The Flying Baton - a beginning band podcast

The Flying Baton

A show about the Magical Land of Beginning Band. Tips, pedagogy, interviews and more!

  1. Jan 4

    #36 "The" Mrs. Allen

    Rachel Allen is a dedicated musician and educator residing in Charles Town, West Virginia. Since 2008, she has passionately served as the band director at Charles Town Middle School, shaping the musical talents of countless students. Graduating with a degree in music education from Shepherd University in 2005, Rachel continued her academic pursuits, earning a master’s degree in music education from the same institution in 2010. While at Shepherd University she studied trumpet under Wayne Cameron and conducting under D. Mark McCoy, who still serves as a mentor and supporter. Rachel’s commitment to the advancement of music education extends beyond the classroom as she has held various leadership roles, including serving as the Region 9 Bandmasters president for the past four years and secretary for six years prior. Currently, Rachel is an active member of the Phi Beta Mu (Tau Chapter) International Band Director Fraternity, where she currently serves as secretary. During the pandemic, Rachel joined TikTok and began posting band and music content to lift her spirits during the trying time. Since then, her social media platform has grown to over 330k followers and over 200K subscribers on YouTube. She loves teaching band and jazz band daily at her school. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, painting, playing board games, gardening, puzzles, and sewing.

  2. 11/14/2025

    #35 Do a Fall Concert!

    Doing a fall concert has a ton of advantages! Learn how and 10 pieces that work great!

  3. 07/25/2025

    #34 The Value of Mentors - A Tribute to Marlon Foster

    https://www.kygers.com/obituaries/Marlon-Arness-Foster?obId=43147366

  4. 01/10/2025

    #33 Teaching Intonation: Clarinet

    Video Version Here! https://youtu.be/OjpzA9nbLKw

  5. 08/22/2024

    #32 Building a great class culture from day 1

    Buy Warmups with A Beat Here! https://www.theflyingbaton.com/store/p/warmups-with-a-beat

  6. 03/20/2024

    #31 The Value of Assessment

    Should you go to assessment? Are there viable alternatives? What are the judges even listening for? How do we use assessment to further our musical goals? All this and more in this episode!

  7. 03/01/2024

    #30 Sight Reading at Assessment

    We’re back with some tips for sight reading at assessment!

  8. 11/04/2023

    #29 Student Teaching

    We chat with 3 teachers with various levels of experience about the process of student teaching and how it does and doesn't prepare you for the gig!

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4.9
out of 5
12 Ratings

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A show about the Magical Land of Beginning Band. Tips, pedagogy, interviews and more!

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