Jen and Erik invite Lindsey Malko, elementary band & orchestra director, to join the discussion. Lindsey is finishing up her first decade of teaching, while Jen is in the middle of her second decade, and Erik is into his third decade. The trio chat about how they've changed and how they've stayed the same over the years. Topics include: saying yes and saying no getting students to take us seriously confidence asking for what we need lots of marching band vs. no more marching band forging our...
Jan 01, 2024•56 min•Season 2Ep. 5
In school, it's not just about great teaching and great music. It's about getting our students to take ownership of their band. The more students can feel that they have a vested interest in their own progress and in the progress of their ensemble, the more their ensemble will improve and the greater your program will become! Jen and Erik dive into the ways in which they encourage student ownership. Find Take A Cue Home: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/takeacue Support: https://podcaster...
Dec 24, 2023•53 min•Season 2Ep. 4
TCNJ Junior, CJ Margolis, once again joins Jen and Erik to talk about life as a college Junior in New Jersey. The trio discuss being and having student teachers in the classroom. CJ is just beginning her journey with being a student teacher, while Erik is just starting out with his first student teacher. Find Take A Cue Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TakeACuePodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TakeACuePodcast/ Credits Hosts: Erik Donough (@edonough...
Nov 07, 2023•52 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Jen and Erik were asked to speak to Music Education majors at The College of New Jersey in September, 2023. After scrambling to work out work, childcare, and traffic, the dynamic duo made it in the nick of time! The hosts chatted about their desires to balance life outside of work and the time needed at work to create a meaningful career. Find Take A Cue Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TakeACuePodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TakeACuePodcast/ Credits Hosts: Er...
Oct 02, 2023•46 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Jen and Erik catch up after a nice summer break and then talk organizing and systematizing to keep things running smoothly! Find Take A Cue Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TakeACuePodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TakeACuePodcast/ Credits Hosts: Erik Donough (@edonough), Jen Wise (@jenwisemusic) Edited by: Erik Donough Theme music by Music_Unlimited: https://pixabay.com/users/music_unlimited-27600023/ Artwork by Arooj: https://www.fiverr...
Sep 08, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Previously-released episode After 35 "first-days-of-school," Jen and Erik have a lot of tips and tricks to make the school year start off smoothly. From Jen's week of instrument prep. to Erik's 32-line September checklist, the hosts share how they get started early to set up for a successful school year. Mentioned in this episode MailChimp: https://www.mailchimp.com AirTable: https://www.airtable.com Find Take A Cue Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TakeACuePodcast/ Twitter: https...
Jul 18, 2023•42 min•Ep. 23
Jen and Erik get to chat about concerts, festivals, recitals, and life! How do we make the end of the school year work well? Take a listen! Also, the hosts recount some of their favorite moments listeners should check out over the summer. We did it! Find Take A Cue Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TakeACuePodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TakeACuePodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TakeACuePodcast/ Credits Hosts: Erik Donough ( @edonough ), Jen Wise ( @j...
Jun 19, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 22
Erik & Jen catch up about concert & festival prep, work-life (im)balance, injury, and even some summer plans! Find Take A Cue Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TakeACuePodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TakeACuePodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TakeACuePodcast/ Credits Hosts: Erik Donough ( @edonough ), Jen Wise ( @jenwisemusic ) Edited by: Erik Donough Theme music by Music_Unlimited: https://pixabay.com/users/music_unlimited-27600023/ Artwork by Ar...
May 12, 2023•29 min•Ep. 21
The hosts chat about what got them into teaching, and about what keeps them going now. In addition, Erik and Jen bring in some thoughts from other music educators from across the country! Find Take A Cue Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TakeACuePodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TakeACuePodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TakeACuePodcast/ Credits Hosts: Erik Donough ( @edonough ), Jen Wise ( @jenwisemusic ) Edited by: Erik Donough Theme music by Music_Unlimited: https://...
May 01, 2023•53 min•Ep. 20
Jen & Erik bring on John Leister. John is an incredibly experienced musician, music teacher, and administrator. The trio offer insights from both sides of the interview table to help out teachers looking for their first job or a new position. This conversation is cut into two episodes and will be released over the course of a couple of weeks. Part 2 focuses on the demo lesson, primary/secondary instrument performances, salary negotiations, and fun stories from the hosts and guest. Find Take ...
Apr 14, 2023•45 min•Ep. 19
Jen & Erik bring on John Leister. John is an incredibly experienced musician, music teacher, and administrator. The trio offer insights from both sides of the interview table to help out teachers looking for their first job or a new position. This conversation is cut into two episodes and will be released over the course of a couple of weeks. Find Take A Cue Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TakeACuePodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TakeACuePodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook....
Apr 02, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 18
Erik & Jen chat about the last month of school. The hosts discuss how to know when a group has too much music to program vs. not enough and working with pre-service and young teachers. Erik has a new sax, and Jen has gigs (and laryngitis). Find Take A Cue Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TakeACuePodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TakeACuePodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TakeACuePodcast/ Credits Hosts: Erik Donough ( @edonough ), Jen Wise ( @jenwisemusic ) Edited by: Erik Don...
Mar 17, 2023•34 min•Ep. 17
Jen and Erik bring on Jen's husband Tom to discuss teaching in a small school and small school district. Tom chats about his back story, setting up logistics for a day packed with different classes while making the most of space. We also touch on the plusses and minuses of recruiting in small school. Tom discusses picking literature after COVID, when his numbers got even smaller, and Jen talks about how she deals with less than ideal instrumentation by splitting bigger sections. Also, Erik asks,...
Mar 06, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 16
Former student and TCNJ Music Education student CJ Margolis once again joins Erik and Jen to check in and see how things are going. In addition, CJ asks Jen and Erik for thoughts on the music teacher life. The 3 hosts discuss keeping up with all of the things that pull at a teacher in and out of the classroom, avoiding burnout, surrounding yourself with marigolds (supportive colleagues), keeping order in the classroom, and more! In This Episode Find Your Marigold - The One Essential Rule for New...
Feb 17, 2023•55 min•Ep. 15
Jen and Erik invite presenters from the 2023 NJMEA Conference https://njmea.org/ to give previews of their clinics! Hear from Krysta Mirsik, Brian Timmons, Danielle Wheeler, Thomas McCauley, Meredith Boyan, Harry Searing, Jonathan Harris, and Joe Verderese. If you're not able to make the convention, feel free to reach out to any of the presenters! Find Take A Cue Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TakeACuePodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TakeACuePodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/...
Feb 06, 2023•36 min•Ep. 14
Erik recaps his concert experience, and Jen gives him some suggestions on keeping squeeking at bay. The hosts also discuss how to keep the performance preparation process from getting stale. Find Take A Cue Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TakeACuePodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TakeACuePodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TakeACuePodcast/ Credits Hosts: Erik Donough & Jen Wise Edited by: Erik Donough Theme music by Music_Unlimited: https://pixabay.com/users/music_unlimited-2...
Jan 20, 2023•56 min•Ep. 13
Jen and Erik bring on their colleague, Brendan Hughes, to discuss how Livingston gets kids interested in instrumental music and then works to keep them all the way through senior year. The trio talks about instrument demos, visibility, Band/Orchestra/Chorus Days, scheduling difficulties, student ambassadors, and even summer music camp! Find Take A Cue Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TakeACuePodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TakeACuePodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TakeACuePodc...
Jan 02, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 12
Freestyle Friday! Erik and Jen chat about the still-present issue of COVID-19, planning for extended absences, concert preparation, and more. This episode also features the hosts' take on a Facebook question - what to do about parents who leave the concert early. Find Take A Cue Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TakeACuePodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TakeACuePodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TakeACuePodcast/ Credits Hosts: Erik Donough & Jen Wise Edited by: Erik Donough Th...
Dec 16, 2022•59 min•Ep. 11
The dynamic and energetic composer & educator, Carol Brittin Chambers joins the pod to chat about her musical journey, her philosophy on composing, and the composition business. Jen, Erik, and Carol also chat about four of Carol's compositions and take a listen to several clips. Listeners are also treated to a discout on some of Carol's music! In this episode Aspenwood Music: https://aspenwoodmusic.com/ Carol's email address: carol@aspenwoodmusic.com Find Take A Cue Instagram: https://www.in...
Dec 04, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 10
Freestyle Friday! Jen and Erik welcome a former student turned music ed. major, C.J. Margolis to the pod to check in and get a new perspective. The topics include CJ's backstory, how the bands are progressing, college auditions, big budget requests, working with administrators, switching beginners, balancing ensembles, practice logs, district band day, a few bassoon jokes, and, of course, Jen and Erik's Thanksgiving food plans. Find Take A Cue Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TakeACuePodcast...
Nov 18, 2022•52 min•Ep. 9
Erik and Jen discuss how they work to integrate small ensemble work into their teaching time. Erik started a chamber music class for all of his band students, and Jen works smaller, advanced music into her lesson schedule. Composition and student-led performances are discussed, as is leadership and scheduling. In this episode An Ode to the Classroom Rhythms of Fall: ‘Now Is Sowing Time’: https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-an-ode-to-the-classroom-rhythms-of-fall-now-is-sowing-time/2...
Nov 05, 2022•41 min•Ep. 8
Freestyle Friday! Erik and Jen check in about all of the craziness of the first month of school. From Jen's chunky reeds to Erik's apparent Sweeney obsession, this episode has it all. In This Episode The Metropolitan Saxophone Quartet: http://www.msqnj.com Saxophone & Clarinet Mouthpiece Patches: https://amzn.to/3Mu76K9 Clarinet Neckstrap: https://amzn.to/3CqFe4U John McAllister Warmups: https://www.johnmcallistermusic.com/warm-ups.html Find Take A Cue Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Ta...
Oct 14, 2022•54 min
In this emotional episode, Jen talks with Erik about working and living with Multiple Sclerosis on the 15-year anniversary of her diagnosis. Jen recounts balancing her drive to help and care for others while learning to set boundaries. She also discusses how those who work with a coworker with a chronic illness can help and be supportive. In this episode The National MS Society: https://www.nationalmssociety.org/ Bike MS: https://mssociety.donordrive.com/?fuseaction=cms.page&id=1232 The Cori...
Oct 02, 2022•45 min
Freestyle Friday! Jen and Erik check in after their first few days of professional development and school with kids. The school year started with a Superintendent in costume, so who knows what's next? Find Take A Cue Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TakeACuePodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TakeACuePodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TakeACuePodcast/ Credits Hosts: Erik Donough & Jen Wise Edited by: Erik Donough Theme music by Music_Unlimited: https://pixabay.com/users/music_u...
Sep 16, 2022•30 min•Ep. 5
Lew Kelly, band director at West Orange High School in New Jersey, joins Jen and Erik to discuss the marching arts, and how he and his staff hold the music program at WOHS to a consistently high standard. From the structure of his rehearsals to the mindset of the staff and students, Lew talks about it all! Mentioned in this episode FloMarching: https://www.flomarching.com/ Slack: https://www.slack.com/ Find Take A Cue Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TakeACuePodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter...
Sep 04, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 4
After 35 "first-days-of-school," Jen and Erik have a lot of tips and tricks to make the school year start off smoothly. From Jen's week of instrument prep. to Erik's 32-line September checklist, the hosts share how they get started early to set up for a successful school year. Mentioned in this episode MailChimp: https://www.mailchimp.com AirTable: https://www.airtable.com Find Take A Cue Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TakeACuePodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TakeACuePodcast Facebook:...
Aug 14, 2022•43 min•Ep. 3
Co-host, Erik 's personal and professional story of change offers insight into transitioning in and out of the educational job market, networking, and the journey to find his work home. From being non-renewed to being given a second chance at a teaching career, Erik takes Jen through the ins and outs of his 20-year career. Find Take A Cue Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TakeACuePodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TakeACuePodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TakeACuePodcast/ Credits ...
Aug 05, 2022•50 min•Ep. 2
Get to know co-host, Jen , and her path to her current job teaching elementary band and strings students. Jen takes the listener through her musical and educational journey from school band to college, to joining the job market, and finally to being a master educator. Jen also explores how she and her music teacher husband create balance in their home. Find Take A Cue Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TakeACuePodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TakeACuePodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook...
Aug 05, 2022•53 min•Ep. 1
