Not for the faint of heart
This post is not for the faint of heart. This for the band directors in the thick of another year. Each situation with its own unique context, set of circumstances, and challenges. But each situation has students. Students in need of a musical role model. Students that can benefit from personal role models – namely the directors on the podium each day. This post is for those with heart to do right by the lives of their students. It is a letter of encouragement as the second half of the year moves along towards additional concerts, assessments, festivals, and clinics. My favorite word in the English language is encourage. I love the word encourage. The concept of giving others confidence, hope, support, or in short the courage to do something that they could not do on their own is an amazing act. If I could pick only one non-musical thing to give directors, students, and bands, it is simply encouragement.
Encouragement does nothing if we hold it inside. Give it to students. Besides a love of music, giving a student the courage to become and be part of something greater than themselves is one of the best gifts we, as directors and educators, can offer. We have no control over what has transpired in their lives prior to arriving in the band room that day. We can only control our preparation, how we present our expectations and needs for the day, and the environment in which we rehearse. When you get right down to it, every note in music is 50/50 – so if you can give them encouragement to risk in every rep, that’s a really an amazing thing. After all, it’s just notes. It’s just notes. They are people who do not know their potential for greatness – all that stands between them is just some notes on a page that will get worked out in practice rooms and rehearsal halls. If I could offer you three points of encouragement:
Be where your podium is.
It is so vital that we as directors are where our podium resides. Be mindful of the long term journey towards those performances (no matter how big or small), but not at the expense of the moment – and what they need from you. Sometimes it’s just a smile. Sometimes it’s a fist bump for small progress in challenging moments. Sometimes it’s grace for an honest mistake. And sometimes it’s just saying “I don’t know right now, but I will look into this and let you know”. Their needs are varied and vast. At times, perhaps they might seem overwhelming. But they are a person who has found their way to your band room, and the reality is their interaction with you both musically and socially might be the best thing that happens to them all week.
Polish a pearl, apply pressure to the coal.
Pearls are curious. Pearls form as a defensive by-product in oysters and freshwater mussels. A secretion from the oyster or mollusk around an irritant starts a slow process of transforming the unremarkable into something highly valuable. Sometimes in the flow of a rehearsal, there are aspects of the music we are rehearsing that seem unremarkable as well. It might only be the second half of a four measure phrase. It might be their chromatic scale test preparation. It might be getting more out of their dynamic contrast. It might finally be running the piece straight through with no stops for the first time. But it is an opportunity to be a friendly irritant to those musicians to bring about their best and start the formation of a pearl. One pearl a day? It might not sound like much, but after about 25 days of stringing those together the students will start to see their part in creating a beautiful necklace.
Speaking of highly valuable timeless staples, diamonds also require time to develop. Steady and appropriate pressure, not sudden and certainly not at the last minute is the path. A sudden urgent demand without proper opportunity for development will simply crush the coal. Put them in the best possible position for success- making do with the band you have in front of you, planning and preparing ahead using the resources that are available, and the repertoire that will best help them grow- not what everyone else might be playing. The right repertoire is essential for creating the right kind of pressure.
They will remember how well your group played.
I’ll say it again – the right repertoire is essential. I would encourage all directors at every level to make music first choices in the best interest of helping the students grow. There are ubiquitous number of lists and resources from which to pull…and countless message boards…and endless brochures and email blasts with suggestions. But none of them know your ensemble as well as you do. Only your confidants, colleagues, and friends in the profession know your job as well as you. Use your own skill set to choose repertoire that helps your students grow musically, help them to feel seen in the style, title, or composer, and beyond that – and this is vital – grows their love of music. Period. When it comes to that performance- regardless of where and for who – that audience should feel the love of music resonating from your group. In those moments, parents, friends, administrators, and even adjudication/assessment judges won’t always remember what you played – they will remember how well you played.
So here’s my encouragement to you: keep showing up. Keep being present on that podium. Keep polishing those pearls and putting pressure on the coal one rehearsal at a time. Keep choosing music that serves your students, not your ego or anyone else’s expectations. The work you’re doing matters more than you know. In a world that often feels fragmented and uncertain, you’re giving young people a place to belong, to grow, to create something beautiful together. That’s not small work. That’s legacy work.
The second half of the year will test you—it always does. But you’ve got this. Your students need exactly the director they have: you, right where you are, doing encouraging work of the heart. Now get back to that podium. There are pearls waiting to be polished, diamonds to be mined, and words of encouragement waiting to be shared.
