PINT SIZE POLKAS
This past year, I had the chance to bring my Pint Size
Polkas program to libraries and schools in CA, IA, KS, MN,
NM, OK, TX, and WI. By the end of this year, I will have put
on more than 35,000 miles! I'm already gearing up for shows
next summer, including return performances in Colorado and
Michigan after a few years' hiatus from both states. Can't
wait to get started again!
My work with Pint Size Polkas was also recognized in
November by the International Polka Association with a
Certificate of Appreciation. Thanks to the IPA for
acknowledging my work bringing polka music to the next
generation of polka fans!
THE MIKE SCHNEIDER BAND
This past year was one of our biggest and best
yet! We returned for performances at the La Crosse and
Chippewa Falls Oktoberfests, plus we helped welcome the
Milwaukee Oktoberfest to the Summerfest grounds for the very
first time.
After my busy Oktoberfest season wrapped up, I spent another
week in Helen, GA performing with Mollie B & Friends.
Helen's Oktoberfest this year ran from early September
through early November!
If you were listening to Wisconsin Public Radio in June, you
heard an interview they did with me regarding my career.
Reporter Nick Rommel arrived and told me the story would be
about Old World Wisconsin, but then I learned the focus of
the story had shifted to me. If you haven't heard it yet,
you can listen by clicking on the Radio tab on the
Media page.
If you made it to a Brewers home game in 2025, you heard my
music! They commissioned me to record a series of polka
music prompts to be used between pitches. The Brewers also
extensively used my versions of "Take Me Out to the Ball
Game," "Beer Barrel Polka," and "William Tell Overture" for
their seventh inning stretch and Sausage Race, respectively.
Word from the Brewers is, they'll be using even more of my
music in 2026, and may even incorporate a few live polka
performances into their home games!
PERSONAL YEAR IN REVIEW
In April, my oldest son traveled with my wife
Heather to Houston for the FIRST Championship, where Garrett
represented Wisconsin's FTC program as one of two Dean's
List Finalists. Plus, he got to meet Dean Kamen, the
inventor of the Segway who founded FIRST! Thousands of
students in Wisconsin participate in FIRST robotics; more
than 600 teams from around the world participate in the
FIRST Championship each year.
In June and July, my wife took both her FLL and FTC teams to
post season events in Florida and Indiana, respectively. She
is doing amazing things preparing the kids on her teams for
the real world challenges they'll face in college and
beyond! All three of our kids were members of one of her
teams this year.
In June, I had the chance to play Spyglass Hill during my
trip to California for Pint Size Polkas. What an amazing
golf course! In November, we celebrated my wife's [number
omitted]th birthday. Due to the busier than expected
robotics schedule, we didn't do a family trip this year, but
plan to make up for it with a trip to Alaska in 2026, in
part to celebrate Garrett's upcoming graduation from high
school. Time flies!
As always, be sure to join
our growing list of fans on Facebook
here, or for Pint Size
Polkas
here. Once you’re there,
click the Like button at the top of the page.
That's all for this month. Thanks again and talk to you
soon!
Mike Schneider
The Mike
Schneider Band |
