Not Your Forte

Eric Tinkler, Dr. Phillip Payne

Not Your Forte is a music education podcast designed to help music educators around the world. Hosted by Eric Tinkler and Dr. Payne, Not Your Forte covers all aspects of music education, and has featured a multitude of guests, including Dr. Tim, Paula Crider, and more! Find us anywhere that podcasts are available and check us out on Facebook for up-to-date news and additional content.

  1. 02/01/2025

    Leading and Establishing a Culture with Diane Koutsulis

    **Reupload. Originally Posted 5/22/20** Raise your baton, ready your highlighters and pens, and don’t forget to grab that score as Dr. Payne and Eric continue our month long Conducting Bootcamp! Mrs. Diane Koutsulis, former teacher at Green Valley HS and member of the prestigious American Bandmasters Association, joins us to talk about leadership from the podium and establishing a strong and positive culture in your class. Diane Koutsulis is the recently retired Director of Bands and Arts Department Chair at Green Valley High School.  Originally from Chicago, Diane has been teaching in the Clark County School District for the past 35 years.  She received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music from Western Illinois University.  After teaching junior high band in Oswego, Illinois, for three years, she went on to complete the Masters of Music Education degree at Louisiana State University, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she studied with Frank Wickes. During her tenure in Las Vegas, Diane has built fine band programs and music departments at both Las Vegas High School (1982-91) and Green Valley High School (1991-2017).  Her groups have consistently garnered recognition for fine performances and she has served as both guest clinician and conductor at various conferences and honor bands throughout the United States.  Diane was named the 1999 Nevada Teacher of the Year and received the 1999 Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award.  A member of the Clark County School District Teacher Hall of Fame, in March of 2003, she was inducted into the Nevada State Education Hall of Fame.  In 2004, the Green Valley High School Symphonic Band performed at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago, IL.  In 2005 and 2010, the Symphonic Band performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City. The  Green Valley HS Marching Band performed in the 2010 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, as well as the 2009 and 1993 Presidential Inaugural Parades.  Diane is a member of the National Band Association (NBA) as well as holding memberships in Nevada Music Educators Association (NMEA), National Association for Music Education (NAfME), and College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA). Diane is honored to be a member of the prestigious American Bandmasters Association (ABA). (bio courtesy of https://www.milkeneducatorawards.org) Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/notyourfortepodcast) Not Your Forte Podcast is a music education podcast that is geared towards helping Music Education students survive and thrive throughout their undergrad as well as prepare to enter the "real world". Not Your Forte is brought to you by Eric Tinkler, a senior in music education at Kansas State and Dr. Phillip Payne, the Undergraduate Music Education advisor at Kansas State.  You can listen to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube and much more! Support the show

    45 min
  2. 02/01/2025

    A Composer's Perspective with Dr. Onsby Rose

    **Reupload. Originally Posted 5/15/20** Raise your baton, ready your highlighters and pens, and don’t forget to grab that score as Dr. Payne and Eric continue our month long Conducting Bootcamp! Dr. Onsby Rose from Dordt University joins us this week to share his unique perspective as a Composer and a Conductor. Dr. Onsby C. Rose is currently the Director of Instrumental Studies and Associate Professor of Music at Dordt University. In this position, he conducts the premiere instrumental ensemble, the Dordt University Wind Symphony, in addition to conducting the Dordt Campus-Community Band, and guiding all aspects of the Dordt Instrumental Ensembles and Instrumental Music Education programs. He is also the General Manager & Executive Director of the Northwest Iowa Symphony Orchestra and has accepted an appointment as the Principal conductor of the orchestra beginning in the 2020-21 season. Prior to Dr. Rose's arrival in northwest Iowa, he attended the University of South Carolina as a music education major and in 1997 he was accepted as a trombonist for the U.S. Marine Corps fleet bands. During his 11-year Marine Corps career he served as a trombonist and conductor with bands in Albany, GA and New Orleans, LA as well as on staff at the Armed Forces School of Music in Norfolk, VA. He also served for two years as a baritone bugler with "The Commandant's Own" U.S. Marine Drum and Bugle Corps in Washington, D.C. Dr. Rose completed his Bachelor of Music at East Tennessee State University in 2005. In 2007 Onsby was honorably discharged from the USMC. He then freelanced as a trombonist and worked as a railroad freight conductor in the eastern U.S., before returning to music education in 2012 as Director of Bands at Hampton HS and MS in Carter County, TN. In 2016, Dr. Rose completed his Master of Music in conducting at Appalachian State University. Immediately following he completed his in D.M.A. in conducting at The Ohio State University where he studied with Dr. Russel C. Mikkelson. Dr. Rose has studied conducting with Russel C. Mikkelson, John Ross, and Kevin Richardson with additional conducting studies with Jerry Junkin, Kevin Sedatole, Frank Battisti, Charles Peltz, Eugene Corporon, Donald McKinney, and Steven Peterson. Dr. Rose's outside academic pursuits encompass writing and music composition. Having studied with the late Dr. David Maslanka, Dr. Rose's musical compositions have been performed by many of the premiere military bands in Washington D.C., the Wheaton Municipal Band, numerous college and high school bands in the United States, regional orchestras, as well as internationally in Australia, Japan, Guam, and Germany.  Although Onsby views himself primarily as a teacher and conductor, he thanks God for the gift of composition. Onsby and his wife Jessica live in Sioux Center, Iowa with four of their five boys, Timothy, Caleb, Elijah and Colin. Dr. Rose is a member of numerous professional organizations to include the CBDNA, WASBE, NAfME, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Kappa Kappa Psi, Tau Beta Sigma, and the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. However, he holds closest to his heart the title of United States Marine.  (bio courtesy of dordt.edu) Not Your Forte Podcast is a music education podcast that is geared towards helping Music Education students survive and thrive throughout their undergrad as well as prepare to enter the "real world". Not Your Forte is brought to you by Eric Tinkler, a senior in music education at Kansas State and Dr. Phillip Payne, the Undergraduate Music Education advisor at Kansas State.  You can listen to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube and much more! Support the show

    48 min
  3. 02/01/2025

    Score Study and Rehearsal Prep with Dr. Frank Tracz

    **Reupload. Originally Posted 5/8/20** Raise your baton, ready that podium, and don’t forget to grab your score as Dr. Payne and Eric continue our month long Conducting Bootcamp! In order to be prepared to run an effective and efficient rehearsal, you need to know your score inside and out! Dr. Tracz, the Director of bands at KSU, joins us to talk about how to make the most out of your score study and prepare to run your rehearsal before you step foot on the podium. Find Dr. Tracz's Presentation and more at https://www.k-state.edu/band/classes/518/ Dr. Frank Tracz is professor of music and director of bands at Kansas State University. He earned his B.M.E. from The Ohio State University, the M.M. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and Ph.D. from the Ohio State University. He has public school teaching experience in Wisconsin and Ohio and has also served as Assistant Director of bands at Syracuse University and Director of bands at Morehead State University. Dr. Tracz has served as an adjudicator, clinician, speaker in various schools and conferences and has conducted All-State and Honor bands across the United States as well as in Canada, Singapore, South Africa, Fiji, Australia, and New Zealand. At Kansas State he directs the Wind Ensemble and the Marching Band, teaches graduate and undergraduate conducting, advisor to Kappa Kappa Psi, Tau Beta Sigma, and the Band Ambassadors, and administers and guides all aspects of a large BIG XII comprehensive band program. Ensembles under his direction have been invited to perform at numerous State conferences, MENC, two CBDNA regional conferences, The Larry Sutherland Wind band Festival at Fresno State, Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center. The marching band was awarded the prestigious Sudler Trophy in 2015. The Wind Ensemble has been invited to perform at the International Convention of the American Bandmasters Association in 2019 in Loveland, CO Dr. Tracz is on the faculty of the Conn-Selmer Institute, adjunct faculty of the American Band College, past member of the Music Education Journal Editorial Board, contributor to the Teaching Music Through performance In Band series, and was recently appointed Chair of the Sudler Trophy Project of the John Philip Sousa Foundation. His honors include the Stamey Award for outstanding teaching, Kansas Bandmasters Outstanding Director award, Wildcat Pride Alumni Association award, the Tau Beta Sigma Paula Crider Outstanding Band Director award, named a Lowell Mason fellow, and Phi Kappa Phi Honorary Fraternity. He has also received the ConnSelmer Institute Hall of Fame award, the Kansas State Professorial Performance award, and was elected to the prestigious American Bandmasters Association. (Bio Courtesy of K-State Bands) Not Your Forte Podcast is a music education podcast that is geared towards helping Music Education students survive and thrive throughout their undergrad as well as prepare to enter the "real world". Not Your Forte is brought to you by Eric Tinkler, a senior in music education at Kansas State and Dr. Phillip Payne, the Undergraduate Music Education advisor at Kansas State.  You can listen to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube and much more! Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/notyourfortepodcast) Support the show

    56 min
  4. 02/01/2025

    Intro to Conducting with Dr. Wimmer

    **Reupload. Originally Posted 5/1/20** Raise your baton, ready your highlighters and pens, and don’t forget to grab that score as Dr. Payne and Eric begin our month long Conducting Bootcamp! Starting off we are bringing back the basics as we discuss various conducting concepts that will provide either a good starting place for the beginning conductor or a review of the fundamentals for those more experienced! Dr. Alex Wimmer, the Assistant Director of Bands at Kansas State joins Not Your Forte once more to go in depth on conducting basics, practice techniques and available resources. Continue to join Not Your Forte throughout the month of May as we feature guests such as Dr. Alex Wimmer, Dr. Frank Tracz, Dr. Onsby Rose, Mrs. Diane Koutsulis and Dr. Mike Raiber and explore all aspects of conducting as a music educator! Dr. Alex Wimmer is currently serving as the Assistant Director of Bands at Kansas State University. His duties include directing the Wind Symphony, Cat Band (basketball pep band), Volleyball Band, Pub Crawl Band, Assistant Marching Band Director for the Pride of Wildcat Land (KSUMB), arranger and drill designer for the KSUMB, and instructor of undergraduate and graduate courses in conducting, arranging, and marching band techniques. Prior to his appointment at Kansas State University, Dr. Wimmer was a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the Kansas State University Bands. He assisted with all concert and athletic ensembles, undergraduate conducting courses, and Percussion Ensembles. His research interests include undergraduates conducting with expressivity and qualitative research. Originally from Gretna, Nebraska, Dr. Wimmer received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2007, his Master of Music degree in Education with an emphasis in Wind Conducting from Kansas State University in 2014, and his Doctorate in Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction from Kansas State University in 2017. Dr. Wimmer was the Director of Bands at Gretna High School and the Assistant Director of Bands at Gretna Middle School from 2007-2012. Under his direction his concert, jazz, and marching bands received consistent superior ratings. He was a recipient of the Jack R. Snider Young Band Director Award in 2011 and served on the Nebraska Music Educators Association Leadership Academy from 2011-2012. Dr. Wimmer is in demand as a conductor, clinician, and adjudicator as well as a percussion specialist. His professional affiliations include the Kansas Music Educators Association, the Kansas Bandmasters Association, the National Association for Music Education, the College Band Directors National Association, the Percussive Arts Society, Kappa Kappa Psi, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and Phi Kappa Lambda.  (Biography courtesy of KSU Bands) Not Your Forte Podcast is a music education podcast that is geared towards helping Music Education students survive and thrive throughout their undergrad as well as prepare to enter the "real world". Not Your Forte is brought to you by Eric Tinkler, a senior in music education at Kansas State and Dr. Phillip Payne, the Undergraduate Music Education advisor at Kansas State.  You can listen to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube and much more! Support the show

    57 min
  5. 02/01/2025

    Power of Positivity with Dr Matthew Arau

    **Reupload. Originally Posted 4/17/20** In this time of social distancing, it can be hard to stay motivated, moving and positive. Join Eric as he interviews Dr. Matthew Arau on how the power of positivity and a shift to a growth mindset can help you be successful and healthy during these different times. Dr. Matthew Arau is an Assistant Professor of Music, Chair of the Music Education Department and Associate Director of Bands at the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music. He conducts the Lawrence Symphonic Band and student and faculty chamber groups, guest conducts the Lawrence Wind Ensemble, supervises student teachers, and teaches Conducting and Instrumental Methods and Rehearsal Techniques I & II. Arau has presented clinics on student leadership, rehearsal techniques, and unlocking potential at the following: The Midwest Clinic: An International Band and Orchestra Conference, the Western International Band Clinic, the American Band College of Sam Houston State University, the Conn-Selmer Institute, the Pan-Hellenic Wind Band Conference in Cyprus, the Colorado, Oregon, and Wisconsin Music Educators Association, Midwest Music Seminars, and universities and high schools around the country.  He teaches student leadership at the Metro-Capitol Leadership Academy in Sherwood, Oregon and the Colorado State University Band Leadership Academy in Ft. Collins, Colorado, and he is a Conn-Selmer Education Clinician. He conducts honor bands and honor jazz bands of all levels, is an active concert band, jazz band and marching band clinician, and has continued to be an active jazz and classical saxophonist throughout his teaching and academic career. Arau earned a DMA in Instrumental Conducting and Literature from the University of Colorado Boulder, a Master of Science in Music from the American Band College at Southern Oregon University, and a Bachelor of Music in Music Performance, Jazz Studies and Music Education and a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. Prior to pursuing his doctoral degree, Arau was the Director of Bands at Loveland High School in Loveland, Colorado from 2005-2012 where he established the Leadership Symposium for the development of student leaders. The Loveland H.S. Wind Symphony was featured at the Western International Band Clinic (WIBC) in Seattle and two times at the Colorado Music Educators Association Convention. The Loveland Marching Band won the Colorado 4A State Marching Band Championship and the Class AA Championship at the Bands of America Super Regional in San Antonio, Texas. Arau began his teaching career in 1997 as the Director of Bands at Walt Clark Middle School in Loveland, Colorado. The Walt Clark Honor Band was featured at the Colorado Music Educators Association Convention in 2003. Mr. Arau’s professional affiliations include the College Band Directors National Association, the National Association for Music Education and the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles. He is a past Western Region Representative of the American School Band Directors Association and Instrumental Representative of the Colorado Music Educators Association. His writings on music and music education are published in Conn-Selmer Touchpoint, Bandworld Magazine, and The Saxophone Journal. (bio courtesy of https://www.lawrence.edu) Not Your Forte is a music education podcast that is geared towards helping Music Education students survive and thrive throughout their undergrad as well as prepare to enter the "real world". Not Your Forte is brought to you by Eric Tinkler, a senior in music education at Kansas State and Dr. Phillip Payne, the Undergraduate Music Education advisor at Kansas State.  You can listen to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube and much more! Support the show

    58 min

Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
25 Ratings

About

Not Your Forte is a music education podcast designed to help music educators around the world. Hosted by Eric Tinkler and Dr. Payne, Not Your Forte covers all aspects of music education, and has featured a multitude of guests, including Dr. Tim, Paula Crider, and more! Find us anywhere that podcasts are available and check us out on Facebook for up-to-date news and additional content.