Summer Band Starts...

Well, we've been hitting it pretty hard over the course of the last two weeks. First, we had a weekend of student leadership, then a day of freshmen, and then the whole crew. I have to say that I'm very encouraged by how things are progressing!

The staff was discussing the other day that we cannot think of a single student that we get cross-ways with. It just seems like any of the students who might have potentially been problems have either graduated or simply "moved-on."

This leads me to a belief that is once again proven by the above: "music is for everyone, but band is not." I'd like to see more students interested in band and joining early on and staying through graduation, but a lot of students lack the discipline it takes to function in the band.

What sort of discipline does it take? Well, I don't think it's all that bad. You're not in the army when you join band and we certainly don't dictate to you what your hairstyle will be. We require you to be on time, to prioritize that time and to have a good attitude. We expect that you'll work hard and be personally responsible for your actions.

Sadly, this is beyond the scope of a lot of students. Whether it is the upbringing they go through (be it home, church, school, community...) or the simple self-centeredness we all inherently have, some students cannot commit to these principles. I think that's a terrible thing too, because as near as I can tell -- from history and from my own personal experience -- this is how the world functions. Sure you can be self-centered all you want, but if you can't be on time or if you have a lackluster work ethic you probably won't be able to hold down a job.

Along with self-centeredness is a sour attitude toward submission. Let's face it: all of us are simultaneously in a place of submission and in a place of leadership. When I teach the drumline, those students are in submission to me to run rehearsal and to guide them. But I am also very much in submission to my superiors. Now, if I wasn't able to cope with my dual-role as leader and follower, I'd make for an ineffective leader and a miserable subordinate. Neither sound very appealing, and again, appear to not work very either.

So, why have things been going well in summer band? Because most of our students (with a few occasional exceptions that we can chalk up to "having a bad day," -- still inexcusable in my book) are compliant and are willing to work. And 8:20 a.m. comes early for students who have been sleeping past noon all summer, but we haven't had any terrible tardiness issues.

It's going to be a good year. I'm already physically very tired, but my spirit is willing. I'm optimistic for the future. And since the future is in all of our hands, I know that I will be doing everything in my power and ability to make this year the best one we've had.