But now I find myself past the half way point of my summer session at Kent (a little sad about Dr. Dorfman leaving, but he will do great things at BU), and balancing my course load with a series of summer rehearsals with the marching band.  My hour plus drive during the week has provoked some thoughts in me about our role as band directors and how one year never really seems to end…

Consider that our performance groups mirror the school athletic teams in the districts in which we teach: football leads to hoops like marching band gives way to pep band.  For some of us, our jazz ensembles usually start before pep band finishes.  Preparing students for honors festivals takes time in and out of school, and before long preparations for a spring trip come into play.  We hold auditions for next year’s band fronts before we sometimes get all the equipment back.  We become immersed in the process of recruitment/retainment for our ensembles for the next year before the final note of our spring concert is sounded.  Don’t forget monthly Booster meetings, important board meetings, faculty meetings, and in-service days that have all the relevance of a Paula Cole acoustic set at a Biker Rally in Sturges.  During my last week of school while other teachers are putting away books, cleaning up their rooms, and putting together a summer reading list, I work with the Senior Class Advisor making graduation practice happen for about 100 graduates to be – at the same time being responsible for 25 students in the commencement band.  All of this being said I have not mentioned that we are teaching students during the school day….that is when the brilliant Ed Rendell says we don’t have to be testing them (note: Rendell=jabroni).

At times, the “necessary evils” of our profession seem insurmountable.  There is only one of us, and we can get stretched pretty thin.  So submitted for your approval, 5 suggestions to make your life as a band director a bit more manageable.

5) Plan early – Budget not only what amount of time you commit but when as well.  This means getting your schedule set early for all extra-groups and constantly looking at the big picture.  The more information we have at our fingertips when we begin mapping out our schedules, the less chance we have for a frustrating surprise wrecking our plans.

4) Don’t teach the same band every year - Each year our group’s complexion will change.  Sometimes we reload sections, sometimes we rebuild them.  But in either case – they are a differently personality that learns in a different way.  They should know our expectations, but we should be responsible to learn how to connect with them better.

3) Think about next year’s band now – Huh? Yes, in the moment of working with this year’s group make sure you take time to note how underclassmen are developing.  To ensure our groups can maintain the demands of performance and live up to their expectations, we need to build up the skills, confidence, and demeanor of younger players so that when the time comes they can assume a new role.

2) Consider goals – We should engage ourselves and our ensembles in setting goals – personal and group goals for our camps, and throughout the year.  The goals should be worthy of our (collective) commitment.  The goals should be reachable through sound process (no pun intended).

1) Take Time for You – Throughout the year and especially in the summer, we need to take some breaks.  One week in the Outer Banks does wonders for yours truly, and the other 51 don’t seem that bad.  Even throughout the year, from month to month, taking time away is rewarding.  Finding those 15 minutes a day for you and  your other interests can make a world of difference.

There is a band for all seasons, as long as a Director is there to lead them.

I have very basic expectations for student teachers:

• Be there. If you are that sick I will tell you to go home. Otherwise, we are in it for the long haul, and it is time to wear the sickness down instead of vice versa.
• Be organized/prepared. Nick and I never went into a rehearsal or lesson the past 8 weeks without a plan. I am not talking a down to the minute synopsis of how general music is going to explore the music of Janis Joplin…not that I think that is a worthwhile endeavor….but we spent time discussing what we needed to accomplish, and where we needed to focus our energies.
• Be prepared to fail. Look, everybody wants to hit it out of the park on the first at bat. But that doesn’t happen too often. If you fail, get over it. In another 4 minutes a different group of students is coming in the door that don’t care that your Janis Joplin lesson failed – they care about Holst and what you can teach them about him!
• Understand every experience for what it is, and understand what you can learn from it (the good, the bad, and the Janis…er….the ugly, as it were).
• Never teach a lesson on Janis Joplin. (Not that Nick did, I just thought that maybe someone would think it was a good idea…)
• Be professionally passionate. Why did you choose music? Why did you choose to teach music? What excites you in music? Can the students see it? You are a musical role model on many levels. Within the subject that we teach, there are inherent meanings in the music that we unlock with our students. They don’t just think different after it is revealed to them, they feel different. They need to recognize in you that you believe in your profession, and that you are passionate in creating and teaching this art.
• As Uncle Lou always told me – “Love great music.” So if you are an undergrad, and you haven’t realized MY BAND ROOM IS ON FIRE, take the challenge….(cause actually, last Tuesday, my school was on fire….no joke….).

This is by no means a complete list. But they are some of the things I look for in student teachers, and encourage them to consider as they make the transition. I was very fortunate to have worked with Nick, and I am earnestly looking forward to Krista joining our program in a few weeks. A different set of eyes, a new set of ears, and an outside voice of perspective that a student teacher can provide can be helpful. It is rewarding for me to work with them as I can share my own philosophy and really take stock of what I am doing and how the program is doing. As much as any student teacher learns from this process, I always find myself learning something from them. It is a neat symbiotic (sorry to go all Obi-wan-Episode I on you…) relationship for the student teacher, myself and the ensembles. I keep tabs on all the student teachers I have worked with in my 13 years. It is always exciting for me to catch up with them, and an honor to assist them with a project or provide advice and council.

We are educators. We teach music. We also sometimes must train future educators of music. It is our duty to provide them with an opportunity to grow, an opportunity to succeed, and a mentor and role model that is sincere and passionate about their calling to bring the power of music to enhance the students’ lives.