friday night halftime performances. Or your festival marching contest performances. Now what?There is a wealth of information at your disposal if you watch and listen in a way to improve your group. Mike Lunney takes time in this episode to explain what a wise mentor once shared with him, how to get the most out of a marching performance video!

Send us Fan MailDo you know this person? Seems to be in control, is typically successful at what they do, and is on a forward track... is also in constant fear of losing it, can't slow down because the spinning plates might fall, and won't talk about it out of fear someone will see through the mask? When we are anxiety ridden, but manage to press on and accomplish what we deem necessary. Welcome to High Functioning Anxiety. Let's Ask Mike how he dealt (deals) with it!

Send us Fan MailWhich comes first on the marching field, movement or music? No matter what your answer is, the music better matter! One of the best ways to make music instead of noise is remembering dynamics! Is there more to dynamics than loud or soft? Are dynamic relative? Does the dynamic marking on the music differ from instrument to instrument? Let's ASK MIKE!

Send us Fan MailIt's September! In Texas that means second summer is in full swing! As we work outside and travel Friday nights, here are some tips and reminders of how to combat the heat, and what precautions and preventions we can put in place to keep our groups safe from temperatures!

Send us Fan MailMike Lunney and Derrick Killam sit down with Juan Ramirez in this episode to discuss Booster Clubs. What does a healthy parent organization look like? What does a good relationship between boosters and the director look like? With over a decade of experience in supporting the band at Cameron Yoe, the Prez shares some insider info!

Send us Fan MailIt's the last episode in the Mike Lunney Marching Band Academy series. As we close out this set of episodes, Mike reminds us that before we start throwing too many body moves at our group, it might be good to work on a little core strength. Along with some great suggestions to help your group physically warm up, Mike also describes several of the body movements used in contemporary marching shows. It has been a fun 8 weeks, and Mike goes out with a bang in this episode! 

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of Mike Lunney's ongoing Marching Academy, Mike covers points to use for rehearsal procedures, reinforces teaching sequence for most groups, and talks about some overall marching concepts. There's also a few random items in the discussion!So many great things packed into one podcast episode, take notes! Or just listen more than once!

Send us Fan MailIn our ongoing discussion, we have talked about the set positions, what we look like when we aren't moving. This episode Mike Lunney explains to me what good body movement looks like in the midst of a marching show. Getting from set to set, etc. What a great resource!