I was rehearsing one of the concert bands on Pep Band music. One ensemble tended to lose tempo. To reinforce my point, I started them with a metronome — and then stop directing. After some time, I would restart the metronome. I described what they were doing:
“Sounds like a gradual ritard. You’re slowing down.”
No one in the ensemble said anything and I gave it no additional thought.
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But then, one of the building admins confronted me about a parent call. The parent was upset because the daughter came home telling him I said they were retarded.
I asked if the Admin had a quote of what I was accused of saying. She pulls out a piece of paper reads;
“Sounds like a casual retard slowing down.”
Admin instructed not to confront the student, but to talk to the band.
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Following is my followup with the band…
One of the agenda items on the board was “music term of the day” and next to it was:
Ritardando Ritard. Rit.
I asked the ensemble what those three terms mean.
Numerous correct answers.
Then I asked them to think back to the pep band music rehearsal last Tuesday — and I asked them what the overall group’s problem was (especially) that day…..
[We were slowing down]
Good answer.
Then, I shared the quote I was accused of saying…..
“I didn’t record myself, and I don’t think I said the word casual because that just doesn’t sound like something I would say. But let’s go with that for now. If I used any form of those three terms in the context of last week’s rehearsal, what do you think I was saying?”
[That we were slowing down.]
Good answer.
Now, let me tell you what I absolutely didn’t say — and would NEVER say….. I was NOT calling you retarded.
[Collective eye roll and OMG kinda responses.]
One four-year ensemble member, said….
“You would never say that.”
We went on to talk about what should have happened….. That if/when I said something that an individual thought was offensive, out of line, or even unclear — that this individual should come and talk to ME first.
[Collective yes nods.]
And that if your parent needs to call someone, who do you think they should call FIRST?
Good answer.
Then…we went on into rehearsal. I responded to the Admin the results of our conversation. Admin calls the father to explain Italian music terms.
The parent apologized, the daughter spent the next four years maturing as a productive ensemble member, and as far as I could tell, a respectable supporter.
This graphic illustrates a scenario we all face, individually, in business, in school as well as in music ensembles. Most of us, at least once, have been to the edge, looked down, looked across and pondered the possibilities. It is easy to say you want to get better, but how do you make that leap to the other side?
Realize that not everyone WANTS to get to the other side.
Many are satisfied with the way things are, represented by this marching band member attitude:
I am okay where I am. I am not last chair, I can play my part reasonably well, I can pass the playing test. I see those people on the other side…..so much pressure, so much work, and for what? Band is a good social group. It is a good place to find a date, to make friends, to feel connected. I enjoy the bus rides, the longer the better. The band parent provided food at competitions is good and I like the freedom during the down time to hang with my friends and watch some other bands.
You are, after all, standing on solid ground. It is safe where you are. You KNOW where you are and are in your comfort zone. You look over the edge and see danger. You could fall, you could fail. You could get hurt.
WANT it….with everything that is within you.
You hear the musician who plays the more difficult solo or watch the marching band put on a crowd cheering performance. You see the elation at the award ceremony and YOU WANT THAT.
In “The Return of the Jedi”, as Luke Skywalker finally stands before his ultimate enemy, the Emperor says to the young Jedi who is viewing and considering his weapon,
You want this, don’t you?
Know that small, safe, baby steps won’t make it.
If you stand on the edge, look down and take a step, you will fall. The gap is wider than that and will require a running start LEAP.
Practice and Prepare to Perform!
Olympians don’t just show up at the games. Basketball players spend hours behind the scenes practicing boring free throws and doing exhausting repetitive fundamentals up and down the floor. The ice skater doesn’t decide at the start of the performance that a quad would be a good idea.
There is no short cut to success. You must be willing to pay the price.
The ice skater going for the quad is literally a “leap of faith”. There is never a guarantee of success, but repetitive practice, falling down, getting hurt, figuring out what went wrong and working harder to get better…..are necessary ingredients to establish confidence and competence to make the jump. A phrase I have used in rehearsals,
Like the ice skater who misses the quad, missing notes (steps, sets) in performance can hurt.
A good cartoon by Tone Deaf Comics illustrates part of this idea.
Commit to go….and then GO!
No more standing at the edge. No more looking down. No more considering the consequences of failure. Back up, focus on the other side, set your mind and then RUN hard at the edge. When the Israelites were crossing the river Jordan, the waters did not part until the priests feet touched the water, the point at which they demonstrated both faith and commitment (Joshua 3:14).
Once you commit to go, you have to “go all out”. Know where you’re going, practice and prepare, commit and go.
A few years ago, I was tasked with putting together a list of responsibilities of the head director at my school. This is a generic approximation of the band director position in a moderately large high school.
(c) VirtualMusicOffice.com
Note: 150+ extra trips to the school for over 700 hours, equivalent to 18 – 40hr weeks.
Although there is some overlap, the above chart does NOT include the 180 school days of time/teaching.
Major decisions
Show Theme / Colors / Logo
Show Shirts; including color, design, vendor.
Basketball Shirts; including color, design, vendor.
Summer Parade Shirts; including color, engraving, design, vendor.
Color Guard Outfit(s), Flag design + performance props
Marching band uniforms; color, style, material, accessories, company, when + financing.
Competitions
How many
Which ones
What class / Contest Classifications, i.e. Scholastic, Festival, Open, BOA, MidStates
Hosting
Overseeing all contest logistics
Marching Band, Winter Guard, Indoor Percussion
Photographer for Band Pictures
Major Trip. 3 Hotel nights. Last trip cost @$83,000. Includes decisions about who could go/not go based on payment levels. Refunds? After trip collections? Also 22hr bus travel and night-time hotel supervision during stay.
Show Props. Organizing, overseeing design, construction, implementation.
Assembly of carts for front ensemble.
Music and design adjustments and rehearse and clean a Class A competitive marching show.
Recruiting, hiring, funding drill designer, music arranger, Color Guard choreographer, specialty coaches and field instructor.
Communicate/coordinate with the middle school directors.
Overseeing Instrument Purchase Plan and Repair Contract for the Corporation
Seating Charts / Part Assignments
Parade Block
Marching Band inside
Pre-Game Marching Assignments / Select Music / Write Drill
Marching Drill Assignments
Multiple Fall and Spring Concert Bands
Basketball Bands (2 bands x @6 games ea)
Music Selection
Multiple Fall and Spring Concert Bands
Fall Marching Band for Holiday Concert
Jazz Band for 4-6 performances
Spring Concert Band Tour
ADDITIONAL TASKS
Band office work
Retrieve/file music.
Take care of reeds, oils, sticks, and other supplies students purchase.
Make minor instrument repairs. Coordinate more significant repairs with the music store rep, including pickup, return — and keeping students/parents informed of status.
Reserve buses for all band trips; parades, contests (see above).
Complete Facility Use paperwork for each time during the year that you need the gym or auditorium for rehearsals and performances.
Collaborate instrumental purchase plan with other directors and the corporation’s financial person
Register and arrange payment for all competitions, plus acquire field trip approval and buses.
Maintain grade book.
Write weekly schedules / TWIBs. (This Week In Band), plus daily Band Camp or rehearsal schedule.
Write and publish band handbook.Register for all contests, parades and festivals.
Keep attendance records for school plus rehearsals, performances.
Make Accompaniment and practice mp3’s for individuals and for playing test practice
Write, transcribe, transpose music to fill in special parts for marching, concert, jazz music
Grant writing School Policies Compliance
Oversee school budget, complete paperwork for both deposits and withdrawals and pay vendors
Design and print programs for concerts and banquets.
Determine and create awards, plaques and other recognitions for end of year awards banquet.
Maintain “needs” list for when someone asks, for grant-writing, or when opportunities arise
Publicity: Newspapers, school announcements, website, email blasts, etc.
Maintain online calendar for rehearsals, performances
Scan, post all pep band music for download to student iPads
Maintain social media sites: web/blog, Facebook, twitter, YouTube, instagram, google+, etc.
Maintain band data base with home and cell phones and email addresses for multiple parent/guardian families plus students with separate contact info.
Design reports/seating charts (marching band, 5 concert bands, combined bands, graduation band) / parade block assignments/drill chart assignments/pre-game assignments/squads/basketball band assignments…or labels for music folders, shirts, mailings.
Organize a pre-solo/ensemble contest practice recital
Organize free piano accompanists for students unable to pay
Classroom Activities
Schedule, conduct and analyze playing tests or challenges. Assign seating for ensemble balance.
Update daily classroom announcements: Include standards, birthdays, calendar updates and enough jokes to keep students watching. Music accompaniment a plus.
Keep classroom presentable and clutter free for use by a variety of classes, ensembles and outside groups
Find ways to meet state and/or national standards without sacrificing the performance expectation overload
Create, distribute, collect health forms and ensure 100% compliance and that forms travel with the band.
Specialty Ensembles
Supervise some of the auxiliary ensembles; drumline, sideline ensemble, winter percussion, color guard, winter guard
Approve creative recommendations for specialty uniforms, flags, props, etc and oversee construction.
Collaboration with other Staff
Coordinate with choir director for rehearsals involving students in both groups
Sharing instrumentalists with show choir backup ensemble, school musicals
Share room and equipment (i.e. keyboards, megaphones, uniforms, instruments) with other teachers, classes and groups
Guidance Counselors for student scheduling and to encourage promotion of the band program
Attend meetings
School required faculty meetings, including mandatory training, department collaboration
IEP and other school meetings on behalf of individual students
Band Parent Organization, including Executive Board, Officers Only and General meetings.
Fundraising projects
“Director Reports”
Collaborating with individual fee collection
Dealing with personality clashes and chaperone issues
Overseeing special committees; i.e contest, uniform, major fundraising
Design teams (drill/choreographer, music, uniform/equipment design) for marching band, winter guard and indoor percussion shows
School mandated parent/teacher conferences
Meetings requested by students or parents
School Board meetings involving related budgets and programs
Make emergency judgment call decisions / calls when a student is injured or having medical issues in rehearsal or away at competitions.
Select Drum Major(s): Includes training, practicing, recruiting judges and providing selection criteria
Organize conducting, college prep or leadership classes/seminars
Attend Solo/Ensemble festivals at District or State.
Encourage and organize solo and ensemble participants, recruit pianists, ensure adequate practice and provide most participants free individual coaching sessions
Assist in individual (participation fees, pay-to-play, fair share) collections.
Write letters of recommendation for scholarships, college/job applications
Assist with auditions for area honor bands and specialty groups
I’m confident this list is NOT exhaustive, and would love to add to this list with other activities/responsibilities you experience or know about in your school.
When I asked my high school Valedictorian son why he had chosen a particular top-tier university and why he was tired of being the geek.
I’m tired of being the geek. I’m tired of ruining the curve. I’m tired of people getting mad at me because I do the extra credit anyway. I want to go somewhere I can be normal; where it is okay to be an achiever.
Pressure surrounds teens.
Parents push them to do better. Teachers need performance data in the ever-increasing “prove-you’re-teaching-and-they-are-learning” world of government schools. The strongest pressure, however, can come from peers.
In handing out a “pre-test”, a beginning of a semester assessment to find out where students are on a subject, a teacher was explaining to the class.
“This is NOT for a grade. This is to help me find out where to start. If you already know most of what is on this pre-test, I’ll be able to give you higher-level work.”
A student in the class spoke up,
“Fail it!”
The message was clear.
“If we look like we know stuff, they will give us more. If we all fail the pre-test, we’ll get easy stuff to do. LET’S GO!”
Here is some of the unwritten peer-pressure-code of many high schools:
Go easy on the pre-test. Save your effort for the one that counts.
Don’t ruin the curve.
If you turn it in early, you make the rest of us look bad.
If the instruction says 500 words, don’t do 501.
Just do what you have to do to get the grade your parents won’t yell about.
Don’t study at home, practice at home or do extra research at home because they’ll start expecting MORE.
The teacher will adjust the level of work to the level of the class. We vote for easy. Don’t mess it up for us.
Share your work with us…. we’ll change a few words and get away with it.
Teachers are the enemy. Don’t be a “teacher’s favorite”. The only time you should be “friendly” to a teacher is when you need something – or when you’re asking for more time, etc.
Snitches get stitches. C’mon! Who’s side are you ON?
If they give us the entire class period to take a test – take the entire time. If we get done too early, they will start on something else.
Tell your teachers what they want to hear, even if you have to make it up.
Use up the entire limit: number of times you can be tardy, number of times you can be called out before discipline, number of assignments you can miss, number of low grades that will be dropped…..and then use your puppy dog eyes and maybe even a few tears to plead for mercy, forgiveness and another chance — after the limit is hit.
Below are a few of the pics/graphics I try to use to encourage a different path…..
This pic is from the goal line of Lucas Oil in Indianapolis. Indiana bands have state finals here. Drum Corps International and Bands of America have national finals here. And…. many of my students call me ‘G’…
The first time this came up, I was working with a group of 9th grade clarinet students on finger dexterity and breath control. To do that, we were using a simple, one-octave scale they could all play. I didn’t often model my clarinet but had it with me for this rehearsal. We were working together, but I was also having them play individually. The progression of instruction:
Play the scale up and down, one octave – in one breath. Good.
Go one octave, two times in one breath. Got it.
One octave, three times, one breath. After a couple times – good.
Now, let’s go two octaves, one time, in one breath. Not too hard.
Two octaves, two times, one breath.
Two octaves, three times, one breath. “But Mr. Gardner, we’re going to have to go faster to do that.”
Ok. Your choice. Go faster and/or breathe deeper.
Here we go….
Two octaves, four times, in one breath. “Mr. G, a clarinet can’t go that fast.” (I loved hearing that).
I took my clarinet, played a THREE-octave scale up and down about 6-7 times in one breathe.
“How did you do that?”
Without any pause, I answered,
“My clarinet has a speed button.” I expected them to laugh, or to ask more questions, but every one of them took that answer at face value as in, ‘Oh….well, that explains it.’
I could not let them get away with that acceptance. I ripped off a 3 octave (or so) chromatic scale up and down multiple times, and then we talked about how I did that.
Did it look like I had to stop and think about what the next note was? Why not?
Did you see how close my fingers stay to the keys?
We discussed how we took that simple scale and worked on speed. Using that technique, and breaking runs into smaller groups, I was trying to help them grasp the concept of “Play Every Note.”
There is a sales technique called the “Puppy Dog” close. It gets is name from the puppy dog at the pet shop scenario:
A mother and young child go into a pet store to buy a dog. They find one, but mamma says it is too expensive.
The wise sales clerk invites the mother and child to take the puppy home for the night….with the offer to bring it back the next day if they don’t think it is worth the price.
They will NOT likely bring the puppy back.
I fell for that sales close with a car once. My wife wasn’t with me when I stopped on the lot (intentional, so I had a way out of a pressure sales situation). The smart salesperson invited me to drive the car home to show her. SOLD!
I used the “Puppy Dog” approach with a clarinet student (I will call her Sally). The first time I heard her play was in a middle school concert. I didn’t know Sally, but I noticed her. It was 2-3 yrs later when I convinced her parents to let her study privately with me. She had incredible musicianship but was hindered by a mediocre instrument.
When I would ask about a step up instrument, she always responded about how busy her parents were. Knowing her father’s occupation, I knew PRICE was NOT the issue.
The music dealer let me borrow a top of the line clarinet for a day, with return privilege that I was not expecting to utilize.
I took the clarinet to Sally’s band rehearsal at the high school, instructing her to play it in the rehearsal and then to take it home that night to practice with at home and either return the clarinet or payment the next day. She handed me the check for payment in full.
An inspirational success story from a super successful, LOCAL athlete. I don’t know her personally, but have followed some of her running career (I taught at her high school) in high school and college and have previously posted about some of her achievements. I was happy to make a small donation and encourage you to do the same. Read about how Riley helped her, what she just did for some of the children there, how she’s promoting this fundraiser and matching up to $5000. Hope you can help get her there.
I was rehearsing one of the concert bands on Pep Band music. One ensemble tended to lose tempo. To reinforce my point, I started them with a metronome — and then stop directing. After some time, I would restart the metronome. I described what they were doing: 
