Coaching a Popular Music Ensemble: Blending formal, non-formal, and informal approaches in the rehearsal

Steve Holley shares invaluable wisdom from years of experience in his book, Coaching a Popular Music Ensemble. As a high school music teacher working with students in popular music ensembles, I have never found a text that was so exhaustive and easily applicable. He provides important technical information (type of sound equipment to purchase, how loud is too loud in your practice space, etc.) while also sharing the more nuanced advice on how to guide musicians to refine their musicianship and develop autonomy. This book is great for new teachers looking to implement more popular music making into their music programs, or for seasoned veterans looking for new strategies to work with a wide variety of students. Great read!

This is a great resource for band directors and those looking to organize musical ensembles that go beyond the limitations of the traditional school jazz band. This text brings both up to date ideas and a wealth of practical knowledge, written by someone who has a lot of experience in this area. Recommended!

I won’t go into great detail here but if you are doing this as a music educator, this book will be a valuable resource. Highly recommended.

Great insight into the music student, prodigy or otherwise. Loved the author’s approach.

Wonderful resource for anyone interested in starting a popular music ensemble - especially for those in secondary education. Insightful, well-researched and full of helpful anecdotes and lived experiences. This is a book that anyone who currently works in music education in the secondary schools should own and read from cover to cover. It's great at covering broad topics and current educational trends, although a bit shy on specific instrument and vocal techniques - however, I think that just means there is room for additional resources. This is a broad subject to cover and Steve Holley covers a lot of ground and writes in a way that is accessible to anyone.

Popular music education not only enhanced our music program, it saved it. With fewer than 20 students enrolled, we had to find something that would ignite interest in music in a way that was culturally relevant to our students. Popular music was the answer. Our traditional ensembles (concert and marching bands) have also flourished because of the “cool-factor” that our popular music ensembles provided. We now have over 100 6th – 12th grade students enrolled in our program. The pedagogical insights that Steve provides in this book are both ingenious and innovative.