{"id":3929,"date":"2019-09-24T10:17:57","date_gmt":"2019-09-24T17:17:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bandworld.org\/magazine\/?p=3929"},"modified":"2025-03-21T14:18:47","modified_gmt":"2025-03-21T21:18:47","slug":"directing-the-band-6-survival-tactics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bandworld.org\/magazine\/index.php\/directing-the-band-6-survival-tactics\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cDeveloping Musicians or Directing the Band?\u201d 6 Survival Tactics for the Middle School Band Director \ufeff"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cTraps\u201d in the Daily Life of a Middle School Band Director\n<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may be familiar with the adage, \u201cHe couldn\u2019t see the forest for the trees.\u201d If we were to reverse the wording of\nthat expression, we have an accurate description of what happens to many middle school band directors.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Middle school band directors are often responsible for as many as 300 or more students each day\u2014sometimes with\nlittle or no assistance. It is easy to understand how being surrounded by dozens of middle school students can\ncause our mind to be automatically thrown into the \u201ccrowd control\u201d mode, which can often us to overlook the needs\nof the students in regards to the development of their individual musical growth.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The chaos that comes with a room full of 12 and 13-year olds create demands the director\u2019s immediate attention\nand we forget that the individual members of the group are each at different skill levels. The technical and musical\ngrowth of the individual takes a back seat to the necessities of crowd control as our day devolves into a game of\n\u201cwhack-a-mole\u201d as we resolve one problem after another. Link: Read More…\n<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

6 Common Reasons or Excuses for Not Taking Action\n<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The most common statements by those who become frustrated and discouraged tend to be:\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u201cI\u2019m all by myself. I have no help.\u201d\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>
  2. \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u201cWe don\u2019t have the budget for extra help.\u201d\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>
  3. \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u201cWe don\u2019t have private lesson teachers.\u201d\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>
  4. \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u201cOur kids can\u2019t afford private lessons.\u201d\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>
  5. \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u201cMy students simply don\u2019t practice!\u201d\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>
  6. \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u201cIf I ask for help my principal will tell me that I complain too much.\u201d\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    6 Survival Tactics That Can Give YOU the Advantage!\n<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Whatever the reason, if we allow any of these issues to stifle our desire to grow and help our students develop\nmusically, the result for the middle school band director is the failure to establish the individual musical skills and\nconcepts necessary for their success.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The following list contains six suggestions that can provide opportunities for the middle school band director to\nbecome a more affective educator, gain confidence in the classroom, and experience immense growth as an\neducator:\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSeek out a Mentor: <\/strong>Regardless of your situation, there are options available. You may have to spend time\nasking questions and making phone calls but, chances are, there is more than one older director\u2014perhaps\nin retirement\u2014who was successful and willing to spend the time to help.\n<\/em>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>
    2. \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDevelop a Relationship with a Consultant: <\/strong>this can bring about the greatest growth for a director at any\nlevel of experience because the consultant will come to your school, observe you, your students, and your\nrehearsal.\n<\/em>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>
    3. \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tVisit and Observe Successful Director<\/strong>: Ask your campus administrator for permission to take a day to\nvisit a successful band program.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>
    4. \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDon\u2019t Allow Yourself to Become Discouraged<\/strong>: This is another reason to bring in a consultant on a\nregular schedule. It can be easy to become discouraged when observing successful programs or attending\nfeature performances at state conventions.\n<\/em>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>
    5. \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLearn to Enjoy the Days of Growth<\/strong>: keep in mind that there are only two scenarios when a music\neducator stops learning: 1) becoming completely overwhelmed with frustration; and 2) being hit by a bus!\nTry to view challenges in terms of improving your skill set-what you are learning rather than criticizing\nyourself for not knowing what to do.\n<\/em>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>
    6. \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDevelop Your Support Systems<\/strong>: Again, this is where a lasting relationship with a consultant you trust can\nbe most beneficial. Chances are, if they have reached the place professionally where they are being sought\nafter for guidance, then they have had to develop their own systems to depend on. Link: Read More…\n<\/em>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      6 Practices, or Survival Tactics\n<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

      You may think, \u201cI simply don\u2019t have the time or financial resources for this.\u201d If so, try this–ask one the more\nexperienced educators that you know and trust to meet with you in a comfortable setting away from school to\nbrainstorm. Take just one afternoon and leave your campus as soon as your students have left. I look back on when\nI did this and, many years later, I find it interesting that what I learned from my \u201cStarbucks\u201d experience was not so\nmuch about rehearsal tactics or pedagogical ideas as it was about learning more about myself and how to maintain\na healthy mental outlook. So, consider the following 6 concepts that I learned during my journey. I remember each\nof these by associating them with one of my favorite quotes by Theodore Roosevelt.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u201cDo what you can, with what you have, where you are.\u201d <\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

      1. Don\u2019t waste your time by wishing you were somewhere else-somewhere better. Most of the \u201cicon\u2019s\u201d of our\nprofession started out in places you have never heard of or perhaps no longer on the map.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u201cNobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n


      <\/em><\/strong>2. You do more than direct the band. You are the person who ultimately establishes the culture for your students and for your program. They will be more likely to \u201cbuy in\u201d to your standards if they see you\ndetermined and committed to their success.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u201cIt is only through labor and painful effort, by grim energy and resolute courage, that we move on to better things.<\/em>\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n


      <\/strong>3. Remember the importance of consistency\u2014not giving up when discouraged. Discouragement comes along with the job\u2014it’s unavoidable at times. Always remember, \u201cthis too shall pass!\u201d Never give up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u201cThe only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything.\u201d\n<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      4. Be willing to go outside of your personal comfort zone and do not fear mistakes. If you are truly working to\nimprove yourself, you will occasionally do both.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u201cIt is far better to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure… than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.\u201d <\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

      5. Be courageous. Be willing to try new ways of doing things. When you discover what works for you, it\u2019s\nyours\u2014and your students will reap the benefits.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u201cNine-tenths of wisdom is being wise in time.\u201d <\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

      6. Don\u2019t ask for or expect a quick fix. There are no magic pills to produce instant wisdom. You wouldn\u2019t be\nhuman if you didn\u2019t experience frustration from time to time.\nRemember that your two enemies are often FEAR and SELF-DOUBT. \u201cSteel sharpens steel,\u201d so make it your goal\nbring in someone you can learn from\u2014regularly. And finally, be prepared for the question, \u201cwhy do you create so\nmuch work for yourself?\u201d The following brief passage reflects one such question that was posed to me by other\ndirectors on several occasions during my career. It doesn\u2019t seem as if it would be a major issue, but it represents\nsomething that I believe is crucial for success:\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      I remember directors asking, \u201cwhy do you waste time with practice records? Most students, and evens their\nparents, will not be honest in reporting practice time.\u201d\n<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      First, I truly believed that many of my students and parents were honest with their practice records. I also\nbelieved that if my students recognized how much I valued the concept of consistent practice by seeing my\nrelentless commitment in taking them up every Wednesday, grading them, and returning the next day, it\nwould a positive influence on their attitude. The change didn\u2019t happen overnight, but it happened.\n<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Benjamin Davis
      \nRockwall, Texas\n<\/em>bendavis1957@gmail.com\nwww.trumpetworx.com\n<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      A full version of this document can be found and downloaded from the <\/em>TrumpetWorx consulting page<\/em>.\n<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      \u201cTraps\u201d in the Daily Life of a Middle School Band Director You may be familiar with the adage, \u201cHe couldn\u2019t see the forest for the trees.\u201d If we were to reverse the wording of that expression, we have an accurate description of what happens to many middle school band directors. Middle school band directors are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":7468,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,25],"tags":[247,246,788,303,256],"class_list":["post-3929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-philosophy","tag-bandworld","tag-bandworld-magazine","tag-benjamin-davis","tag-middle-school-band","tag-philosophy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bandworld.org\/magazine\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3929","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bandworld.org\/magazine\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bandworld.org\/magazine\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bandworld.org\/magazine\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/48"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bandworld.org\/magazine\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3929"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bandworld.org\/magazine\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3929\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3931,"href":"https:\/\/bandworld.org\/magazine\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3929\/revisions\/3931"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bandworld.org\/magazine\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7468"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bandworld.org\/magazine\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bandworld.org\/magazine\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bandworld.org\/magazine\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}