#22: Pete Guenther - Owatonna, MN.mp3

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Today’s conversation is with Pete Guenther from Owatonna High School in Owatonna, MN. Pete and I talk about the program at Owatonna high school and how he navigates leading a large program with a small staff. In addition we talk about his interesting connection with Alex Shapiro and electro-acoustic music and talking about band director health, balance, and the importance of not letting life in the classroom consume your life outside of the classroom. You are not going to want to miss this one!!

Before we get started, I need to mention that today’s episode is brought to you by Eargasam Ear Plugs.

• As a sax player in a big band in undergrad, sitting in front of the trombones and trumpets on tiered seats combined with the drumset player being upstage to my right meant that I was hearing the full force of every marcato, accent, and rim shot. For the first few jazz rehearsals I remember walking away with ringing ears and thinking - if I keep this up, I am going to lose my hearing before I graduate from this place.

• My solution? I made an appointment with an audiologist to get custom-made musicians ear-plugs. These have been fantastic and have protected my ears from acoustical bombardment for the last 10 years. However due to human ears constantly changing throughout our lifetime, those ear plugs have only about a 10 year shelf life as they will eventually no longer fit quite right. Audiologist ear plugs also set me back about $150 and at the time were not covered by my insurance. What was I to do?

• Enter Eargasam earplugs - the cost effective alternative to expensive custom fit  audiologist earplugs. Their discreet design allows them to be worn without drawing attention to your ears. Each set comes with two different sizes for large and small ear canals. They are easy to remove from your ears and come with an aluminum carrying case that can be clipped to your keychains making them easy to carry with to pep band events or concerts. These earplugs make all frequencies softer - so they do not hinder your ability to interact with what you are hearing from your band, but they do help ensure that you will be able to continue hearing long after rehearsal is over.

• Use this link in our show notes to purchase your set of Eargasam Earplugs and your purchase will help support The Band Director’s Lounge. Check out the company’s website to see all of the styles available today.

Alright, onto my conversation with Pete.

Episode Overview

• Background (02:30)
• Owatonna High School (06:39)
• Marching Band (15:37)
• Electro-Acoustic Music (23:24)
• Large Program - Small Staff (37:37)
• Navigating inside and outside of the classroom - director health (46:46)
• What makes a great band program? (60:36)

And that wraps up this episode. Remember that you can head out to thebanddirectorslounge.com for the links along with books and other resources mentioned in each episode.

If you know someone who would make a great guest on the show, please consider nominating them through this google form. This method will help me connect with directors outside of MN more as I will have an “in” with how to approach them about their programs. By the way, if you know of a great program but don’t know the director very well, you can simply nominate the program too! Many of the fields in the form are optiona