Plugged In Podcast
Plugged In Podcast
Episode 29 - LIVE @ the YAM Overnighter
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Registration is buzzing, microphones are too hot, and we’re recording semi-live from the Youth Arts Ministry finale overnighter. Between check-ins and quick interviews, we hear the real reasons students show up year after year: friends they miss, music that challenges them, and that moment when they put the shirt on, step on stage, and somehow find confidence they didn’t have five minutes earlier.
We talk with YAM students about band, worship band, chorus, solos, and timbrel drill, plus the surprisingly serious side of performing when you’re tired and nervous. Mentorship keeps coming up: older students helping younger players, leaders pushing kids past “I can’t,” and the kind of encouragement that turns fear into growth. Captain Giezi Hernandez shares what it’s like to join Mass Brass as a praise and worship drummer who never learned to read music and still says yes to the challenge.
The weekend also connects to the bigger picture of Salvation Army ministry in Massachusetts. Major Jessica Berkhoudt shares the story behind opening an overnight emergency shelter in Newburyport through community collaboration and why communication matters when serving neighbors facing homelessness. If you care about youth arts, Christian music education, leadership development, or building a healthier community through ministry, this one hits all of it. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves youth programs, and leave a review with your favorite moment.
Semi-Live Welcome At Registration
SPEAKER_17Hey everyone, welcome to episode number twenty-nine. Nate's already laughing at me. Episode number twenty-nine of the Plugged in podcast. You know, this is not quite live, but it's as live as our show has ever been.
SPEAKER_09It's live, it's as live as we're gonna get, probably.
SPEAKER_17Yeah. We are, yeah, thanks, Nate. Good good ad there. Yeah. We are at registration for the youth arts ministry, the yam finale here in spring 2026. Do you guys consider this the unofficial beginning of spring?
SPEAKER_09Yes. And I also like consider this the beginning of when the podcast stops. Oh, come on. No, no, no, no.
SPEAKER_17Come on.
SPEAKER_09We always get to this point and then like life hits. Yeah. And then we're like, oh, we can't keep up with the speed. Don't give up. Okay. Don't give up.
SPEAKER_05New things are blooming this spring in the Massachusetts division.
Lily On Solos And Poetry
SPEAKER_17Meaning episode 30. Yeah, like another episode after this. Oh, I like that. A new episode blooming. Well, we're live, episode number 29 here, the plugged in podcast. We are gonna get on as many guests as possible while registration is going on. I'm sure you can hear a whole bunch of people getting ready and getting checked in. But we have Lily from Lowell. Welcome to the podcast, Lily.
SPEAKER_12Hi.
SPEAKER_17There she is.
SPEAKER_12There she is.
SPEAKER_17Lily, how many years have you been coming to Youth Arts Ministry?
SPEAKER_12Um, I think this is like my third or fourth year. I can't remember.
SPEAKER_17Wow. What classes are you participating in this season?
SPEAKER_12Uh this year I'm in arts leadership with Matt and also uh advanced band with Matt. Okay.
SPEAKER_17Oh wow.
SPEAKER_12So a lot of a lot of monopolizing the teaching here.
SPEAKER_18Yeah. That's awesome.
SPEAKER_09Well hopefully it hasn't been a letdown. Now I don't want to ask any more questions. No, it's great. It's great. Wait, I have a question. So if you if you could teach any class at YAM, one that exists or a made-up one or a new one, what class would you teach at YAM?
SPEAKER_12I think that you should you guys should do like a like a writing class. Like I think that would be cool. Okay.
SPEAKER_17Wait, like poetry or like composition, music composition?
SPEAKER_12No, like poetry. Like writing. You know about that?
SPEAKER_17Like real writing.
SPEAKER_12I feel like Yeah.
SPEAKER_17Like not music? The roast in here. Lily, have you ever listened to an episode of the Plug in podcast?
SPEAKER_12Yes.
SPEAKER_17Do you have uh a favorite memory? What is this? The greatest hits? I don't know what it is.
SPEAKER_12Actually, I I like the most recent one. I thought that like that was just really funny when you guys were talking about Matt's haircut. No, it's not a good thing. Yeah, even though it was scripted. It was definitely scripted. Thank you.
SPEAKER_05It actually wasn't. We let the spirit lead the way.
SPEAKER_09We usually just let Matt have an opening rant.
SPEAKER_17Yeah, the rants are not scripted. They're thought of.
SPEAKER_09We don't know what it is because we need to react live, but we never know what Matt's gonna be complaining about from what DC is.
SPEAKER_17That's true. I have a lot of complaints. Alright, Lily, before we let you go, tell us what you're looking forward to most about the Yam Overnighter.
SPEAKER_12Well, I get to play cool solo, so I'm excited. Tell me about the solo. Yeah, so it's never a friend like Jesus. And we played that song in Mass Brass too. And I got to hear Kate play it, which was definitely a help to hear like what it's supposed to sound like from a really good musician.
SPEAKER_17Nice. Yeah.
SPEAKER_12That is so awesome.
SPEAKER_17That's great. A little shout out to Kate there.
SPEAKER_12Yeah.
SPEAKER_17All your anxiety is the tune. Yeah, so we're looking forward to that, Lily. Yep. That's good.
SPEAKER_12I'm excited.
SPEAKER_17Are you nervous at all?
SPEAKER_12Um, yeah, probably a little bit.
SPEAKER_05Hey, but there's some there's some comfort in playing something that says all your anxieties, all your cares.
SPEAKER_12That's true.
SPEAKER_05Bring it to Jesus. That's true.
Faith Keeps It Real
SPEAKER_17That's so true. Well, Lily, thank you for joining us on the podcast. Right behind you is Faith. Faith, you're coming on the podcast. Come on, Faith.
SPEAKER_09Yes, Faith. If there was a video element to the this week's episode, you would see just how thrilled Faith is.
SPEAKER_17Yeah.
SPEAKER_09Although she, it looks like she Oh, you can hear her complaining.
SPEAKER_17Yeah, here it comes. All right, Faith, pop on those headphones. Hi, Faith. Faith is from Quincy. Welcome to the Plugged in Podcast, Faith. Hi. How many years have you been coming to Youth Arts Ministry? Hold that microphone right up to your face.
SPEAKER_08Nice and close. I think three, two? Nice. But a lot of three twos.
SPEAKER_17Three-twos. At least it's not six, seven.
SPEAKER_08That's true.
SPEAKER_17I heard enough of that. Faith, what are you most looking forward to this weekend?
SPEAKER_08Hanging out with my friends that I haven't seen for a while. I missed them. Oh nice.
SPEAKER_05Do you want to shout out some of your friends?
unknownNo.
SPEAKER_09Okay.
SPEAKER_05Oh shout outs to the friends.
SPEAKER_09I like what you've done to your mass music shirt. You've kind of made it your own. Kind of cut it up a little bit.
SPEAKER_17It is different looking than the ones that I sold and gave away to people.
SPEAKER_09She's like, I don't want to be like everyone else. I'm going to be OG. That's awesome.
SPEAKER_17Faith, uh, outside of the yam finale, what else are you involved in this spring? Um what's happening at the core? Are you going to youth councils?
SPEAKER_08Yeah, youth councils.
SPEAKER_17Good answer, good answer. What's your favorite part about youth councils?
SPEAKER_09Again, hang out with my friends.
SPEAKER_17Alright.
SPEAKER_09Yeah, okay. I see a theme. I see a trend.
SPEAKER_17That's fair.
SPEAKER_09We'll make space for it. That's awesome.
SPEAKER_17Faith, this is your shot to say anything you want on the plugged in podcast, and I'm not going to edit it. Ready? Go.
SPEAKER_07Matt is one of the best music directors ever, but at the same time, he does a little too much. Larita is amazing. Everybody loves her.
SPEAKER_06That's true.
SPEAKER_07Yeah, Matt just a little here and there. Does too much.
SPEAKER_06Wow. Nothing for Nate. Nate doesn't exist.
SPEAKER_07Nate gets no comments. Nate is like a little man child, everybody's doing it.
SPEAKER_17I am a man child. Thank you. I embrace that. Faith, thank you for coming on the plug-in podcast. We're gonna bring in Phoebe. Phoebe, come on over. You know, I said this there was gonna be uh no video portion to this uh podcast, and now we have a videographer just rolling, man. Rolling right in our space.
SPEAKER_09I almost showed up like hair undone because I knew there wouldn't be any video portion, but now glad I did something.
Phoebe On Mentors And Teaching
SPEAKER_17All right, we have we have a guest on the plug-in podcast. Please introduce yourself.
SPEAKER_14Hi, my name is Phoebe Pearcy.
SPEAKER_17Phoebe! Phoebe woo! Where are you from, Phoebe?
SPEAKER_14Um I'm live in Haverill, but I attend the Lowell Corps.
SPEAKER_17Now, for everyone out there that's listening, just a couple weeks ago, Phoebe became one of the newest soldiers in the salvation army across the world. Yes, she did. I'm gonna do my sound. Yes, there it is, there it is. No, when you were in your uniform and then you were in uniform at the Mass Brass concert, like looking sharp.
SPEAKER_14That was awesome.
SPEAKER_17Um tell me what you're involved in at the Lowell Core.
SPEAKER_14So at the Lowell Core, I participate in the youth programs. I help out with the younger kids and like the junior band and the Sal Pals program, and I'm also a part of the senior band in the songsters.
SPEAKER_09Yeah, that's awesome, girl. So how long have you been coming to Yam?
SPEAKER_14Um, this is my third year at Yam.
SPEAKER_17And what do you do? What do you play?
SPEAKER_14Uh I play the Alto Horn in Matt's band, and I do Timbrals with Kristen.
SPEAKER_17Nice. When you're teaching at Lowell, you said you're part of the SaoPow program. Are you teaching or are you just a part of it?
SPEAKER_14Um it's kind of different every week. Sometimes I will be teaching the younger kids how to play their instruments. Sometimes I help AJ with his Star Search solo.
SPEAKER_17Nice.
SPEAKER_14And other times I kind of just go around and I help the individual kids with whatever they're working on.
SPEAKER_17How do you feel as a teacher? Like what is that? Is it difficult? Do you enjoy it?
SPEAKER_14Um, I think it's pretty fun. I mean, I have three brothers, so it's I'm pretty sure.
SPEAKER_09Three brothers. She's like, life is teaching. Life is teaching. Yeah.
SPEAKER_14But it is kind of fulfilling to be able to help like a younger generation.
SPEAKER_05Nice. Is there a teacher that you can think of who poured into you that you wanna uh like kind of help make you who you are today?
SPEAKER_14Yeah, in this house, we're definitely Matt. Matt's definitely encouraged me a lot.
SPEAKER_17Thanks, Phoebe.
SPEAKER_09Yeah, much nicer comment than he got from Fave.
SPEAKER_14Uh yeah, um last year I think it was we played Dance Like David, and that was a fave great piece. It was the um the hardest thing I had ever played, and I didn't think I could do it, but Matt was constantly telling me like you can do it. And I was able to do it, and that felt really good. And so it feels like he's always pushing me to do things that he knows that I can do even if I don't see it yet.
SPEAKER_18Oh man. Matt's crying about it. Matt's getting red, he's getting a little weavy over here.
SPEAKER_17Thank you, thank you.
SPEAKER_09Very welcome.
SPEAKER_17Well, I'll leave those people. I say that to the people that's that I believe in. Like it's legitimate, and you can do it. And now you're playing at Mass Brass and doing a great job and really awesome. Proud of you. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_14Absolutely.
SPEAKER_17So, the M overnighter, what are you looking most forward to this weekend?
SPEAKER_14Um, I think what I'm looking most forward to is definitely performing our music we've been working on in band and also the Timble Drow, because it's pretty hard. Oh, yeah. I've been having a lot of fun with it, but also just I really like the community and hanging out with my friends is nice too. Yeah.
SPEAKER_09Do you have any friends you want to shout out while you're oh gosh, there's so many.
SPEAKER_14I'd like to shout out Lily Brunel. I've known her since I was like 10 days old. Yep, absolutely. So that's pretty cool. Um I'd like to shout out the twins. Oh, yeah. One's behind you. Famous. Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_05The famous twins.
SPEAKER_14The famous twins. And she's that me. Uh everyone who's ever been my friend at camp. I love all of you guys. You're all a great support.
SPEAKER_17Oh, we love you. That is awesome.
SPEAKER_14Yeah.
SPEAKER_17Well, Phoebe, this is your last chance to say anything you want on the plugged in podcast, and I'm not gonna edit it. Go.
SPEAKER_14Uh, Altahorn's the best instrument. There's there's no competition. Amen.
SPEAKER_17Amen. All right, thank you for coming on, Phoebe, and have a great weekend.
SPEAKER_14Thank you.
Leilani Loves Band And Overnighters
SPEAKER_17All right, we got our next guest. Put on those headphones. Rapid fire. Grab that microphone.
SPEAKER_09You want to help her flip the headphone around?
SPEAKER_17Flip it.
SPEAKER_09Yeah, flip it in.
SPEAKER_17It's not the worst thing in the world, yeah. No.
SPEAKER_09One ear open.
SPEAKER_17All right, can you hear us?
SPEAKER_09Yes.
SPEAKER_17Welcome to episode number 29 of the Plugged in podcast. We are live, or kind of live. Semi-live. Semi-live at the Yam finale overnighter registration. Can you tell us your name and where you're from? What core do you go to?
SPEAKER_10I'm Leilani and I'm from the Hero Core.
SPEAKER_17Try it one more time. Put that microphone right up to your face. I'm from Leilani and I'm from the Hero Court.
SPEAKER_10There it is.
SPEAKER_09Hey Leilani. Hi. How are you? I'm good. Yeah. How long have you been coming to Yam? Five years now? Five. That's our first five. So you started coming when you were young.
SPEAKER_17I remember one of the first times they came through the door, little 10-year-olds. Just like little balls of like, I don't want to be here. That was the attitude. She said yep. But but you've grown. You guys have like, not just physically, but you've grown in capacity and like just watching your spirit. You've really grown.
SPEAKER_10Thank you. That's incredible.
SPEAKER_17You got any favorite yam memories?
SPEAKER_10Um the overnighters. I love the overnighters.
SPEAKER_17Why?
SPEAKER_10I just love performing. Okay. And hanging out with my friends I don't get to see in the year.
SPEAKER_17Yeah.
SPEAKER_09It's kind of like a mini like youth council vibe. Everyone gets together, there's some stuff to do, but there's hangout time.
SPEAKER_17We were saying this feels like the unofficial start of spring. Yes. The Yam overnighters. And then like everything starts to roll. What are you most looking forward to other than hanging with your friends this weekend?
SPEAKER_09Band.
SPEAKER_17Band? Yeah. Wow, we got a lot of bandies.
SPEAKER_09I know. Are you picking the bandies up? No, no.
SPEAKER_17I think the bandies are just standing here.
SPEAKER_09Yeah, bandies are magnetic to Matt. Let's get a non-bandy. I'll find a non-bandy. I'll be on the lookout. You keep interviewing Leilani. I'm gonna find a band.
SPEAKER_05What are your plans for this summer?
SPEAKER_09Camp. Yeah, all summer.
SPEAKER_05You passed the test. Great answer.
SPEAKER_09Great answer. Did you have spring break already with school? No, not yet. When do you have it? In two weeks. Nice. Any fun plans? Nope. Just hanging? Just chilling. That's a fun plan, though.
SPEAKER_16I love that plan. And sleep is so good.
SPEAKER_09I love a good little plan.
SPEAKER_16I wish that was my plan.
SPEAKER_09I wish that was my plan.
SPEAKER_17Alright, well, Leilani, this is your last chance. Anything you want to say on the plugged in podcast? I'm not going to edit it. Ready, go. Uh-oh.
SPEAKER_09Just a laugh. Appropriate.
SPEAKER_17Appropriate.
SPEAKER_09Just a laugh. Just a laugh. Just a laugh. There you go. That's good. We got another one. Alright, Leilani. Thank you for coming on the Plugin podcast. Thank you. We love you, Leilani.
SPEAKER_10I love you too.
Why The Stage Matters
SPEAKER_17Alright, we're getting our next guest hooked in here. Nate, I'll just go to you. What are you most looking forward to about the Yam over Nighter?
SPEAKER_05Um I really like to just see I just I just like to see all the kids here really just step into their talents and um perform on a stage that normally they would typically wouldn't have the opportunity to do.
SPEAKER_16Yeah.
SPEAKER_05Yeah. It just reminds me of of people when I was growing up who believed in me and gave me opportunities to um perform and to give my gifts back to the Lord, and I just love seeing young people get excited about that as well.
SPEAKER_17Yeah.
SPEAKER_05It's cool, it's true.
Captain Jesse Joins Mass Brass
SPEAKER_17We've got our next guest on the Plugged in podcast, is episode number 29. We are semi-live at the Yam Overnighter. I'm just gonna keep saying it. That's it. We're not live, live, but we've got Captain. We've got Captain, whoa.
SPEAKER_09Do you hear those pipes? That was it. Everyone else has been like very high pitched. You got that, you got the bass kicked in.
SPEAKER_17We got Captain Jesse Hernandez. Tell us a little bit about yourself, Jesse, and where you're from, what you're doing.
SPEAKER_01It's uh honor and a pleasure to finally you are digging for this.
SPEAKER_17Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, to finally be on this podcast. I'm a big fan. It's about time. A big fan. Thank you. Thank you so much. Um and so my name is Captain Jesse Hernandez, originally from Mexico. Um I served overseas in Mexico for two years. Yeah, you did trying to get uh uh some plans for Mexico in the works. But um yeah, I I serve at the Worcester Corps. Um Matt invited me to be part of Mass Brass. And so he is doing what I can.
SPEAKER_09I always remember that mass brass is happening because Jesse posted a picture. I'm like, oh right, right, right. Yeah. Also, do I hear a mass brass? Do I hear a mass brass trip to Mexico in the future? Is that what I heard? Come on now, is that what I'm picking up here?
SPEAKER_17At least New Mexico. We're gonna put out the white smoke signals. Yeah, mass brass is going to Mexico. Here we go, here we go. Let's speak it into existence, guys. Jesse, can you quickly tell us that story? So when you were a cadet, the story about how uh someone was announcing like the demographics of the of the of the session. Oh no. Can you tell that one?
SPEAKER_01So when uh I was going into training school, we have everybody at the welcoming dinner, right? Oh yeah. And so all the TCs are there, all the cadets are there, all the leadership, and um, and so the training principle is like we're really blessed with this session, it's very diverse. Um, we have people from all over the world, we have people from Norway and people from Scotland, and we have a cadet from Mexico, and just naming these countries, and so I was like, Oh, snap, Mexico. If I turn to my D to my DY, shout out John Jackson, and I was like, yo, who's uh cadet from Mexico? And he looked at me like you are, and I was like, oh Snap, you're right, I am. That is me. Completely forgot. That's amazing. You were so excited, you're like, yes, like another Mexican, and I was like, wait, no, only me.
SPEAKER_09Okay. That's incredible.
SPEAKER_17Jesse, you brought up that you are playing at Mass Brass this season, and from our talks, like that's a relatively new thing for you. In in a real brief way, tell us kind of like the challenges of playing at a brass band. Like, you're a praise and worship drummer, yeah. And a very good one. Very good. Thank you. And like, so briefly tell us about like the challenges of joining a brass band and then kind of what that journey has been for you.
SPEAKER_01So, I mean, I grew up in the army since I was five, right? Went to music camp, went to all that, but um, it was always like I'm gonna do worship, that's what called me. So I never really tried to learn how to read music, yeah. Um Hispanic core as well, so we didn't really do the brass band, nothing traditional. And so I just grew up in that environment. And so when I got to training, I got more exposed to uh mass brass, I mean not mass breath, to brass bands. Yeah, right. And I was like, like this is beautiful, like this is this is great stuff.
SPEAKER_17Yes, it is.
SPEAKER_01And um, and so you just learn to appreciate um a different style of music, still worship, but it's it's amazing, and so um, but I didn't know how to read music, right? I that was my biggest regret. Yeah, and so I come to Massachusetts, and uh Matt's like, hey, help me out with this worship set and help me out with that. So little by little we were getting to know each other, and then I think Family Camp, um, we did like a united worship team with Mass Brass. And so that was sick.
SPEAKER_17That was awesome. Also, can I just say sick? Anyone who is just like, like, I got you, I got you, I got you, like they're on my team. Yeah, like they're just on my team. Jesse's that guy. Yeah, he's like, he's like, I could text him at 3 a.m. and he's just like, oh yeah, yeah, I'm working on it right now. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's that guy.
SPEAKER_01Sorry, go on. And so um, so that was complicated because it's now we have to be in time with the band, right? With with them and synchronize, and so it was fun, it was a challenge, but it was fun. And um in September, Matt's like, hey man, like I want to formally invite you to Mass Brass. And I was like, I would love to, right? I'm a yes guy, right? I would love to, but I don't know how to read music. Yeah, yeah. Like that's my biggest thing. He was like, don't even worry about it. Like, we'll we'll uh sit down with you, we'll we'll work with you. We just need uh a good drummer to like help us uh take things to the next level. So I was like, if you're willing to work with me, then I'm willing to work with you.
SPEAKER_17Now pause. So his initiation was I gave him the most complicated piece of brass band music out there in Glorifico Eterno. It's like, dude, now now let's go from reading music to doing 10-8. Yeah and all these mixing. Exactly. What is that noise?
SPEAKER_09Is that in our headphones?
SPEAKER_01That's real loud. I don't know. Sorry, go ahead. So yeah, so so I was like, let's do it. And then we have a few rehearsals before the first concert, which also glorifico with a few the New York staff band. Yeah.
SPEAKER_09Wait, the one of my favorite Jesse stories about Mass Brass is he was like, yo, Matt just walked up and he had the audacity to just hand me this music and walk away. Oh yeah. He's like, he handed me this and walked away. And then Adam, our you know, videographer over here, was kind of walking him through it. He was like, yo, he just walked and walked away, and I was dying laughing.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, but he had faith in you, bro. See this too much mate.
SPEAKER_09Too much, too much faith.
SPEAKER_01Because I was like, okay, he's gonna work with me, he's gonna explain it, right? And we were like in the middle of rehearsal, was like, here's the next piece. And then he just walked away. I'm like, hieroglyphics. I have no idea what this means. And so I'm like, Adam, please help me home.
SPEAKER_05Well, those are the best sounding hieroglyphics I've ever heard of. Yeah, man. You rocked it up.
SPEAKER_09Christmas, you were locked in. It was so good. It was so good.
SPEAKER_17So I'll just say with Jesse, like, so Mass Brass rehearsal started at 7 o'clock. Uh, Jesse is calling me on my phone at 4 p.m. every rehearsal, and she's like, hey, can you let me in? And like, so like he has been there for rehearsal three hours prior to every rehearsal. He takes the setup seriously. He's just ready to go.
SPEAKER_01He's just like absolutely ready to go. Michael Jordan of Mass Brass.
SPEAKER_17There you go, there you go.
SPEAKER_18I love it.
SPEAKER_17All right, Jesse, last chance to say anything you want on the plugged in podcast. I'm not gonna edit it. Ready, go. Oh boy.
SPEAKER_01Um big things are happening at the Worcester Core. Yeah. I invite you to come. We have uh young adults uh popping up. We have youth, we have a brand new sound system, so worship is gonna be lit. Boom. And uh love to see you around. Yeah. All right, thanks, man. Thank you for having me. Appreciate you, Jesse.
SPEAKER_09Also, um, we also heard about Rick falling through a wall. Oh. Setting things up. So that'll be that'll be this picture.
SPEAKER_05Can we get him to take his shirt off for the podcast? Like Rick looked like he went through the Civil War. Yeah.
SPEAKER_18He's got hit by a cannon. His back is like toast. And then that wall, the walls on things.
SPEAKER_17And that wall that wall was just painted, too. Adam, this is ridiculous. I'm looking at Adam. Not only does he have his continuous camera on, but he just put a light on top.
SPEAKER_09And he has it connected to his portable power bank.
Jason On Youth Ministry Work
SPEAKER_17All right, we have our next guest on the Plugged In Podcast. This is Jason from Lowell. Jason, welcome to the podcast. How's it going? Hey, Jason. It's going well. Hold that microphone right up to your face. Yep. We are uh, this is episode number 29. We're semi-live at the YAM. Makes me laugh every time. Jason, how tell us a little bit about yourself and how long have you been in Massachusetts?
SPEAKER_04I am the uh youth ministries coordinator for the Salvaged Army in Lowell.
SPEAKER_09So a lot of Lowell representation happening today.
SPEAKER_04I'm in my uh third year with that, but been in the Massachusetts division for five now, so nice. That's awesome. Yeah. And uh tell us your involvement in YAM this season. Oh, I've been involved uh just being a sound model, helping out with the kids, uh playing alongside them, uh, and also helping out leading the YAM band with a couple of pieces. So just being there to support and help out. Nice.
SPEAKER_17What are you most looking forward to this weekend?
SPEAKER_04It's just always good to see everyone come together and have fun. Uh you know, we're working hard, but uh uh you know, everyone you know has fun with it, and it's always good to see all the work pay off at the end with the finale and see everyone excited to do that.
SPEAKER_09So I feel like I need to apologize to Jason because we um the digital media class does these little interviews, uh working our way up to the finale, and one of the things that the kids wanted to do was ask everyone what year they were born. And so I got to Jason and I said, Where you were born, and you were born in 2005. 2005. But if you don't know Jason, he's an old soul. Jason's an old soul. And so, like, I literally thought he was punking me. And so you can hear me, you can hear me say, Are you are you for real right now? And so everyone at the table started laughing because I thought for sure you were born before 2005. So I I apologize. Every time I watch it back now, I'm like, man, what a jerk move, Lorita.
SPEAKER_04I was like, there's no way. It's alright. Most of the kids at the core, if they come for the first time, they think I'm in my 30s. So yeah, you know, it's true.
SPEAKER_0930s. That's that's rough.
SPEAKER_17Well, you're not even close to your 30s. I'm in that era. I I don't remember when I said this. It was just a couple days ago. It was at the core or something. Or no, it was at Mass Brass. We were talking about a piece. And like anytime I'm talking to kids right now and they ask you how old you are, they say, Were you Were you born in the late 1900s? Oh, Jesus.
SPEAKER_18It's just like sat me in the heart. That hurts. The late 1900s? I know it sounds terrible. That's awful.
SPEAKER_04The year of our lord.
SPEAKER_18The year of our lord.
SPEAKER_04Jason, have you ever tuned into the podcast? I have. Not an avid listener, but I listen to most of them.
SPEAKER_09At least you're honest. I appreciate the honesty.
SPEAKER_04Alright, well, thanks for coming on, Jason.
SPEAKER_17Just kidding.
SPEAKER_18And just like that.
SPEAKER_17No, Jason, tell us something that you're looking forward to this spring. Doesn't have to be the Yam Overnight or Youth Councils, but just like maybe something in your own life.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, no, this uh spring's always great to there's just all these events, and I get busy with my job, so yeah. It's always good to you know see all the kids, but also we're planning for a summer program at the core and VBS and camp. So that's always uh shout out VBS. Yeah, it's always a great time. So uh definitely hard work, but excited for it all.
SPEAKER_17Very good. All right, last chance to say anything you want on the podcast. I'm not gonna edit it. Ready, go. So much pressure, Jason.
SPEAKER_04There's a lot of pressure, so much choice. So many things I could say. This will be nothing to uh uh anybody but Matt. So okay, all right. Why don't you tell me later that's pretty much it? But I just want to put it on the record that uh Procession to Covenant is better than my all is on the altar. Oh wow.
SPEAKER_17No, just come on. No, come on I don't agree with that either. Come on.
SPEAKER_09I don't know what you're talking about, so you yes, you did.
SPEAKER_17I think you did.
SPEAKER_09I know the song, but I don't I can't pull them up in my head. I'm like a rolling.
SPEAKER_18On that note, Jason, thanks for coming on the podcast. Hot take. Can you grab uh can you grab mage for us? Yeah. Poor Jason was kicked off the podcast twice in three minutes.
SPEAKER_17Well, the first time was a joke. The second time was for real. That was that was earned.
SPEAKER_09That was well earned. Oh my gosh. All right. Yay. One of my favorite people sitting in the hot chair.
SPEAKER_17I love this episode, by the way.
SPEAKER_09This is fun.
SPEAKER_06I'm totally outcooled.
Major Rivers Says Come To Conservatory
SPEAKER_17Oh, no. You elevate us. So joking. Episode number 29 of the Plugged in Podcasts. We're live at the Yam Overnighter, and we're welcoming Mage. The one and the only famous Mage. The one and only. But your real name, Major Major Linne Rivers. Mage, can you hold that mic right up to your face? Right up to my face. There it is. Yeah. Mage, you're a local legend in this division. Tell us a little bit about what you're looking forward to this weekend at the Yam Overnighter.
SPEAKER_06I'm looking forward to not being woke up by my grandson. Oh.
SPEAKER_09That's a real take.
SPEAKER_06That is a real take right now. I love the honesty. He's an early riser. He's a very early riser. I don't sleep in, but um, yeah, he's like five o'clock. Oh my gosh. 5 30.
SPEAKER_05That sounds nice.
SPEAKER_06Oh no. That's so sweet though.
SPEAKER_05So Walter's ready. He's already.
SPEAKER_06Walter's on this weekend. Because he's afraid of his mother, too. He's like, I'm like, go wake up here. No. I'm not waking her up. Oh my god.
SPEAKER_09Mage, how long have you been a part of Yam? Like, I feel like it's been well, I've I've been in this division closing up 16 years.
SPEAKER_06Oh my word. That's 17. No, closing up 15 years.
SPEAKER_11Wow.
SPEAKER_06That's incredible. 15. We're finishing 15 years. And we um I've been in Mass Brass for 14 of the 15 years. Wow. I think Yam probably close to 10. When Donovan. I think when Donovan started playing an instrument when he was like 11, that's when I started doing Yam. You are like a staple.
SPEAKER_17Yeah. A staple in Yam and Conservatory and Mass Brass. You've been a part about just from everything I've been in since I've been here. 2014 is when I got here. Mage, I'm going to ask you one more question, and then if you wouldn't mind grabbing Jorge behind you. Okay. I think I'm confident in saying that you've listened to the podcast before. Yes. This is your one and only shot to say anything on the podcast. I'm not going to edit it out. Ready, go. Come to conservatory. Woo! That's awesome. I love it. Mage, thanks for coming on the Pluggedin' Podcast. Welcome. We appreciate you.
SPEAKER_06I love it. Bye.
SPEAKER_17Bye. Oh, here comes Teague. Teague, come on in. Teague. You're on.
SPEAKER_18Come on, Teague. Come on in, Teague. Grab that stuff from Mage right there. All right, what we'll do. Teague, the legend. The man, the myth, the legend. The man, the myth, the legend. And the fresh haircut.
SPEAKER_17That's true. There he is. Teague's a man of many haircuts. Teague, can you hear me?
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_17Take that microphone, put that right up to your face. Welcome, Teague. Hello. Hi, Teague. Hi. Teague, introduce yourself. We now know your name is Teague. Where are you from? What do you do? And what are you looking forward to at the Yam Overnighter?
SPEAKER_02Um, my name is Teague Butler. I'm from the Lowell Citadel Corps, Massachusetts. Yeah. And I'm looking forward to going to sleep. Going to sleep?
SPEAKER_09Come on. Try again. Also during band? Teague is like a chatterbox. I don't know what we're doing right now. Why are you talking so slow? Come on, bud.
SPEAKER_05Because he's got this giant light in his face.
SPEAKER_09Yeah, it's a good thing. He's good.
SPEAKER_03No, I'm looking forward to the concert tomorrow.
SPEAKER_17Yeah. Teague, what do you what do you play? Cornet. In the yam band, right? Maybe.
SPEAKER_03Maybe. Okay. I wouldn't know it because I haven't been in the past like four.
SPEAKER_09What? To the last four yams? Yeah, you've been a little busy. It's good to see you though. I'm glad you're here.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, finally.
SPEAKER_09Yeah. What have you been up to? Why have you been missing?
SPEAKER_03Well, I had a school concert. Nice. I got appendicitis. I'm glad. Oh, geez. That's valid. Now I feel bad.
SPEAKER_09I know.
SPEAKER_05Now I feel terrible. Prove it. Show us your scar. No, no, no. Just kidding. No, don't do that.
SPEAKER_09Please. Please don't do that.
SPEAKER_02It is gross. I have like four.
SPEAKER_17Hold that microphone right up to your face. I have like four.
SPEAKER_02Okay.
SPEAKER_09There it is.
SPEAKER_02That was it. Thank you.
SPEAKER_03Thank you, T. I have a bunch of.
SPEAKER_09Oh, that's a bummer. Are you feeling better?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I was like heavier, I think.
SPEAKER_09Are you up to playing this weekend? There's a lot of playing this weekend.
SPEAKER_02Oh, yeah. You ready?
SPEAKER_17Oh, oh.
SPEAKER_02This is light work.
SPEAKER_17Light work. Alright, T, this is your one chance, one and only chance. After I say goodbye to you, want you to grab Major Jessica, who's sitting right there. But this is your one shot on the Plugin podcast. Say anything you want. I'm not going to edit it. Ready, go. Oh no.
SPEAKER_09He's thinking. He's thinking real hard. Appropriate. When you know what? Why don't you circle back? When you think of something, circle back. Grab one of our mics. Hey T.
SPEAKER_18Nice to have you on the show, bud.
SPEAKER_17Thanks, man. Appreciate you.
unknownOkay.
Major Jessica Builds A Shelter
SPEAKER_17Alright, we are rolling through the special guest. You know. We are blowing through. Earlier I said, you know, 30 minutes was the sweet spot. We're right about there. Yeah. Yeah. Feels like that went in fast. We have our next guest, the plugged in podcast. We're this is episode number 29, semi-live. Semi-live. We have Major Jessica Burkhout from Newberry Port. Yes.
SPEAKER_00Welcome. Welcome to the show. I'm excited.
SPEAKER_17What are you looking forward to at the Yam Overnighter this weekend?
SPEAKER_00Oh, I am looking forward to seeing all the kids reunite because it's one of their favorite things to see their friends and have like a sleepover and all that. I'm also really excited to see their performances. Yeah. Where they just they they just have this special vibrancy about them where they're excited to showcase what they're doing and praising God with their skills and talents. And um and there's this maturity that comes out of them once they put those shirts on and get on the stage that I just love to see come out of them. They're very proud of themselves and we're proud of them. And yeah, it's it's a great way to be led by worship by them.
SPEAKER_17Absolutely. What have you what's your involvement with YAM this season?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I'm with the Yam Junior track. So I get to hang out with them all the time, which I love. Um and so I uh assist in singing company. I do the junior yam devotions and free time. I also teach the visual scripture arts class as well, and um I assist in music theory that the kids participate in. And you used to play trombone. I used to play trombone, I did have to come. And then you left me. I only have so much time. Yeah, but now that's fair. But now Aiden plays trombone. Aidan plays trombone, and um and just like that, just seeing my kids take it the the joy and the desire to play trombone did not start at school, but the other way around for my for my kids. It started at Yam, it went into camp, music camp and music conservatory, and now it's been verged into school.
SPEAKER_17You are literally describing the dream right now. That's what's supposed to happen.
SPEAKER_00Yes, yeah. That's great. So so cool, yeah.
SPEAKER_17Tell us about you just I saw you you just got an award. Yeah, some sort of civic award. I did. Can you tell us about that?
SPEAKER_00Yes, yes. I got the Reverend Margaret Um Helen Award, which is a civic award for the New Bayport City um for uh um social justice and uh bringing community collaboration. So we opened the city's first uh overnight emergency shelter with uh diff nine different nonprofits and church organizations. So um actually most of them were all churches that came together, and uh we got certified by Mima, and um it was amazing. It was absolutely amazing. And yeah, so that was very surprising. And then the senator was there, our our state senator, and I was presented with a um a citation, a good one. And so thank you.
SPEAKER_09Yeah, that's important.
SPEAKER_00A good one, and um, yeah, I was I was so humbled, I was so so overwhelmed. Um, we have a really great community out there, and it's not just Newberryport, it's the greater Newberryport area, so there's a lot of cities that were involved, um, and the mayors have just been so supportive, and so yeah, it's been great. That's awesome. Yeah, thank you.
SPEAKER_09And your social media presence or for your the shelter was incredible. All of your like how we you know lay everything out, what they get, like loved, I loved following that all winter long.
SPEAKER_00I'm so I'm so glad. I was actually, my husband and I were in um market basket and we were going through the line, and the cashier goes, Are you the Facebook lady with the shelter? Are you joking? That's incredible. I looked at Adela and I said, I'm famous. And she's like, Okay. I'm cool. And she's like, You were really well done.
SPEAKER_09The voiceover is like seriously, really.
SPEAKER_00I had no idea what I was doing. It was literally me and a cell phone and a microphone, and like and um and what Facebook offers or Instagram offers for editing. Yeah. Um, it took me hours and hours and hours of what should have taken me like 20 minutes. I don't know. I don't know what how it really works. The workload that people don't see that the workload that goes into the editing and all of that, it's a lot. It was it was very intense and it was brand new, and our community, there wasn't an educational part of people who have been displaced and homeless. Not many people in our community really understood um the vast impact that our people were facing, and so there was this educational component that why do we need a shelter? Why is Major Jeska like s like pulling all these people together? Is it really needed? What are the numbers? And then when we saw people coming, families coming, children coming, and being able to get them into permanent housing is has been amazing. That is amazing. Yeah.
SPEAKER_17Well, thank you for coming on the plugged in podcast and I wish you an amazing yam weekend.
SPEAKER_00Thank you. It's gonna be great, and I'm gonna be sleepy, and it's gonna be a good sleepy.
SPEAKER_17Do you want to wrangle in one of your kids like right behind you?
SPEAKER_00Hey, Adeline.
SPEAKER_17Yes, perfect.
Adelyn On Timbrels And Nerves
SPEAKER_00Adeline! Come in.
SPEAKER_17All right, can you hear us okay? I want you to take that microphone. We have our next guest on the Plugged in Podcast, episode number 29. Tell us your name and where you're from.
SPEAKER_13Um, I my name is Adelyn Burkow. I am from West Newberry, Massachusetts.
SPEAKER_17Yes. Welcome to the podcast. Have you ever heard our show before?
SPEAKER_13Yes, I have. Oh, wow.
SPEAKER_17Okay.
SPEAKER_13My mom has put it in the car multiple, multiple times.
SPEAKER_17That's what we like to hear. That's amazing. Again, that's the dream. Tell us uh what you do at YAM and what you're looking forward to this weekend.
SPEAKER_13Um I do timbrels, band, and chorus. Um, I'm looking forward to my timbal drill because it's gonna be pretty fun.
SPEAKER_17How long have you been been playing Timbrels?
SPEAKER_13Uh for two years now.
SPEAKER_17Wow, so that's not that long.
SPEAKER_13It's not that long ago. So I started.
SPEAKER_17Are you a master or would you be considered yourself like intermediate?
SPEAKER_13Um, I'll be an intermediate.
SPEAKER_17Oh, she's rocking it. Come on, you're rocking it.
SPEAKER_13I'm very scared though.
SPEAKER_17What song are you guys playing?
SPEAKER_13Uh it's level A. I forget what it's called, but it's a little bit. Okay for Star Search.
SPEAKER_17Yeah, yeah. Can you sing it at all? Can you sing us a nope? No, I can't. No shot.
SPEAKER_13So much pressure. I I just got pulled into this. I had no idea.
SPEAKER_17I'm just here. No, it's good. It's good. Um, do you have a favorite memory of Yam this season?
SPEAKER_13Um, I'll have to say when my friend on accident punched me. Oh, wow.
SPEAKER_17Okay.
SPEAKER_13That's a favorite. Uh yes, because I was because um Oh no. Um, because she and me were having fun. Yeah. And she on accident punched me. Well, I'm glad it started with we were having fun. But that's that's a good way to start a punch, I will say. It was a it was a light punch. It wasn't like a funny punch.
SPEAKER_17I'm I'm glad that this violent story wasn't the highlight of JMC.
SPEAKER_13It it no blood was involved, by the way. No.
SPEAKER_17Alright, well, what do you uh did I already ask what you're most looking forward to this weekend?
SPEAKER_13Uh yes, you have.
SPEAKER_17Okay, alright, never mind that.
SPEAKER_05And you and the rest of the girls from Newburyport are all dancers as well, too, right?
SPEAKER_13Um, not this year, no, because um we're just doing timbrels, I think. Yes, we're just doing timbrels this year.
SPEAKER_09But you have choreographed and your mom has helped choreograph some beautiful dance routines, and so just because you're not dancing this year, you are still beautiful dancers, I will say.
SPEAKER_13Um, yes. Um in my timble drill, actually, I made a new move. You you did in my in my um Star Search one.
SPEAKER_09Um I'm ready to see that. You you always did you tell Kristen? I'm getting stumbled on my words. Um Kristen loves a good new timbrel move. I have not. Oh. We'll have to all watch.
SPEAKER_17Alright, well, Adeline, thank you for coming on the Plugged In podcast. Um, and you'll have to listen to yourself when the episode comes out. If you want to hand your microphone and headphones to Jorge, come on in, Jorge. Jorge.
SPEAKER_09Man, this is really semi-live. We got a whole lot happening here.
Jorge Captures The Weekend
SPEAKER_17Yeah, it's good, like registration has really like really amped up. Really amped up. You've broken a mic. Yeah, broken a mic. Nate is now gone. Nate's gone. Nate's just Nate's just gonna go. I don't know where. He mouthed something to me and then left. All right, we got our next guest in on episode number 29 of the Plugged in podcast. This guy has uh been brought up um several several episodes, especially most recently. But we want to welcome Jorge from Quincy to the Plugged in Podcast. Hey guys! Yay! Hi, Jorge. Tell us um what you do at YAM and what you're looking forward to this weekend. At Yam, I am the assistant lead for the media class with Lorita.
SPEAKER_18Yeah, he is. I go around, take pictures, get a lot of shots. Yes.
SPEAKER_17Yeah. Yes. How many years have you been a part of Yam? Uh started back in 2013. That's before me. That's crazy. That's before one year before, yeah. Uh, and then I took a little hiatus off, and then I came back in 2023. So I'd say together, I can't do math.
SPEAKER_09Neither can I. A long time. A long time. A long time. A long time.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_09That's incredible.
SPEAKER_17What are you looking forward to this weekend? Um, I'm looking forward to see all the beautiful talent that's gonna be displayed on that stage.
SPEAKER_09Yeah.
SPEAKER_17Yeah, that's fair. Showing off God's work. Great, great work.
SPEAKER_09You can always find Jorge at basically any divisional event, roaming around with a camera, or somehow getting something onto the Mass Youth uh Instagram. He's like my go-to. Yeah, so one of my go-to's.
SPEAKER_17I get nervous. I'm like, oh, is it really gonna get mad if I post it on the cards?
SPEAKER_18Oh no.
SPEAKER_17Post it up, post it up. No, Jorge's another guy. So I said this about uh Jesse early earlier, but like the people that are just like, yeah, I got you, like I want you on my team. And Jorge is like, I like sometimes even if I don't ask him, I hand him a camera in the moment and he he gets the best shots. Yeah. It's awesome.
SPEAKER_09No, and that's and that's been Yam this year because and Jorge's been with me through a lot of different seasons of Yam. But we're our our season kind of this year was a younger, a younger crop of kids. And so there wasn't that ability to have them roam the building as much. And so I kind of said to Jorge, listen, I need you to kind of be the eyes out there and just getting getting shots all day long so we have content. And he was like, got you. And he just went for it and it was awesome.
SPEAKER_17Right on it. Right on it. Jorge, we know that you listened to the show. This is your one shot to say anything you want. I'm not gonna edit it. Ready, go. So much pressure.
SPEAKER_09I couldn't do this on the spot. Yeah, I know. I couldn't. He's thinking. I'd kill him if Matt did this to me.
SPEAKER_17That's that's like every episode. I'm just like ready, ready to go.
SPEAKER_09Ready, Larry to go. My brain goes. I don't I don't know.
SPEAKER_17Okay.
SPEAKER_09Just we love you.
SPEAKER_17Jesus loves you, and yeah, that's it. Hey, that's that's a good enough message for me.
SPEAKER_09And he's rocking it out at Quincy.
Zia Performs And Heads To Chicago
SPEAKER_17Like he just I love Quincy. Captain Adam is the best. There you go. There it is. That's the message really. Well, Jorge, thank you for coming on the Pluggedin' podcast. Of course, thanks for having me. Can you wrangle in another Yam student for us? Of course. Oh, Zia. I see Zia. That would be good. Yeah. Zia. Oh, watch your headphones. Those things getcha. We might not make it out of the live episode. Like we may not. Equipment's exploding. Adam's camera literally just melted before us. Is that what happened? So we've broken a microphone. Nate is gone. The camera almost melted. And now we're down to two. There's two of us. You want to say final guest, or should we just keep rolling? Let's feel it out. Let's test it out. Okay. We got final guest. Episode number 29, plugged in podcast, semi-live at the Yam finale overnighter. We got Zia from Pittsfield. Welcome to the show, Zia.
SPEAKER_09Yeah. Hey, Zia.
SPEAKER_17Hello.
SPEAKER_09Fresh haircut, Zia, too. I like the I like the cut. It looks good.
SPEAKER_19How do you feel about your haircut? Uh I like it. It's been growing out for a few months now, so like I was like bald bald before. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_09That's true. It was short for a long time. But it's been long for a long time before that, too. Yeah, we've got a lot. We've seen Zia through a lot of different hair seasons.
SPEAKER_17I felt a certain kind of way when I when they cut my hair, so I just like.
SPEAKER_18Should I should I exit so you two can have a moment? Bond over a short haircut situation. Zia, tell us what you do at Yam.
SPEAKER_19I uh play drums, I do worship band, and I do concert band. Yeah.
SPEAKER_17What are you looking forward to most this weekend?
SPEAKER_19I'm really excited just to perform in front of everyone and make new memories, I guess. It's awesome.
SPEAKER_17It's awesome. What's coming up this season at the Pittsfield Core, and then what do you do? Are you coming to youth councils?
SPEAKER_19Yeah.
SPEAKER_18Yeah. Shout out youth councils. You love youth councils?
SPEAKER_19Yeah, I'm really excited. What do you love about it? Uh just meeting new people, you know, all the activities we get to do. And yeah, it's just a lot of fun.
SPEAKER_17Tell us you won an award last year and you're going on a trip. Tell us a little bit about that, where you're going this summer.
SPEAKER_19Yeah, I'll be going to Chicago for the uh that's awesome. Wonderland Exchange. This could be fun.
SPEAKER_17So Zia is an exceptional student. He won an award at Conservatory to do the Chicago Exchange, so we're gonna put him on an airplane. I haven't told him any details yet, so it's funny when I asked him to tell us about the trip. He knows nothing. He's like, I'm going to Chicago. Alright. We've had some technical difficulties. So, Zia, sorry about that. Zia's going to Chicago. Yep. I'm really just pressing record long enough to say this is a wrap.
SPEAKER_09Zia's gonna be our last guest. We were unsure, but now we're gonna commit to that.
Rick On Growth And Giving Back
SPEAKER_17So Zia, you have one shot. Say anything you want on the plugged in podcast. I'm not gonna edit it out. Ready, go. Alright. Um go to Yam. Alright, so we're still here live, semi-live. Semi-live, semi-live at the YAM Overnighter 2026. The Yam finale during registration, really heating up. Our next guest on the Plugged in podcast, we have Rick Castillo from the Quincy Core. Whoop whoop! Yeah, welcome. Welcome to yourself. Welcome to myself. Welcome to yourself. I don't know what happened. All these mics are so much hotter than it was six minutes ago.
SPEAKER_09The conference center, I think I blame, I blame the conference center for it. You know, honestly.
SPEAKER_17Rob listens all the time, so that's really rude.
SPEAKER_09He was like, well, I moved that chair. I moved the chair, so I think it's my fault.
SPEAKER_15Well, you know, everything in the conference center seems to blow up, so it's fitting. This is true. Between lightning and don't bring any devices to the conference center.
SPEAKER_17Rick, tell us how long you've been a part of YAM and then what you're doing this season.
SPEAKER_15Oh, yeah. Let's see. Uh well, I moved here in like 2000, so I think uh it's probably been about twenty five or twenty six years that I've been.
SPEAKER_17Were you here? Wow. When did Yam start? I don't know this. I don't know the history. I don't know the origin story of Yam. Give us the deets.
SPEAKER_15I have an idea, but I don't I don't know that it started before I came because I was kind of like pushed into. Well, I wouldn't say pushed into, but um, you know, it was a time where like Steve Demmer was leaving and he led the uh like the technology track at Yam. So he was kind of encouraging me to take that over as he was leaving. So it was a few years before that, I think, that Yam started.
SPEAKER_17My predecessor, Bill Rollins, was a champion of the arts, yeah, right? And and expression that was you know more than just the brass band, correct? Correct. Yeah, and I feel like he was kind of in that Carol Jowdis area era of pushing the arts in the army.
SPEAKER_09Really fanning it into flame.
SPEAKER_15Yeah. Uh so this year um I'm helping out with the band. Um I'm a sound model, as Matt would call it. I always say that.
SPEAKER_17That's awesome.
SPEAKER_15And so I sit in the back with the uh the second cornets and uh you know.
SPEAKER_17Who of our band maybe have shown the like the largest rate of growth? Like they've they've done well back there. Yeah. Who has? Second cornets. A couple of them specifically have have shown really great uh lengths of growth.
SPEAKER_15Yeah, I uh Tawny, I think, you know, does a pretty good job back there. Yeah. Um Isabella? Isabella's back there too.
SPEAKER_09Yeah, that's true.
SPEAKER_15And then um, you know, I think you know, for them it's just overcoming their fears. Right.
SPEAKER_09You know, so there's a timidity to it. Yes, yeah.
SPEAKER_15They think they can't play something, or you put something new in front of them and they're like, I don't stand a chance. But you know, you have to kind of like circle them around and say, hey, you know, like this is no different than this piece you just played. Yeah, exactly. You know, it's it's it's a different style or a different flavor, but it's still quarter notes, eight notes, half notes. And you play all the stuff before. You can do that.
SPEAKER_17What do you enjoy most about being in a teaching position in in army music and arts?
SPEAKER_15Uh I think it's just the fact that I'm able to do something that somebody has done for me before. Yeah. You know, so I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for someone taking their time, taking their summers, yeah, you know, spending a week at music camp or conservatory with me, um, you know, when they didn't necessarily work for the army either. So they were taking their personal time, their vacation to invest in the lives of other people.
SPEAKER_03That's true.
SPEAKER_15And so, you know, I feel pretty good about being able to do the same thing and and having a good track record of doing that. Sometimes it's not always full time, like, you know, can't commit to conservatory like for full days anymore, like I used to.
SPEAKER_16Sure.
SPEAKER_15Um, but even the time that you can spend with somebody, um, you know, I think it's worth it, you know, to develop those talents.
SPEAKER_17Absolutely. I think what we do, I mean, the survival of it so much depends on people like you. Yeah. Like people who have received the training and are more than willing to turn around and give it back going into the future. Like, we just we this her bible, I mean, it depends on it. No, it's true.
SPEAKER_15And you never know where that leaves, you know, or where that leads either, I should say. Uh not where it leaves. But uh you know, like uh, you know, you don't really know who these people are going to be in 10 or 15 years. Yeah. The experiences that they have now may lead them to want to become an officer, or it may lead them to some other sort of ministry. Um, you know, where featured DMD. Yeah, where they may not have you know felt that calling, yeah, you know, if it wasn't for some experience they had or you know, some event they went to and had a positive experience. It's true.
SPEAKER_17What are you most looking forward to this weekend specifically?
SPEAKER_15Uh I don't know. That's a good question. Um I always look forward to the performances. Yeah. You know, for me. Um you know, I'm a I'm a band geek, I guess you could say. Sure. Uh that's one of the nickname for uh from my wife. Nice. So endearing. It's BAN Geek. Uh but um I I just enjoy all the performances, you know, singing, dancing, whatever. You know, just seeing smiles on the kids' faces.
SPEAKER_09So proud of themselves.
SPEAKER_15Seeing that they're enjoying themselves, seeing, you know, that they're able to present something, you know, for uh whether it be their parents or core members or whoever happens to be there, even their teachers. Yeah. You know, it's just a rewarding, hey, we did this type of thing.
SPEAKER_09Yeah. I love that we started this, the overnighter. I love that this started. I think it's something that the kids look forward to to kind of cap the you know, the yam season. It's kind of culminates all of it. It's a it's a doozy of a night, y'all.
SPEAKER_17I think my uh my previous bosses may not be listening to this, but the yam overnighter used to be like a once every like three or four year thing. Yeah. And then one year at a calendar planning meeting, I was like, no, we do this every year. Throwing it on. The budget has to exist for this.
SPEAKER_09Yeah, I'm making it happen.
SPEAKER_15The kids love it because they don't get any sleep. And then they're tired for the next morning.
SPEAKER_09But somehow they they turn it on for the for the finale. Like, who said it? One of the other guests said it. They put that shirt on and they're on.
SPEAKER_15And it's just like it is really a couple energy drinks, Swedish fish.
SPEAKER_09All the adults in the room are struggling.
SPEAKER_17I'm like injecting coffee into my brain.
SPEAKER_09I have Red Bulls ready to go.
Wrap Up Before The Welcome Meeting
SPEAKER_17Well, we are pushing right up against the beginning of the welcome meeting. So we're gonna need to say goodbye. But I've said this to every guest so far, Rick. So this is your one shot on the plugged in podcast. Say whatever you want, and I'm not gonna edit it out. Ready, go.
SPEAKER_15Well, I'm just thankful for being on the podcast. Uh Matt asked me a while ago, and I just couldn't make it happen. So it's good to finally be on the podcast and to uh enjoy the company of you guys and uh be able to say a couple things to everyone who's watching. So thanks, right? Yeah, but hopefully we can do it again sometime.
SPEAKER_17I would like that before the podcast ends forever.
SPEAKER_09And we have to make it to at least episode 30.
SPEAKER_17Okay.
SPEAKER_09We have to like get there.
SPEAKER_15You need to get into existence. You just need to continue with different people.
SPEAKER_18There you go. There you go. Are you talking about post Larita and Nate? I'm staying here forever. I'm not going anywhere. Wait, are we announcing something right now? I have are you announcing something? No, no, no, wait.
SPEAKER_17I thought you were talking about it.
SPEAKER_18Our camera is telling us to wrap this up. All right, episode 29 is a podcast. We'll see you next time.