Bonnaroo 2010 Widget

A New Year Begins...

Well, the new school years has started up and it's hard to believe that so much time has pasted since my last published post. I had a few that I never finished writing, but there's no point in posting them now. So, much has happened in the last six months and I really feel like I've grow within my position as a band director. Well, what I really mean to say is that I've gained a certain sense of self-confidence that I've not yet had up to this point. Last year really had so much to do with that because of what we accomplished and what the program was able to do.

When I recall all of what we accomplished, it all seems a blur and almost doesn't feel like it happened. But it happened and we did it. What did we do?

08-09 Accolade and Accomplishments
- We bought new concert band uniforms.
- Straight Superior ratings at the FBA Marching Festival in October.
- We were awarded the 2008 Class 4A State Marching Band Champions
- We won overall Most Outstanding Music in Class 4A Marching Band Championships
- The winter concert was the best winter concert I've had in my years teaching.
- We had almost 75 Superior Ratings at the FBA Solo & Ensemble Festival in March
- The Wind Ensemble AND Symphonic Bands received straight Superior ratings at the FBA Concert Band Festival for the first time in school history (I've been told).
- The Wind Ensemble attended the Music For All/Bands of America National Concert Band Festival in Indianapolis, IN for the first time in school history.
- The Winter Guard made finals at the WGI World Championships in Dayton, OH.
- The Wind Ensemble received straight Superior ratings at the FBA State Concert Band Festival in April awarding the school the Otto Kraushaar Award for the first time in school history (I've been told).
- Then we ended the year with 3 outstanding performances of our Encore! show.
- And we finally bought and received our new marching band uniforms (to premier in the fall).

HOLY SHIT!!! That's a year if I've ever seen one. And who wouldn't want to be apart of that. Well...several as it turns out. We worked our asses off, and it paid off. We did such a great job, that I passed out the day after school got out for the summer and I woke up about two weeks before school start again at the end of the summer. At least that's what it seemed like. Now the questions that rise from all this...

Was it worth it? Was the stress worth the payoff? Would I do all that again? Am I pleased with the outcome of the year? Did the kids have a good time? Did I make the students work to hard? Did I demand too much of them?

So, many questions that I thought about over the summer (as I was sleeping) and I wasn't ever able to answer all of them. Maybe blogging about all this will help.

So man wonderful events and accomplishments, however, the effect that all this had on the program was very interesting. Students quit. Parents complained. Administration questioned. Students struggled with practicing and balancing school. Parents struggled with fees and volunteering. Administratively it was hard to organize all that we needed to through the school.

So, what now? The first major effect this had on me was that I no longer feel that I'm not good enough. Musically speaking, I know that I am able to get an ensemble to the level that I would like them to get to. I even enjoy listening to the recordings. I have nothing more to prove. I've done all that I've set out to do way back in my college years, minus one. Be a great band director.

Being a great band director has nothing to do with the performance level of the program. Yes, that is an element of being a desirable "band" director, but to be a director of bands...of a program. That's different. This year, I am trying to approach things differently. This year I'm attempting to take a more positive approach to teaching. I'm trying to be a bit less demanding without lowering my standards. I'm trying to have fun with the students and talk more about the music rather than the performance level. I'm trying to engage the students more in their own learning rather than telling them what they need to learn. I don't want to overwork them. I want them to realize they are able to balance their work load and still accomplish so much AND find time to be a kid or a human being. But I really just want them to have a good time and stick around. I don't want to loose anymore students. I want my students running to the middle school talking up the program and how much they've learned, how much fun it is, and that they get so much out of it.

Things that are now on my list to improve....
Retention, communication with parents, engaging the parents, making it cheaper to participate, recruiting more students, getting involved in the school more, and finally getting the students to love music for music and getting them to think creatively.

Still so much to do and all I really want to do is educate students about music.

The Meetings...

...how is it that i feel like i have a meeting everyday, or at least every time i turn around. i know that's not the case, but wow!

here's an interesting bit about the time that i spend doing what i do:

when i take a look at the past three weeks (and when i say three weeks, i'm including the next two days, even though they haven't happened yet, but they should be normal days) i have only seen my classes 10 times in three weeks. that's a third of the time i should have. why?

the first week back from break i had FMEA conference/clinic - fun, rewarding, somewhat rejuvenating. the next week we had exams which usually two normal days (mon./tues.) an then two half days, and then teacher work day on friday. then i had this week. normal except for today which is when i had all-county rehearsal all day (i had to be there to chaperon) with an FBA meeting thrown in there, and i couldn't go to the performance tonight because i had a booster board budget meeting. (say that 5 times fasts!)

why am i writing about this...

this all goes back to "the hours" and the time that is put into the job and what the job really is. you think...'band director' which is a teacher or an educator. right?

i wish. i wish that more of my job was teaching. maybe more of it is teaching than i realize, but the truth is...the amount of time i actually spend teaching is quite minimal and i'm looking to balance that as well. for 30 minutes before school i'm emailing or doing paperwork. then i get my "planning" period during 4th block which is 90 minutes plus lunch before that, so make it 2 hours in there for paperwork. monday i have leadership after school for two hours, then i stay till about 6 for paperwork. wednesday and friday i stay till about 5 (on a good day) so that i can go to the gym and actually be active. maybe go home and make dinner and have some normality to my life. so that's another 2 and a half hours on those days. tuesday, is the after school rehearsal which usually is preceded by 30 minutes of paperwork or talking to students, putting out fires, or fixing issues from 2:30 to 3:00. then when rehearsal ends, i usually stay till about 9 (which is when the guard finishes) so that i can catch up on paperwork and emails or other corresponding. thursday i have rehearsal starting at 5:30 so that would be 3 hours of work time (weeeeeeee!) that i have to get stuff done.

so, in a "normal" week i have three 90 minute classes each day that i teach for 5 days a week, which is about 22.5 hours a week. after adding up the time i spend doing paperwork i come to about 28.5 hours (on average) per week.

then we have two meetings per month (normally) for about 2 hours each. then i have saturday guard shows in the winter (which we are starting this weekend) which is about 11am to 11pm each saturday (for me). another 12 hours. :-)

then you have FBA meetings, and parent meetings, and sit downs with the students from time to time. then you have design meetings. then you have parents before and after rehearsal needing information. then you have phone calls and talks/meetings with administration or guidance. then you have the extra band rehearsal (teaching time) and band performances. then there is music/score study.

let's just look at today...

up at 6, at school by 6:45 to get the sub work set for each class, out of there by 7:30, up to all-county rehearsal by 8:15. i sat and study scores for about an hour and a half, then talked with some directors, then started putting together some ideas and thoughts for my leadership "classes" that i teach after school. then we had an FBA meeting lunch at 12:30 and then meeting at 1 till about 3. then i went to approve a composite at the photo store, went home to change and then workout, and then i got dressed and went to school for a meeting from 6:30 till 9:30. that's a 15 and half hour day and i didn't even teach a note. SHIT!!!!!!

meanwhile, my buddy was there and all we talked about what surfing/kiting and his hot girlfriend. that stuff would fall under hobby and relationships. i have neither!!!

okay, well, speaking of time...i'm running in to my beauty sleep. i got's to go!

...oh my life as a band director.

Added questions....

here's another question to add to the original post. and this will probably be discussed further in the financial section of the blog, once i get there.

- how do i gain enough financial security and cushion to be able to improve my credit and be able to buy something that i would really benefit from. say...a new macbook. how does that happen?
- much less a house.

meanwhile, i'm writing this on a macbook at best buy wishing i had $2K to drop. my mac mini is old and decrepit and it's time to move on. how do i get financially comfortable enough to say..."okay, i can afford to do this."

it's it will power? is it purely the ability to save money? based on the teacher salary, i guess that's all i have.

and what if there were other ways that i would like to make money.

i.e. - write music, music editing for color guard (easy), etc.

anyway...much to think about.


....another day in my life as a band director.

The Hours of Time...con't.

wow, so, i'm laying in bed last night (feeling like crap) just exhausted and all i can think about is the many things i have to do for school before the semester starts.

- get the field trip packets copies and stapled
- get the smart music cart set up
- make sure my smart music account is set up for assignments
- figure out how to get my students to set up their own account
- set up the first assignment with each class
- find info about mitch and get ready for that conference
- call jed
- get those last 3 kids into wind ensemble
- and all the rest...

here is why this has become a post. a continued post of the last one...

i'm at home on this holiday monday (MLK Day) and i really don't want to go to school to get all this done. LACK OF MOTIVATION!!!

i'll go in after i eat breakfast, and i'll get as much as i can done. but why am i so unmotivated. i am tired (as always), i don't feel well, i've been getting migraines lately, and i haven't been to the gym yet and i really want to go today. i want to start the week out right.

how am i going to do all this? i need to set a time line. a schedule if you will. i need to limit myself and help guide myself. how much time do i get for each thing.

- healthy breakfast w/ my buddy.
- get to school to finish up a bit of work
- get to the gym
- come home early enough to relax before the week starts.

quick side note...i hate to bring work home with me. weather it's a phone call, grades, or whatever, i don't like it.

...oh my life as a band director.

The Balance and the Life

how do we balance the requirement of the job with our own lives?

in order to truly come to understand and clear up the question of a balanced life of a band director, then we have first have to take a look at several questions.

what is the responsibility of the band director? what is their purpose from a curricular stand point? what is their roll within the school? community? what roll do they play in their students' lives as many of these 'directors' teach and guide their students for 4 years? what are their professional goals? what are their musical goals? what are their educational goals? how well do they communicate with those that are suppose to help and support them? what do their students want from them? what do they want to learn?

as we explore all these questions, i believe we can then begin to look into how to balance the life of the band director. based on the answers of all these questions (and many more) we may be able to find out what the band director should be offering, or maybe more importantly, what they are able to offer with the time time, support, and facilities that are provided for him/her.

the next step will then be a look at the personal life of the band director (in this case), himself and the many aspects of life. i.e. - finances, relationships, religion, hobbies, health & fitness, personal space and time, personal goals, travel, family, education and whatever else we will come across in our exploration.

will we come to a conclusion? will we determine one thing over another? will we be able to help balance the life of a band director?

...we'll see.