Bandguys’ Blog

A motto created by my students

Who ever coined the phrase “Back to the Drawing Board” must have been an educator.  Back in August, I wrote about reinventing myself as a band director and reshaping my program.  Well, it has been a long process, and what I hae learned is that I have not reshaped my program, but evolved with it.  A music program is like a living, breathing organism.  It like an ensemble unto itself. I have seen tremendous maturation occur so far this year, and have struggled to keep up.

This year, I have begun the great adventure of trying to be both band director and choir director.  It is one of the hardest things I have ever done.  The simple task of trying to transition between the two disciplines is mind-bending.  Fortunately, I have wonderful students who are doing a fairly good job of keeping this year in perspective and understanding that there are adjustments happening for everyone.  The learning curve has been very steep this year.

I think the most helpful change I have made this year is keeping a journal every day.  I reflect on everything from encounters with students to how a particular lesson went.  I started doing this for several reasons, among them was to gather the type of material that would be good for this blog and helpful to others.  So, going forward, I plan to share with you some of the most inspiring and insightful among my adventures this year so far.