I always envisioned myself waving a baton in front of a traditional symphonic or concert band. It's what I did as a musician. But, outside of the band hall, I played guitar for my dad, and around the clubs in Chicago. I've been playing guitar, bass and drums in bands much like the ones we teach since I was 13. My dad began teaching me the blues since I was 8. The first song I learned in its in entirety was Brown Sugar by ZZ Top when I was 10. Despite being a guitarist and a product of the Texas Music Education system, I didn't actually decide on being a music teacher until I was at least 16. But, before pursuing a degree, I decided playing guitar for the United States Marine Corps Band was too good to pass up. I spent more time on the euphonium, though. So, it made sense to make the euphonium my primary instrument when I finally enrolled at Northeastern Illinois University. I still used my "modern band" skills to make a side earning while finishing what eventually became a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies. My family migrated to Texas for the final time (maybe?). I was looking for assistant band director positions to finish my Alternative Certification when I found a job description that read: "Must be able to teach beginning guitar, piano, bass, drums; Helpful if you are familiar with live sound and Pro Tools." It sounded too good to be true. It wasn't the job I was looking for. But, it was definitely the job I needed. I'd inherited a floundering program and with the gift of dedicated students, turned it into a premier rock band. Our presence grows within the district. We play for guest speakers on and off campus. I have this organic program that develops these musicians for four years. We use the LKR songbooks, Weekly Riffs, and FourChords as our repertoire. I fill in the missing parts, both on paper and on any instrument. I have a blast doing this and really believe I have the best job in the world. My influences are, in chronological order: My Dad (he rocks), Carlos Santana, Billy Gibbons, Jimi Hendrix, Randy Rhodes, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Chris Duarte, Albert King, Freddy King, Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, Eric Clapton, Elmore James, Peter Green, T-Bone Walker. I think you see a pattern here. These days, I'm all about the current blues legends. I hope to be one of them, one day. I also hope to put a couple of them out there from my classroom. I don't know what it is that I do well. I require my students' participation, commitment. We rotate the groups from small to large. Even when working in large groups, there's usually a core group playing the main electric instruments while the remaining students play in a perimeter around them. I insist that every student know their parts so that students on the perimeter can swap out with anyone in the core group. This environment really encourages peer-to-peer instruction. Since I don't have enough instruments to check out to each student, I use class time for students to work parts together. I give them opportunities to play in the school's foyer in an acoustic cafe setting, hoping to ease their fears before larger performances. I still aspire to conduct a successful wind ensemble. But, I can't even imagine letting go of this amazing experience called Modern Band. Talk to me about your program. I'd love to see what you're doing that works and how I can incorporate it into my own program.