Better Together: Michael Parsons on Bridging Traditional and Popular Music

What if popular music didn’t compete with traditional band, it made it stronger?

In this episode, I speak with Michael Parsons, a high school band director who teaches both traditional ensemble and popular music. Far from replacing one with the other, Michael shares how Modern Band helped bring more students into his program, sparked creativity, and even strengthened his traditional groups.

We talk about:
How popular music education supports recruitment and retention
Why students benefit from learning both notation and ear-based skills
How teaching PME made him a more flexible and connected educator
What it looks like to build a unified program with space for multiple musical paths

Michael’s story offers a powerful reminder that music education isn’t either/or...it’s better when it’s both.