Maybe you made mix tapes in high school. Or maybe you make Spotify playlists for your boo. But what goes into curating a good musical story, and can it actually help us to think of ourselves and the world differently?

In this episode, jazz advocate and KCRW DJ LeRoy Downs (AKA The Jazz Cat) shares secrets about how he ‘performs’ for radio audiences around the world, how to balance the avant garde with popular taste, and how he crafts sonic stories that vibrate through our bodies and minds.

Find out more bout LeRoy's concert series on the Just Jazz website.

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On this episode of Change the narrative, I talk with National Geographic photographer Anand Varma who works at the intersection of art and science. What role does art and storytelling play in the scientific process, and how are visual stories able to convey ideas better than raw data?

Check out Anand's video talks, demos and more on YouTube.

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.In this episode, I talk with the former Director of Education for The Moth, Micaela Blei, about why we tell stories, and what makes for a good story in the first place. 

Hear Micaela's award-winning storytelling performances at The Moth.

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Remote teaching has forced teachers to learn a lot in a short span of time. But with standardized tests taken off their backs, and flexible schedules, Middle school science teacher Therese Arsenault has found time to rekindle her excitement for learning. Also in this episode: Bison in San Francisco?

​How can we rekindle curiosity in our students so that they actually care about learning? Veteran journalism and AP English teacher Mitch Ziegler talks about project-based learning, and how remote learning has helped us make time and space for student passion. Also: Are standardized tests a form of class warfare?

Remote teaching has made many things clear to Elementary Principal Beth Schwartz. Freeing up time to build relationships with our students and creating truly personalized learning means the end of standardized tests, and more flexible schedules. 

Veteran high school English teacher, Christopher Bronke, has high hopes for school once the pandemic is over: to have high hopes for our students. He shares ideas about why we should allow our students more flexibility and time to complete work, and how this can lead to more honesty and respect. But this idea isn't new--his school has been using this model for two years.

High school English teacher, Marisa Thompson, shares her concerns about inequity in education and lack of access to the internet for so many learners. School closures have challenged us to reimagine school. Will we rise to that challenge?

The flexible schedules of remote teaching have helped Ohio middle school science teacher, Leah LaCrosse,  tailor her instruction to meet the needs of her students in ways that face to face learning never could. Also, why is she so upset about standardized tests?

6th Grade Humanities teacher, Sam Kary shares his secrets for  work-life balance, and talks about how remote teaching has forced teachers to move away from the 'sage on the stage' lecture-and-note-taking model of teaching, and toward one where teachers are facilitators of learning.