This week we are releasing the first episode recorded in front of a live audience. During the Texas Music Educators Association convention in February 2014 I was privileged to be the moderator of a panel of college deans and professors. This

Ep. 42 Gannon's Repair Corner - Band Instruments

Feb 6th, 2014 36m 14s

Nothing worse than when an instrument breaks, so lets learn how to fix them. This week we talk about easy repairs band directors can make and what tools to keep on hand.

Ep. 41 About Suzuki, Kodaly and Rote Teaching

Jan 16th, 2014 35m 26s

While they are all different methods of teaching music Suzuki, Kodaly, and Rote teaching share some similar characteristics. In this episode our hosts sort out these methods, their similarities, and their differences.

Ep. 40 Does Musical Talent Exist?

Jan 2nd, 2014 36m 18s

On the one year Anniversary of the FreeMusicEd Podcast, we examine one of the oldest questions in music education. Is musical talent a real thing? Is it something you have or don't have, or do you develop it. We also look at tone deafness a

Ep. 39 Tech Company - Musicopoulos w/Con Eliopoulos

Dec 11th, 2013 21m 23s

This week we interview the music education technology company Musicopoulos with their founder Con Eliopoulos. This company is responsible for excellent music education apps including a metronome, ear training application, an innovative vocal

Ep. 38 Teaching Brass and Improvisation w/Dr. Dave Wilken

Nov 20th, 2013 49m 22s

Journey into the world of Jazz improvisation and brass embouchure this week with Dr. Dave Wilken of wilktone.com. Dave studied at Illinois Wesleyan University and DePaul University. He also directs community ensembles, performs as a freelan

Ep.35 Tone Deaf Comics w/ John Bogenschutz

Oct 10th, 2013 58m 8s

If you're in music education and you need a laugh, a guaranteed win is Tone Deaf Comics. This week artist John Bogenschutz joins us for a conversation all about his excellent web comic and the road so far.Visit ToneDeafComics.com and check o

Ep.34 The Open Well Tempered Clavier w/Robert Douglass

Sep 20th, 2013 37m 16s

Back in 2012 the Open Goldberg Variations sought to "Set Bach free." Now, the team behind the ground breaking project are continuing that quest with The Well Tempered Clavier - Ba©h to Bach. Robert Douglass, MuseScore, and Kimiko Ishizaka re

Ep.32 Joytunes Returns w/Yigal Kaminka

Sep 5th, 2013 33m 16s

This week we have the pleasure of a return visit from Yigal Kaminka from Joytunes. Yigal is the Oboist for the Jerusalem Symphony and the music arranger and consultant for Joyutnes.We talked about arranging for the applications, their new a

Ep.31 The Electric Bass

Aug 22nd, 2013 25m 37s

Gannon shares some excellent bass education resources and sheds some light about some important beginner bass techniques.Scottsbasslessons.complaybassnow.com

Ep.30 Cloud Based Music Education Software w/ Dr. Jim Frankel

Aug 15th, 2013 29m 57s

Cloud based software allows you to use a tool on any computer that can access the internet. Dr. Jim Frankel from Music First tells us all about the best cloud based music education software in this weeks episode of the FreeMusicEd Podcast.

Ep.29 All About Drum Sticks

Aug 8th, 2013 30m 55s

Ever walked into a music store to buy drumsticks and had no idea what to choose from their selection, or even why they carried so many different types and sizes of sticks? This episode is for you! Dillon Phillips is here to talk about differen

Ep.28 iOS Apps for Music Education and Musicians

Aug 1st, 2013 15m 11s

This week Stephen shares his iOS application recommendations for musician's and music educators. Apps mentioned in this podcast include:CleartuneTonal energyMetronome (Tempo)iReal bSession BandSymphony ProNotionPianoManiaPianoDustBu

Ep.27 Jazz Clarinet and Saxophone w/Ken Peplowski

Jul 18th, 2013 1h 10m

Today I had an opportunity to talk with one of my personal clarinet and saxophone heroes: Ken Peplowski. In this interview we talk about clarinet and saxophone techniques, jam session etiquette, equipment, being a professional musician, Benny

Ep.26 Finale and Make Music w/Justin Phillips

Jul 11th, 2013 32m 37s

We had a great listener question that we are answering on the air:This week we spoke with Justin Phillips the Senior Product Manager at Make Music. Justin oversees the development of Finale, one of the most popular and established music notat

Ep.25 Listener Questions #1

Jul 8th, 2013 6m 40s

We had a great listener question that we are answering on the air:From Rayanne:"Is it possible for a woodwind player (alto sax) to switch to a brass instrument? I'm just worried that it will be hard for me to major in music Ed if I play sax

Ep.23 Gregory Dell'Era From Weezic: Augmented Sheet Music

Jun 20th, 2013 18m 15s

This week we have an interview with Gregory Dell'Era from the company Weezic which is based in Paris, France. Gregory is a Bassonist and recorder player with both music and engineering degrees. He is one of the founders of Weezic.Weezic is

Ep.22 Animal Music w/ David Rothenberg

Jun 13th, 2013 56m 11s

This week we are joined by professor, musician, and author David Rothenberg. Rothenberg studies animal and nature music and has written many books, created multiple CD's, and traveled the world both studying and performing with animals. In th

Ep.21 Interview: Joe Berkovitz - Noteflight

Jun 6th, 2013 32m 16s

We had the pleasure of visiting with Joe Berkovitz from Noteflight, the web based music notation program. Noteflight is a powerful, cross platform solution for music notation. Users including people distributing parts to musicians digitally, t

Ep.19 Brass Mouthpieces

May 16th, 2013 20m 58s

This week Gannon tells us all about brass mouthpieces including the parts of the mouthpiece and recommendations for beginners and more seasoned players.

Ep.18 Reeds Mini-Cast, Single Reed Introduction

May 9th, 2013 12m 45s

This week's podcast is a short introduction to single reeds, specifically saxophone and clarinet. Gannon and Stephen talk about what a reed is, what the numbers mean, and how different brands compare.

Ep.17 What's it Like Being a Music Major?

May 1st, 2013 36m 47s

This week Gannon and Stephen explore their experience from when they were music majors in college. They discuss degree requirements, what "hours" of course work mean, the advantages of small/large schools, and share general advice on how to be

Ep.16 Should I major in music and how do I get ready?

Apr 18th, 2013 20m 4s

This week Stephen and Gannon discuss the kind of person it takes to be a music major, what possible outcomes there are for the degree, and how to get ready for it! Look for more music major tips in the next episode.

Ep.14 Musescore and the Sheet Music Revolution w/Thomas Bonte

Apr 5th, 2013 40m 12s

For today's special edition of the Free Music Ed Podcast, we interviewed Thomas Bonte. He is the CEO of Musescore, the open source music notation software as well as the founder of wikifonia.orgWhat an amazing interview! We were impressed w

Ep.12 Guitar, Music technology, Distance Private Lessons Interview with Lance Beaumont: Northwest Christian University

Mar 19th, 2013 41m 22s

In this week's podcast we talk to Lance Beaumont, director of the music department at Northwest Christian University and distance adjunct professor for Howard Payne University. In this interview we talked about their unique program, teaching l