What happens when a student walks into your band room excited about playing guitar, bass, keyboard, or drum set, but those instruments aren't part of your traditional band instrumentation? Do you encourage them to learn something else, or is there a way to welcome them without creating a mountain of extra work for yourself?

In this episode of Band Director Boot Camp, Lesley Moffat welcomes Joseph (Joe) Sensor, a band director who has successfully integrated modern band instruments into traditional concert band settings. Joe shares how he's creating more inclusive musical experiences while maintaining the quality and integrity of his ensembles.

With three concert bands of approximately 80 to 100 students each, Joe has found practical ways to incorporate electric guitars, basses, and other nontraditional instruments without completely reinventing his curriculum. His approach challenges us to rethink what band can look like and how we can serve students who already have musical skills and interests that don't fit the traditional model.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• How to incorporate guitars, electric basses, keyboards, and drum sets into traditional concert band settings.
• Practical strategies for adapting existing music and method books without adding hours of preparation.
• How welcoming nontraditional instruments can improve student recruitment, retention, and belonging.
• Ways to balance modern instruments with traditional wind and percussion ensembles.
• Why making music alongside your students builds stronger relationships and models lifelong learning.
• How staying involved in your own musical experiences can support your personal wellness and reconnect you with the joy of making music.

Joe also shares his experience participating in the Phantom Regiment Alumni Corps and why continuing to perform matters, even decades after his original drum corps experience.

The conversation is a reminder that expanding opportunities for students doesn't have to mean expanding your workload. Sometimes it simply means looking at the resources, skills, and students already in front of you and finding new ways to bring them together.

Whether you're looking to grow your program, welcome more students, or reconnect with your own love of making music, this episode offers practical ideas you can put to work.

Because sometimes the most powerful thing we can say to a student who wants to make music is simply, "Yes, there's a place for you here."

Resources Mentioned

Music Will (formerly Little Kids Rock)

Learn more about modern band education, professional development opportunities, and the Modern Band Summit at musicwill.org.

Ever find yourself driving home replaying everything that went wrong in rehearsal, lying awake thinking about your never-ending to-do list, or realizing you've given so much energy to your students that there's nothing left for the people you love?

You're not alone, and you don't have to wait until you hit rock bottom to make a change.

In this episode of Band Director Boot Camp, Lesley Moffat welcomes Michelle Hummer, founder of Michelle Mae Mentoring, for a conversation about recognizing stress patterns, changing your mindset, and building resilience before burnout takes over.

Michelle shares practical strategies for moving out of constant reaction mode and learning to respond with greater intention. Together, they explore how something as simple as pausing, taking a breath, and questioning an overwhelming thought can begin to change the way we experience everyday challenges.

They also discuss the connection between music, sound frequencies, and wellness, including Michelle's experiences with frequency-based practices and Lesley's use of calming music and breathing exercises in her band classroom.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• How to recognize the physical and emotional warning signs of chronic stress.
• A simple pause, breathe, check, and respond technique for managing overwhelming situations.
• Why changing your mindset starts with examining the beliefs and patterns driving your behavior.
• How small, consistent habits can help you build resilience without adding more to your schedule.
• Perspectives on sound frequencies and their potential role in personal wellness.
• Why the same patience and step-by-step teaching strategies you use with your students are worth applying to yourself.

One of the most important reminders from this conversation is that you don't have to change everything overnight. Just as we teach beginning musicians one skill at a time, we can learn to take better care of ourselves one small step at a time.

Because taking care of yourself isn't something you do after everything else is finished. It's what allows you to keep doing the work you love.

Connect with Michelle Hummer:

Website: MichelleMae.net

Text for a free consultation: 272-800-8021

Why did you become a band director?

Most of us would probably say some version of the same thing: we wanted to make a difference in students' lives through music.

But somewhere along the way, it can become easy to measure our success, and even our own worth, by ratings, trophies, performances, enrollment numbers, and how much we're willing to sacrifice for the program.

In this episode of Band Director Boot Camp, Lesley Moffat talks with band director Lincoln Rowe about a deeply personal journey that forced him to reconsider what it really means to be there for his students.

In 2019, Lincoln lost one of his students to suicide.

In the days that followed, he did what so many educators instinctively do. He became strong for everyone else. He helped his students navigate their grief, kept the program moving, and tried to hold everything together.

Eventually, he had to stop and ask who was taking care of him.

That experience began a much larger journey involving therapy, an ADHD diagnosis, confronting childhood trauma, and examining how much of his identity and self-worth had become wrapped up in being a successful band director.

One question from a mentor became especially important:

Are your students there for you, or are you there for them?

Earlier in his career, Lincoln had a list of accomplishments he wanted: performances, ratings, competitions, prestigious events, and experiences that would help build a successful program and résumé.

Eventually, he began looking at those same opportunities differently.

Instead of asking, "What do I want my program to accomplish? " he started asking, "What experiences do I want my students to have?"

That distinction changes everything.

Lesley and Lincoln also talk about something band directors don't always want to admit - sometimes we become so focused on the strongest musicians and the success of the ensemble that we lose sight of the individual people sitting in front of us.

The last-chair clarinet player who desperately needs a place to belong deserves the same care and attention as the All-State musician whose absence might affect the entire ensemble.

And the same lesson applies to the person standing on the podium.

Your worth isn't determined by your band's accomplishments.

A bad performance doesn't make you a bad teacher. A great rating doesn't make you more valuable as a human being. And being the first car in the parking lot and the last one to leave isn't proof that you care more.

Students don't need us to be perfect.

They need healthy adults who know how to ask for help, take care of themselves, make mistakes, create boundaries, and show them what a sustainable life can look like.

Sometimes the most meaningful thing you do all day isn't conducting the perfect rehearsal.

It's standing at the door and asking a student how their game went last night.

Because years from now, your students may not remember the rating.

But they'll remember how they felt when they walked into your room.