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Welcome Back to School!
Thomas Palmatier | September 5, 2022As I talk with music educators around the country, an increasing number of you are being called upon to teach outside of the “comfort zone” you had coming out of college. Most of us graduated with an expectation of being a band director, orchestra director, or choral director, and many saw ourselves as even more […] Read More... -
Growing Leaders
Thomas Palmatier | August 2, 2022As you can imagine, the U.S. Army places a high premium on developing leaders and teaching principles of leadership. As an Army officer, I attended many, many leadership courses culminating in the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and then, their capstone program, the U.S. Army War College which awarded a Master of Strategic […] Read More... -
Let Them Lead
Thomas Palmatier | July 8, 2022In June, I was privileged to spend time working with talented young musicians at a band camp. They nervously filed in for the first rehearsal, not sure what this “Army guy” would be like. As they opened their folders for the first look at music we would be performing a few days later with only […] Read More... -
Thanks for Creating Safe Spaces
Thomas Palmatier | June 14, 2022In this issue of SBO we feature a unique perspective on the role of travel in a music program. Tom Merrill is first and foremost an accomplished music educator, and though he now works in the travel industry, he challenges us to think of why we travel. Answering this question might reveal very different answers […] Read More... -
The Power of Music
Thomas Palmatier | May 2, 2022We’re pleased to bring you the first in a multi-part series looking at trends in the wind orchestra compiled by Johan de Meij and featuring leading composers and conductors from around the world. Our June issue will bring you the winners of the annual SBO essay contest and will also discuss how travel can be […] Read More... -
New Beginnings
Thomas Palmatier | April 2, 2022Some friends of mine expressed what a leap it must be to dive into the publishing world after such a long career in military music. However, over my almost four decades in uniform, I had lots of “first days” in new jobs, often in different countries. Luckily, I have help from Mike Lawson and all […] Read More... -
Giant Shoes
Thomas Palmatier | March 18, 2022One of my favorite jazz tunes is “Giant Steps” performed by John Coltrane. In my college years, I spent countless hours studying this and other jazz masterpieces and doing my best to play them. Well, now I’m thinking more about Giant Shoes than I am “Giant Steps.” SBO’s long-time editor, Mike Lawson, has put out […] Read More... -
Changing of the Guard
Mike Lawson | February 23, 2022It has been an immense honor to have served as editor of SBO Magazine since 2014. I got to do something that got me in a lot of trouble as a student – give teachers my “strong opinions.” I even got paid for it this time. I sat in this seat from the other side […] Read More... -
Happy New Year!
Mike Lawson | January 19, 2022This begins my eighth year at the helm of SBO Magazine, and soon we will make some more announcements about some exciting changes coming your way. As I ease into the role of publisher, that is, running the business of five magazines and all that entails each month, I have been seeking wise counsel and […] Read More... -
Attracts Me Like a Cauliflower?
Mike Lawson | December 18, 2021I eagerly sat through all eight hours of “Get Back,” the Peter Jackson Beatles documentary, I walked away having witnessed first-hand the creation of perfection through the messy processes of molding clay. It was enthralling. My teacher’s aide in 4th grade gave me “The White Album,” soon after I got my first guitar. In an age […] Read More... -
I’m Changin’ All Those Changes
Mike Lawson | November 12, 2021The old saying, “The only constant in life is change” is swinging into action with SBO under my new ownership, mostly a shuffling of a few things. First, we adjusted the timing of the SBO Scholarship Essay Contest, and will announce it and mail a poster with the December 2021 issue. The essay contest will conclude the end […] Read More... -
I Am Everyday People
Mike Lawson | October 9, 2021I’m from an era, and Title 1 schools, where music participation was a great expense, a luxury, and in some ways almost a caste system. The schools were not charging money to participate in math, science, English, or other core classes, but to participate in instrumental music programs depended almost entirely on the financial wherewithal […] Read More...
