The Concert is Not the Curriculum
In episode 119, Theresa and Kathryn talk with Tim Bupp about rethinking what school music is really for, and what happens when we stop treating the concert as the curriculum. Tim shares how his district has expanded access to music through Modern Band, creating opportunities for students whose musical identities might not fit traditional ensembles. Together, they explore how relevance, accessibility, and lifelong engagement can serve as guiding principles for music programs, while still supporting strong musical learning.
Tim also shares practical examples of putting students in the driver’s seat: composing and improvising, making interpretive decisions, leading rehearsals, evaluating their own playing, and solving musical problems rather than simply following directions. From using GarageBand and Padlet to turning ensemble rehearsals over to student conductors, his approach emphasizes authorship, creativity, productive struggle, and meaningful student choice. The conversation ends with a simple challenge for teachers: hand one decision you would normally make to your students—and then actually use their answer.
Listen to the full interview:
Here are some key takeaways from Episode 119:
- Concert ≠ Curriculum – The concert should demonstrate learning, not define it. Make room for the messy learning that happens beyond performance preparation.
- Build Authors – Students become musicians when they compose, improvise, choose repertoire, make interpretive decisions, and evaluate their own playing.
- Create Musical Problems – Instead of giving students every answer, present musical problems they can explore, solve, and learn from.
- Share Ownership – Hand meaningful decisions to students – and actually use their answers – to help them discover that their ideas have weight.
- Meet Students Where They Are – Start with students’ musical worlds, identities, and interests, then use those as pathways into deeper musical learning.
Listen Today!
You can check out the full interview on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform. Or you can listen right here!
Connect with Tim and learn more:
- Email: Timothybupp@gmail.com
- LinkedIn: Timothy Bupp
- Book recommendation: Think Again, by Adam Grant
More about Pass the Baton:
- Join the Coffee Club
- Support Pass the Baton
- Amplify student voice with Exit Tickets for Self Reflection
You might also enjoy these other episodes:
- Episode 62 – The Kids Come First: Student Ownership in Ensembles, featuring Kathleen Jacoby
- Episode 90 – Throw Away the Rubric: Ungrading the Music Room, featuring Chris Gleason
- Episode 77 – Inspiring Young Musicians: Passion and Purpose in Music Education, featuring Stephen Cox
- Episode 85 – Fostering Lifelong Learning through Reflective Partnerships, featuring Merlin Thompson
A note from our sponsor: Rehearsal Dashboard Pro
Rehearsal Dashboard Pro: A single-file, no-login daily rehearsal dashboard for music directors. Save your warm-up, method book, and repertoire titles once and reuse them with a checkbox. Plan ahead, copy previous days in one click, and let the auto-countdown and scrolling reminders ticker do the rest. Works for daily, A/B, or twice-a-week schedules. Check it out on Teachers Pay Teachers or at Teaching Music & More.
