Sean King is the Executive Director of USBands and has been a member of the USBands team for 27 years. Since 2020, he has overseen the transition of the organization from one parent non-profit to a program offering of BD Performing Arts, a non-profit organization based in Concord, CA.  Sean has been responsible for aligning organizational and operational cultures as well as the team building, strategy and communications for the largest scholastic music organization in the United States consisting of nearly 200 events in 20 states in excess of 700 participating schools and overall attenda ..read more

Amy Perras is the Instructional Supervisor for Music, Art, and Library Media for Milford Public Schools in Connecticut, a role she took on after spending 14 years teaching PK-12 instrumental, choral, and general music.  In addition to her work in Milford, Amy is the President of the Connecticut Arts Administrators Association and the NFHS Music Advisory Committee Chair.  As we get to learn from Amy about her background in music and music education, listen while we discuss:  Her lifelong intrigue with Disney The role of a district arts administrator and why it’s such an importa ..read more

Host Ken Burke is joined by Eric Arnold, Program Director for the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (ILETSB) Executive Institute at Western Illinois University. As someone who has so much experience with emergency action plans and campus safety, there are few people that know more than Eric on these issues and topics.  Throughout this conversation, Eric shares stories, lessons-learned, and strategies that could help substantially in ensuring campus and event safety, no matter the location or size. Listen now and hear more about: Developing and implementing emergency ..read more

Join NFHS Coordinator of Marketing and Social Media, Olivia Jennings as she speaks with NFHS Director of Sports, Julie Cochran on the origin and evolution of the Women in Leadership team. Cochran explains how she identified the need and began to create the program and the ways in which it has grown to serve our member states around the nation. Subscribe and share this episode! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn! https://www.nfhs.org/ Know someone who would be a great guest? Email: kburke@nfhs.org ..read more

On this episode of The Stage, host Ken Burke speaks with Ramon Rivera, Mount Vernon School District Mariachi Director, Mariachi Artist, and 2023 Washington State Music Educator of the year. Ramon Rivera began teaching Mariachi in the late 90s and brings a wealth of knowledge on the subject and on educating to this conversation. As he leads and educates students through music, he has built the most extensive Mariachi Program on the west side of the state of Washington in the Mount Vernon High School Mariachi & Folklorico program with over 200 students enrolled.  Talking points for to ..read more

On this episode of The Stage, our guest today is Tooshar Swain, Director of Public Policy at Americans for the Arts. Before joining Americans for the Arts, Tooshar served as Director of Public Policy and Advocacy at the National Association for Music Education. Tooshar has made a career in Music Education, Policy, and Advocacy, and has even worked on Capitol Hill with the US Senate. Throughout the conversation, you will hear more about: How Americans for the Arts aims to promote recognition and support for the arts Why his experience with the National Association for Music Education shaped h ..read more

Our guest today is Davine Davis, former Assistant Executive Director of the Missouri State High School Activities Association. Davine, who has recently retired, helped establish Missouri as one of the leading states in the country in terms of music and she has served on the NFHS Education Committee as well as the NFHS Spirit Rules Committee. She made a career out of strengthening relationships with music directors across the state of Missouri. Listen and learn more about her career, what she learned throughout, and more, including:  How Davine's teaching background helped her throughout ..read more

On this episode of The Stage, our guest today is Chantal Epp! Chantal is the  Founder and CEO of ClicknClear. ClicknClear prioritizes music licensing for Choreographed Sports, Arts, and Fitness, and makes it easy! Chantal is a multiple award winning business founder and owner, an international cheerleader, and so much more that we will touch on throughout our conversation today. Listen now and learn more about her career and life, including:  Why/How she started ClicknClear How her background in cheerleading and music assisted her in making connections for music rights Why it's so ..read more

On this episode of The Stage, our guest today is Craig Manteuffel, Assistant Executive Director with the Kansas State High School Activities Association and newly appointed Assistant Executive Director of the Kansas Music Educators Association. In his role, Craig oversees Speech, Debate and Drama, Music, Piano administration, Sportsmanship and Event Sanctioning. He is also coming off of his time as the NFHS Music Advisory Committee Chair. In this conversation, Craig gives insight into his teaching background, his love for the performing arts, and legendary stories that will make you laugh, th ..read more

On this episode of The Stage,  Nick Averwater, Vice President of Amro Music, joins the show today to discuss how the retail industry continues to support music education across the nation. Amro Music is the largest piano, band, and orchestra store in the Mid-South and one of the largest in the nation. It has been family-owned and operated in Memphis since 1921. Nick also hosts their podcast called "After Hours", in which he has conversations for music educators all across the nation! Today, Nick and host Ken discuss a variety of topics from Nick's personal and professional life, includin ..read more