Deanna Swoboda is an Associate Professor of Music at Arizona State University. She teaches tuba and euphonium, Entrepreneurship and Music courses, coaches chamber music, and designs creative music performances. Early in her career, Deanna developed the K-6th grade music program, Band Blast Off. She toured and performed at thousands of schools across the country inspiring children to play instruments. Deanna shares how she teaches students to improvise musically, and in life, and how she encourages them to pursue and diversify their goals. We discuss our brass heroes, Deanna’s journey from clarinet to tuba and how she encourages playfulness in the practice routine. Deanna shares about her time with Dallas Brass, the challenges and opportunities of teaching during a pandemic and what’s currently inspiring her.