“I am not in marching band because… I can’t march, can’t memorize music, need a job, am in sports”…etc. All MYTHS. Check out these myth-busters.
Tag: marching band
Marching Band Myth Busters: Why I Can’t Be In Marching Band
Posted in High Schools, Marching Band, Teaching, Teaching Music Tagged with: how to, marching band, newbies, rookies, survival guide
Dear Drum Major Candidates
We have five amazing candidates auditioning for Drum Major. I sent them the following note to let them know that WE (directors) know how hard they’ve been working. I wish we could pick them all…..
Posted in High Schools, Marching Band, Respect Tagged with: auditions, band, drum major, marching band
Everything I Need To Know I Learned In Band, Part 1
by John Gardner Searching at home for a book, I discovered a 1989 edition of Robert Fulghum’s book, All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten. What an easy read of short, humorous, 2-3 page stories of events most…
Posted in High Schools, Marching Band, Music Department, Public Schools, Teaching, Teaching Music Tagged with: Band Directing, band director, concert band, marching band, Teaching, Teaching Music
Band Freshman vs General Population Freshman
Seniors ignore freshmen and freshmen steer clear of seniors….except for BAND freshmen!
Marching band starts just days after graduation with rehearsals in June and a two-week band camp prior to school. So, by the time non-band freshmen arrive, band freshmen have 100 friends, including seniors.
Posted in High Schools, Teaching, Teaching Music Tagged with: band, competition, education, marching band, self-esteem, teens, values
“Getting out of the rut” no longer works with teens
I came into a program that was stable, consistent, well-rounded — but with few exceptional accomplishments in marching band competition. I told them,
“If you keep doing the things you’ve been doing, you’ll keep getting the results you’ve been getting.”
I tried to use the analogy of “getting out of the rut”. It did NOT work. I now know why.
Posted in Assistant Directing, Classroom Teacher, High Schools, Teaching Music Tagged with: changing direction, competition, goals, marching band, motivation
Teens will listen
I have always believed that if you show them that you really care about them as an individual, and treat them with dignity and respect, that they will give it to you in return. I think you can see that in this picture – can’t you?
Posted in High Schools, Music Department, Personal experience, Respect, Teaching, Teaching Music Tagged with: band, high school, marching band, mentoring, Respect, Teaching, teenagers, teens
S-Steps To Success
By John Gardner Super Size Poster At the end of my first semester at my current school, I gave a “talk” at the Band Banquet Awards….. I’ve made some edits for outdated details and for a more general audience, but…
Posted in High Schools Tagged with: creative show design, excellence, goals, group goal setting, marching band, music technology, success, super-size
5 Considerations to Making a leap of Faith
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.
Posted in High Schools, Marching Band, Music Department, Music Performance, Teaching, Teaching Music Tagged with: commitment, excellence, faith, leap of faith, marching band
“Challenger” – an emotional marching band show
It is fitting to design a show about the Challenger Shuttle disaster on this, the 30th year anniversary. Like other major events; Pearl Harbor, President Kennedy Assassination, 9-11… people old enough to remember know exactly where they were and how they heard about Challenger.
Posted in Marching Band, Music Performance, Personal experience, Teaching, Teaching Music Tagged with: challenger, competition, marching band
14+ Ways to Volunteer for a Marching Band to Appreciate and Applaud What is Good About Teenage America
by John Gardner In a quick search on variations of “teen school behavior”, “teen behavior” and such, I found links to a several behavior modification schools, advertisements for parental survival guides, places that want to segregate teens to ranches or…
Posted in High Schools, Marching Band, Parenting, Teaching, Teaching Music Tagged with: Band Directing, high school, marching band, music departments, Teaching Music, volunteer
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