Engaging the Musical Mind

Kyle Peters just published a book of self-composed etudes for marimba and he's here to talk to us about his creative process, how he began publishing his work, and give us a sample of his book, Soundscapes.  Everyone has a project they're sitting on, and it's my hope that Kyle's success can offer some inspiration and motivation to get our own professional projects moving.

Kyle is the percussion instructor at the Eastman Community Music School and a member of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. He received his Master’s of Music in Performance and Literature, as well as the prestigious Performer’s Certificate, from the Eastman School of Music and his Bachelor’s of Music in Music Education from the Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam.

At the Eastman Community Music School Kyle works with students of
all ages from elementary school to the college level. Kyle is also the director of three percussion ensembles at Eastman, and runs the New Horizons (ROC) percussion section. During the summer, Kyle teaches at Crane Youth Music at SUNY Potsdam and is the percussion professor for the Summer Classical Studies at the Eastman School of Music.

His principal teachers include Michael Burritt, James Ross, Chip Ross, Jim Petercsak, Sean Ritenauer, Ross Karre, Catherine Meunier, and Ed Reifel.

Kyle is a Yamaha/Sabian Performing Artist.

To learn more about Kyle please visit KPpercussion.com.

Instagram: @kpetersperc

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Music business is a thing!  In this episode, Declan Lynch talks to us about his journey to discovering his love of the business of music.  He discusses how conferences, his love of tubas, and a fair bit of networking helped him to get where he his today, and how teachers can start to help our students realize there is this whole other musical world out there.  Plus, it's just a fun conversation.

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This is a great episode!  Tracy is an experienced music therapist here to share her wisdom on how to best serve students with disabilities in the classroom.  We discuss the Why, examples from our practices, strategies, and best of all some fun stories about what has and has not worked.  This field is so important to me and it is crucial to talk to and help one another in all areas, but especially this one.  Let's get learning!

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Teachers everywhere are wondering right now whether or not the curriculum they have been using for years is appropriate for teaching World Cultures to their students.  I've asked myself if what I've included has been enough, or if I've even been doing it right.  There are so many cultures to include, so many songs to avoid, so many resources to find, it can be staggering, but we're not alone.  Baruch Whitehead discusses with us strategies on how to include music of the world in a way that lifts up the cultures and creates a diverse learning environment for out students.  Let's get learning!

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When students have a voice in the learning process, they become more engaged with and attached to the learning material.  This however can be a huge hurdle for teachers who have a hard time relinquishing control, so today Dr. Beatrice Olesko is going to talk with us about the characteristics of democracy in the classroom, pros and cons, and some tips for starting to give learners a voice in your practice.  Let's get learning!

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Music?  Online learning?  How??  Kimberly Kane talks to us about how she and her district handled music and virtual learning in the spring when the pandemic first started, and how she plans to adapt to an ever-changing educational landscape moving forward.  This episode was a blast to plan and record, and will definitely create a strong starting point for teachers struggling to plan the year ahead.  

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In our first episode, I chat with Mary Pautz, author of the article "Both Performance and Informance, Not Either or in Elementary General Music."  We discuss what informances are, why music teachers should be focusing on these rather than only performances, and tips and applications to get you started.   --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app