It is ironic that we will never fully understand what our school colleagues in other subject areas do on a daily basis; we work on the same campus with them for years, but much of what they do remains a mystery. We might hear what students say about them (and who knows how accurate that is), catch a snippet of their philosophy in a teachers’ meeting, or maybe gain some insight in the teachers’ lounge. We may even get a direct glimpse of their teaching here and there, but we would have to observe them 24/7 all year to truly understand. 
    It is like we are all living in parallel universes with administrators living in another one all their own. Administrators typically see little of their charges in action because they have scarce time to spend in teacher classrooms, thanks to disciplinary and bureaucratic matters. This is unfortunate. In the fall, their exposure to band is typically limited to watching ten minutes of rehearsal, tolerating a pep rally or two, and half-listening to a halftime show while mixing with a patron or chasing an unruly student who just threw a hotdog at the cheerleaders.
    The idea of not truly understanding what our colleagues go through has made me slow to criticize others. For instance, I do know enough about an administrator’s job to know I would never want it. I am too structured. The very thought that what I was going to do on any given day could be regularly blown out of the water and suddenly replaced by hours of disciplinary and parental unpleasantness makes me shudder. If I wanted to hear all the complaints an administrator has to hear from every corner, I would apply for a customer service job somewhere and answer from a cubicle. The list could go on, but you would have to talk to an administrator to get the full story, and like I said, even then you would not understand.
    The band director’s universe is a little different in that our handiwork is displayed on a regular basis, and band directors often receive encouraging comments more often than a typical teacher. However, it does not mean anyone really understands what we do. In fact, because of our greater exposure, some get the mistaken impression that they understand what a director has to do to pull a successful band program together and therefore feel free to offer ill-informed criticism or suggestions. I do not believe I should be free from criticism (although that would be nice), but it rankles me when the criticism is nitpicky and void of any acknowledgment of the many time-consuming responsibilities, both great and small, that I have to do to keep the program running successfully. I want to scream, “After  all the work I’ve done, you are bothering me with this?” However, I don’t; I just die a little more inside.
    Just in case someone wants to put themselves in my shoes, I’ve put together a record of a typical Friday game day during marching season using data from my Fitbit activity tracker. (I’ve rounded numbers off for ease of addition.)

Before-School Routine
    Walked around the house. (150 steps)
    Returned to the house from my car to find and retrieve the car keys. (100 steps)
    Went back into the house from the car to find my smartphone. (100 steps)

Morning Duty
    Located and corralled students from outlying areas. (425 steps)

First Period Prep
    Traveled to and returned from copy room to get papers sent to printer from office computer. Glitch in system. Nothing there to print. (350 steps)
    Sent files again. Returned to copy room to get needed paperwork. (350 steps)
    Repeated this process throughout the day, including a visit with technology coordinator. (1,200 steps)

Second Period Beginning Band
    Took student to office for hitting another student with music stand. (250 steps)
    Walked around while teaching. (200 steps)
    Hurried to restroom between classes. (300 steps)

Third Period Junior Jazz Band
    Walked around during rehearsals of Funky Monkey and Boom Boom. Took three trips to shake a cord connected to a bass amp to get it to work. (200 steps)

Fourth Period Beginning Band
    Walked around while teaching. (200 steps)

Fifth Period Marching Band
    Walked to and from practice field. (2,000 steps)
    Patrolled field during fundamentals. (500 steps)
    Walked up and down stadium steps to observe band. (500 steps)
    Ran toward drum section when they dragged the tempo. (200 steps)
    Returned to the stadium after rehearsal to retrieve my marching band notebook and megaphone. (2,000 steps)

Lunch
    Walked to the cafeteria and back to my office. (750 steps)
    Returned to the cafeteria to get a forgotten fork, then returned to office. (750 steps)

Sixth Period Senior High Jazz Band
    Walked around during rehearsal. (200 steps)
    Walked to my office to retrieve an extra bass guitar folder for player who left his at home. (25 steps)

Seventh Period Guitar Class
    Walked to my assistant’s office to ask for help with Airplay that was not working on AppleTV. (50 steps)

Eighth Period Junior High Band (Canceled for Pep Rally)
    Walked to and from gym for pep rally. (800 steps)
    Represented faculty in relay involving running with eggs on a spoon. (400 steps)
    Paced around during pep rally. (100 steps)

Drive Home
    Prepared for the game. (200 steps)

Return to School and Start Pregame Preparation
    Walked to the field. (1,000 steps)
    Visited press box to talk to announcer. (150 steps)

Game Time
    Greeted the visiting band with band council during first quarter. (1,000 steps)
    Monitored students around the concession stand during third quarter. (300 steps)

Post-Game Shutdown
    Returned to field for missing drum carrier. (2,000 steps)
    Checked that doors were locked. (200 steps)
    Turned out building lights. (300 steps)
    Walked to car. (200 steps)
    Returned to bandroom to retrieve sousaphone with stuck valve. (200 steps)
    Turned out light in teacher’s lounge after noticing it while getting into my car. (150 steps)
    Returned to car. (150 steps)
    Returned to band room after a desperate text from a student who left his chemistry book in his locker. (400 steps)
    Took the sousaphone with a stuck valve to the local repair technician. (100 steps)
    Ate at Taco Bell. (100 steps)
    Arrived at home and wound down. (100 steps)
    Walked in a circle to get my total steps up to a personal record of 18,000 steps. (75 steps)
    Fell into bed.

    Even if someone walked 18,000 steps (about 9 miles) for one day in my shoes, that is still only the physical aspect of the job. Maybe someday there will be a smartphone app that can quantify the stressful psychological steps of the day. Even then, no one else would really get it. You just have to be there.    

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– Matthew Temple
Contributing Editor

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First Days
    Organize your workspace and classroom. When you buy a house, the best time to paint and get repairs done is right away. The same is true for your workspace. Get it set up how you want it. If your new position includes a student leadership group, organize a time to work on their space with them. This is an excellent opportunity to talk directly with them and ask questions. 
    Communicate and meet with colleagues and learn names. Meet the maintenance workers, clerical staff, administrators, teachers, and anyone else you might ever need to ask for something. Find where strained relationships previously existed and repair them. My first principal, Chuck Dill, told me, “The best thing you can do is take someone out to breakfast and pick up the bill. It doesn’t cost much and is always appreciated.” If you have a music booster or colleague you will be working closely with, they would be an ideal candidate.
    Set up a day to meet students. Children want to feel like you have a personal interest in them beyond being a part of your ensembles. Use a first meeting to get to know them as musicians, but also as people. A pizza, ice cream, or barbecue party is sure to go over well, or if you are a sloppy eater, consider a game night.
    Learn as much about your community culture, school culture and students as possible. Go beyond 504 plans, socio-economic information, and statistics. Get in town, talk to people, and ask questions. Knowledge is power. Also, not everything is as it seems from appearances. Find real data. Try looking at communications, digital access portals, and online calendars from the parent or student access views. Attend a school event before you are known in the community and see what strikes you about the students, parents, workers, volunteers, PA announcements, signage, and directions.  Take note of what you find impressive, frustrating, or confusing, and try to incorporate or improve it for your events. 
    Survey students and parents. Learn what their favorite parts of the music program are, where they want to see the program, and whether they have  seen another program they really liked at a festival. Use their feedback as a starting point for conversations. As much as you might want to use it as a retort to a criticism, only use it for your own planning. Google Forms are great for gathering information digitally and anonymously. Also consider hosting meetings with students on a regular basis. If you bring food, students will be willing to come and communicate their thoughts more openly. Having the opportunity to bounce an idea off of a group of students will increase buy-in, and that might spread to their friends, too. With some luck, you will cut down on the amount of times you hear, “This isn’t what the old band director did,” because you will have already received peer approval. Beware of creating a Favorites Club. Have some rotation of students who you solicit for feedback. Make it clear from the beginning that you want to rotate members so you can keep fresh perspectives. 
    Learn about as many procedures, practices, and traditions as possible. Try to be open minded. The smallest things can be incredibly important to students – to the extent that they can make a difference between someone quitting the program or staying. Tradition can be a word that will drive you nuts, but learn as much as possible and then be ready to make some decisions here.
    Conduct an inventory of the program’s assets. If anything is missing, there is only a short window before it is your fault. Make sure you have accurate and up-to-date records of everything you can get an inventory of (music, instruments, furniture). Do not just count, make note of condition. 
    Make wish lists. Along with inventory, make note of items you need to buy or repair and prioritize them. You never know when an administrator might come around asking if you need anything or looking for a list you can send to a group wanting to donate to the school. Have that information in hand and ready to send. 
    Buy a box of thank-you cards. A quick note for a small favor can really go a long way. After a larger undertaking, buy people who helped a coffee or box of doughnuts. They’ll remember that you genuinely appreciated their help. 
    Put a huge star on your first public performance. Think through it and use it as your opportunity to make an impression. If it’s not everything you hoped, that is okay too. Still, plan on it being great.
    Create a calendar with deadlines and reminders for yourself. There will be events and deadlines that sneak up on you. Have a system for staying organized and set reminders that work for you. Many online calendars have reminders that will text you to help from forgetting about a meeting.
    Plan and dream. Work toward repertoire, lessons, ensembles, experiences, field trips, and guest clinicians, but avoid planning so you are locked in. Be ready to make changes on the fly. You may find out that your school’s fire alarms go off every week. The school might flood, leaving you teaching at the old Burger King down the street. The rehearsal space you were counting on could be used to host a meet, with teams coming from several states in the next 15 minutes. They just fertilized the fields. Be ready. 
    Be realistic about your abilities and deficiencies. If you cannot do something yet, go learn. If you are really good at something that is not part of your position, look to incorporate that.

When the Year Starts
    Be consistent. Before you have your first rehearsal conflict, lost music, damaged instrument, or repeat bathroom pass offender, come up with classroom expectations and a policy for conflicts or problems. It is worth looking at what the previous director did and what surrounding programs do. However, once you communicate a policy, stay consistent with it. When appropriate, reevaluate your policy, and communicate if you need to change things, explaining why they are changing.
    If you make a mistake, own it. If you do not know something, do not try to hide it; be honest and go learn it. Honesty is always the best policy. A friend of mine who used to work in the restaurant industry shared his best customer service tip: “If you make a mistake, first apologize, and then ask what you can do to make it better.” 
    Start on a four-year plan. Will you be traveling? Playing Midwest or a state convention? Will you be a GRAMMY Signature School? Do you need to buy new electric cellos? You will probably need to build the program to get to those points. Consider your professional goals, what your community wants, and what your families want, and go from there.
    Do not forget that you are the professional music educator. Sometimes the data and information you collect will be at odds with the potential you see (or your personal skills). It is okay to take some risks every once in a while too.
    Get your ego a new place to live for a while. You might say and do the exact same things as your predecessor, but some students will still dislike you simply for not being your predecessor. Do not take it personally. A good friend gave me some of the best advice: there will be a group of kids you will probably never get on your side. Invest your time and energy into other students. Have a freshman class meeting or rehearsal. Talk to these students at their entrance into your program. Learn about them and let them know you are interested in their experiences. 
    If you are having problems with a student who does not like you, do not force it. You can try to talk to them, but it might not work. An approach I have had success with is individually asking such students for a favor. 
    Develop relationships with colleagues with whom you can collaborate, strategize, and plan with. This profession has some of the most amazing and creative people. Some of the music teachers in your district or community will be around you for your whole career, and some may become your closest friends. As you are leaning about your new position, it helps to be able to have another person trying to accomplish great things to plan along with.

Along the Journey
    Advocate for and publicize yourself. Chances are you will not have a public relations agent. It is good to be humble, but you will likely want to be rehired, too. If you get recognition or a good rating at a festival, put a copy in the principal’s mailbox. If a parent sends you a nice email, forward it along to someone in your administration as well. 
    Consider the digital image of your program. Before you do anything, talk to your administration. Your district may have strict policies in place. Most students will want to advertise what they are a part of on their social media accounts, and this includes sharing photos and videos. If you are not contributing to the conversation, you might be missing out. If you are not tech savvy, find someone who you can trust and assign this person to a social media booster position. Many people will learn about your program from what they can find online, and this is a great way to learn about other successful programs as well.
    Look forward to year two. There will be mistakes and missteps, but if you learn from them, you will only improve as an educator. Be honest with yourself and others on your year: reflections, lessons learned, and goals. 
    Journal and reflect. For several years now, I have made a habit of reflecting after each major event that passes. These journal entries have been invaluable to look at when that event comes back around. At the end of a marching season I write about what was effective and what was not. I keep track of which exercises we did and what we should have done more of. After a run-out jazz gig, I will write about how I felt the programming went and the physical set-up. After a jazz festival at which my students were being really goofy, I realized that I had not talked about behavioral expectations. I did so, and the next festival was great.
    Find time to work out, read, vacation, go out to dinner, and relax. Teaching is a wonderful profession, but it is still just a job. If I could go back to my first year teaching, I would take a vacation (I didn’t for several years), eat better, and exercise. While you are planning your work life, don’t forget about your home life. You might need to write time away from work into your schedule, but you will be glad you did.    

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The Alhambra of Mexico site of the Mexican Exhibit at the fair.

    There were two great bands of music, representing the grandest achievements in this direction of the United States and Mexico. The music hall decorated with brilliant flags, banners and state shields was packed to its utmost capacity, a sea of upturned faces looked anxiously for the next step in the exercises of “opening day.” Currier’s Great Band played a “Grand Exposition March” dedicated to Director, General Burke. A few moments later the Mexican Band rendered a beautiful selection, after which the Grand Marshal of the Day, Generall J. Behan, opened the ceremonies by announcing what the first exercise on the programme was. (Fairall, 14) 

    Charles M. Currier led the American Band, which was known across the United States as Currier’s Band. Currier’s impressive career as a bandleader and musician began in New Orleans. He was a member of Gilmore’s Boston Band from 1859 to 1860 and founded his own group in 1871. The collaboration between these two resident bands at the fair may symbolize larger ongoing collaboration and efforts to strengthen Mexican-American relations at the time. On April 28th, the fair celebrated the state of Arkansas with the ceremonial help of the Mexican Band. 

    A large number of visitors and citizens of New Orleans gathered in and about Arkansas headquarters to meet His Excellency, Governor [Simon Pollard] Hughes, and pay him their respects. There was a large attendance of Arkansas people. The Mexican Band leading the governor of Arkansas, exposition officials, United States commissioners, and many others, marched to Music Hall. Here the commissioner McRae officiated as master of ceremonies, opening the exercises after music, by introducing the Rev. Or. Tupper, who rendered invocation. (Fairall 44) 

Payen’s Celebrated Waltzes by W.T. Francis [Wm. D. Wetford, New York, 1885] Notated Music. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, .

Governor Hughes gave heartfelt thanks to the Mexican Band during his speech: 

    I must not omit to specially thank our friends from our sister republic of Mexico for the beautiful, and delightful music they have furnished us upon this occasion. And I have observed since I came here that this excellent, noble band, has contributed unceasingly to the pleasure and enjoyment of all, and I tender the appreciation and thanks of Arkansas. May they ever be as happy as their sweet music has made us. 

    Governor Hughes’s touching speech illustrates the great admiration for the Mexican Band at the fair. Louisiana Day was the most important day at the fair because of the state’s role as host. The Great Mexican Band once again played an important part during this special day. The following is a chronicle of the Louisiana Day celebrations. 

    Every one of the eleven thousand seats were occupied in Music Hall, and the building in every direction was a mass of humanity. On the platform were the Governor of Louisiana and hundreds of distinguished citizens. The hall itself was a picture of beauty and handsomely decorated. At about 12:35 the splendid band of the Eighth Mexican Cavalry opened the exercises by playing Wagner’s Overture from Tannhauser. At the close of Gov. McEnery’s address he was presented with a beautiful floral basket, the audience expressing their commendation of the act by loud applause. After an interlude by the Mexican Band, The honorable C. J. Barrow, Commissioner for Louisiana, was introduced, and tendered the Louisiana Exhibit to the Board of Management. The Director General was frequently interrupted by applause, and at the close of his remarks was roundly cheered. The Mexican Band then played a beautiful selection that caused an irresistible demand for an encore, which was granted. As the first notes of Dixie were heard the audience rose and cheered as one man. Yankee Doodle followed, and again cheers erupted. (Fairall, 155) 

    The description of Louisiana Day in Fairall’s book preserves the repertoire played by the Mexican Band and confirms the group’s technical skill as they performed a challenging wind transcription of Wagner’s Overture to Tannhauser to great acclaim. However, the core repertoire that the band performed is well-known as mostly written by Mexican composers because of a series of piano sheet music that still exists entitled Beautiful Gems. It was published not long after the fair closed for commercial reasons due to the band’s great success with the public. The only full band photograph of the group is found in a cover of this sheet music series. Mexico Day was the most important day for the Celebrated Mexican Band and their beloved bandleader, Encarnacion Payen, who received major recognition by the organizing committee. 

    No event at the Exposition attracted more attention than Mexico Day, which was celebrated on May 29th in royal style. There was a monster procession up the river from downtown, many military companies, and distinguished men and women of all nations were in attendance. Over 15,000 people were at the exercises in Music Hall. On no other occasion except that of Louisiana Day did the various military and civic societies of New Orleans, and the various city and state officers take so much part in celebrating. On the occasion of a grand concert by the Mexican Band, Payen, the bandleader, was the recipient of a very handsome silver cup bearing the inscription “New Orleans, March 8th, 1885. Maestro Encarnacion Payen, from a few of his many admirers.” The presentation was accompanied with the following inscription, translated from the Spanish “Most Esteemed Sir: The undersigned respectfully beg that you will accept the accompanying souvenir as a testimonial of our appreciation of your talent as a musician and of your amiability as a gentleman. To say that our wishes are that circumstances would permit your stay among us with your incomparable band forever is to express the sincere wishes of all those whom you have charmed with your music and your amiability. While among us we hope you will consider yourself as in your home, and that each day that passes may convince you more and more that although in a strange country you are nevertheless residing among sincere friends, who wish you and your companions all manner of happiness and success, and would deem themselves happy to be preserved in your kind remembrance.” (Fairall 392) 

    The first sentence is a strong testament to the importance of Mexico at the fair and the dedication of the silver cup a testament of the effect this act of musical diplomacy had in the citizens of the United States. Curious Americans who attended the fair and listened to the band began to see Mexican culture differently – past derogatory stereotypes and more as a sophisticated cultural epicenter that perhaps, with the newly constructed railroads, could turn into a desirable and easily accessible tourist destination for their holidays. The exhibition closed in May 1885 engulfed in scandal and debt. None of the buildings remain, and the site of this once famous and gigantic fair is now a golf course. However, we must not forget that this place was witness to a tenacious act of musical diplomacy by Mexico and its Great Mexican Band that changed perceptions of Mexican culture in the minds of many Americans at the end of the 19th century.    

Bibliography
Concert Life in Nineteenth-century New Orleans: A Comprehensive Reference by John H. Baron (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2013).
The Illusion of Ignorance: Constructing the American Encounter with Mexico, 1877-1920 by Janice Lee Jayes (Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America, 2011).
The World’s Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition, New Orleans, 1884-1885 by Herbert S. Fairall (Iowa City, Iowa: Republican Pub., 1885).

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Soreness of the Inside Lower Lip
    If the lower lip is sore on the inside, smooth portion just above the lower teeth, the cause is pressure from the lower teeth. Even if this pressure is minimal, soreness may still occur as the teeth leave small indentions on the underside of the lower lip. If a chronic sore lip is severe and allowed to continue over a long period of time, permanent damage to the nerves of the lower lip may result. 
    Factors that directly influence the amount of pressure exerted on the lower lip are breath support, embouchure formation, mouthpiece and reed selection, sharpness of lower teeth, and braces. If a clarinetist is experiencing soreness and pain in this area of the lower lip, each of the above factors should be examined first to determine if the cause of lower lip pain can be eliminated through adjustment in one or more of these areas.  
    Breath support is an important aspect of embouchure pressure. If performers do not provide enough breath support when playing, an excessive amount of jaw pressure might be used to compensate for the difference, resulting in teeth marks on the lower lip. When playing, clarinetists should push a consistent, fast moving, concentrated flow of air into the mouthpiece. If this is done, any excessive pressure applied to the lower lip from the teeth can be eliminated.
    Incorrect embouchure formation can also cause a sore lower lip. This is most likely to occur when there is inadequate support from the facial muscles located underneath the bottom lip, causing the collapse and bunching up of chin muscles under the lower lip. When the chin muscles are allowed to bunch up, too much lower lip comes into contact with the reed, creating tone and response problems. In addition, the support needed to suspend the lower lip over the bottom teeth is absent, which can result in teeth marks on the underside of the lip. Students who try to perform with an incorrect embouchure may experience poor tone, intonation problems, poor instrument response, and many times a chronic, sore, lower lip.
    Another cause of a sore lip could be incorrect mouthpiece and reed selection. If a mouthpiece and reed combination requires more embouchure strength than a clarinetist can give, the result will be excessive jaw pressure and teeth marks on the lower lip. To solve this problem, clarinetists should select a mouthpiece and reed that can be easily controlled and gradually move into larger mouthpiece tip openings or harder reeds.
    The sharpness of the bottom teeth also has a direct effect on lower lip soreness and pain. For some clarinetists, even when using good breath support, correct embouchure formation, and the appropriate mouthpiece and reed, teeth marks can still occur on the lower lip, especially if the lower teeth are sharp. This is most common for clarinetists who have an overbite in which the top teeth and lower teeth never touch at their tips. In such cases, the lower teeth can remain quite sharp because chewing never dulls the tips. To solve this problem, some clarinetists elect to have their lower teeth filed by a dentist to make playing more comfortable. However, the dentist can only file so much off of the teeth to dull them, and many times this is not enough to alleviate the problem.
    Another major factor that can cause lower lip soreness and pain is braces. Many people must wear braces during their formative years of development, usually beginning in middle school. This is also the same time that many musicians begin playing the clarinet. In addition to lower lip pain caused by contact with the lower teeth, braces can be a major source of frustration if they irritate the lower lip. Some dentists recommend using wax on the braces to alleviate this problem but this is often ineffective. If this is the case, clarinetists must cope with this situation until the braces are removed. 

A Cover for the Lower Teeth
    Some clarinetists develop a chronic sore lip even though they are doing everything correctly. Many of these clarinetists learn to deal with this problem until the skin toughens or by slightly adjusting the placement of the lower lip so the teeth contact a different spot of the lip each time they perform. For others, a different solution is needed. An excellent choice for those performers is to use a cover for the lower teeth. 
    Cover refers to a dental device that provides a cushion between the teeth and lower lip as the clarinet embouchure is formed. It creates a smooth contact point for the lower lip and teeth and eliminates teeth abrasions sometimes made on the lip even when the embouchure is formed correctly. By providing a more comfortable contact point for the lower lip and teeth, the cover increases practice productivity, lengthens practice time, and allows students to practice and perform without pain in the lower lip. Covers can be made by individual performers or a dentist or purchased from a music store. They are constructed out of a variety of materials depending on the clarinetist’s preferences and can be temporary or more permanent.
    Some performers simply fold a piece of paper or plastic over the lower teeth to reduce lower lip pain. However, this method is not recommended because paper or plastic is an unstable material and will last for only a short period of time. Another problem with this method is that the shape of the paper or plastic will likely be inconsistent from one practice session to the next; it may not be folded exactly the same way each time or may not actually take the shape of the teeth as it is placed over the teeth. Therefore, the clarinetist is playing with a slightly different embouchure each practice session due to a lack of consistency.

Making a Wax/Fiber Cover
    A better choice for making covers is a wax and fiber material found in denture pads. Denture pads are originally designed to provide a snug fit between the gum and dentures. The wax and fiber material found in denture pads is flexible, will mold to the teeth, and is stable enough to make excellent covers. EZO is a common brand of denture pad and can be purchased inexpensively at many department or drug stores. They usually are sold with fifteen pads in a box and are made in different shapes (for upper or lower dentures) and thickness (light, medium or heavy gauges). Lower, heavy gauge is recommended.
    To make a cover from an EZO denture pad, take one denture pad and cut it into the approximate size and shape to cover the bottom four front teeth. Usually a small rectangle shape with rounded corners works best. One denture pad will make between five and seven covers depending upon size.

    Fold the cover over the bottom teeth and gently press down and inward towards the teeth, allowing the cover to conform. As the cover becomes warm from being placed in the mouth, it will become more flexible and take on the shape and size of the teeth. Make sure that the cover does not extend so far down on the teeth that it may touch and irritate the gums. 
    Once the cover is molded to the lower teeth, the clarinetist should play the instrument while adjusting the cover as it settles in. The cover may move slightly and may need to be centered again over the lower teeth. As playing continues, the tips of the lower teeth will make indentions into the wax, which will keep the cover from moving.
    The cover, when removed from the mouth, will harden into the shape of the lower teeth. This will allow the clarinetist at the next practice session to simply slip the cover over the teeth for a perfect fit. Although the cover will become flexible again when placed back into the mouth, if it is placed over the teeth, it will not lose its shape. The cover will soon feel like a natural part of the embouchure.
    Covers made from denture pads will last for several weeks to several months, depending on the amount of practice and how much lower jaw pressure is applied by the clarinetist. Eventually the lower teeth will wear through the cover and another one will have to be made. However, one box of denture pads could last several years. Clarinetists who use a cover will be able to practice for longer periods of time without pain and injury to the lower lip, increasing their productivity and allowing them to enjoy performing once again.

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Divisions and Subdivisions
    Percussionists often play various divisions and subdivisions of the beat underneath longer notes from other sections of the ensemble. Students’ ability to maintain this role can make or break a musical passage, and it is a skill that can be improved. The important question is exactly which patterns to have students play. When making this decision, draw examples directly from current, past, or – more importantly – future repertoire, and keep patterns fresh by cycling, adapting, and creating them frequently. The patterns you determine to be most challenging may change as rehearsals progress. Students may conquer one pattern fully only to find that another emerges, for example, when the rehearsal tempo of a piece gradually increases over time. Again, awareness of current successes and failures will help directors consistently tailor warmups to address these issues. 
    Ideally, all players should have the opportunity to practice division and subdivision patterns, not just those playing them in the piece. To alleviate the potential for overbearing dynamics, have students use practice pads. All percussionists can warm up together that way, if desired, generating strength in numbers and fostering understanding of each other’s parts.
    Finally, be sure to turn the tables occasionally. Percussionists need experience playing long, sustained sounds appropriately too. When a warmup has the woodwinds and brass playing repetitive rhythms, challenging syncopations, or delicate articulations, consider having your percussionists sustain longer notes on snare drum, suspended cymbal, marimba, tambourine, or triangle, for example. Percussionists need opportunities to play unmeasured rolls on these instruments, developing a smooth, constant flow of alternating strokes independent of the meter and pulse. To avoid overwhelming dynamics they can take turns entering, for example, every two bars in a soloistic way. This approach also helps students build the fortitude necessary to make confident entrances by themselves in rehearsal and performance.

Incorporating Mallet Instruments
    Mallet instruments are a crucial part of a well-rounded percussion education. During rehearsals, directors should seek ways to engage all students in mallet reading and playing; warmups are a great opportunity for multiple students to practice orchestra bells, xylophone, marimba, vibraphone, and chimes.
    Many band warmups focus on unisons and harmonies to cultivate such skills as ensemble balance, dynamic control, and uniform articulations. The mallet instruments lend themselves directly and easily to these situations, prompting percussionists to discover how to control their instruments in ways parallel to their brass and woodwind counterparts. They have the opportunity, for example, to polish attacks, sustains, and releases when pedaling the vibraphone and chimes, rolling on the marimba and xylophone, and striking and muffling the orchestra bells. 
    Through warmups, students can also practice playing the keyboards while watching the conductor, a common logistical challenge. Percussionists may attempt to maintain eye contact with the conductor, as instructed, only to find that they miss notes because the keys are outside their field of vision. The best way to improve the skill of dual visual focus is through repetitive practice. Test students by having them look only at you for a scale or exercise, while ignoring any note errors, then look only at the keyboard while focusing only on accuracy, and eventually maintain visual contact with both targets. 
    A great way to build melodic and harmonic skills is to highlight the percussion section among other sections during split warmups. For example, if you split the ensemble into two or three sections to play scales in canon or contrasting pitch patterns with your gestures, make the percussion section one of the splits. They will learn to listen to each other carefully, recognize their own peculiar challenges, and make larger strides toward cohesive section performance.

Expanding Instrumental Experience
    During warmups, percussionists can also explore a wide range of instruments and techniques for playing them. For example, instead of playing a repetitive rhythm on the snare drum or pad, simply have them transfer it to wood block, temple blocks, tambourine, triangle, suspended cymbal (muffled with the abdomen), tom-toms, or guiro. The wide variety of physical techniques required to play these instruments effectively is worth rehearsing, especially with a pattern that might otherwise become monotonous on the practice pads. Students should rotate through the instruments frequently to maintain engagement and increase technical development.
    Several musical factors can help you craft warmup duties to encourage this exploration of a variety of percussion instruments. Percussion parts are famous for those spots that require a single player to rise to the occasion for a conspicuous note on the crash cymbals or chimes. Build these experiences into warmups so they become part of the routine for your players. A single dictated note of arrival at the end of a phrase in a warmup can strengthen players’ eye contact with the conductor and overall musical confidence.  
    In general, percussionists tend to play solo parts more than any other section, and those parts are often intricately intertwined. Find creative ways, connected to the repertoire, to habituate your students to these interdependent roles. For example, the snare drummer and bass drummer can play alternating eighth notes on a warmup with a fast tempo, or several players can pass short rolls or patterns among themselves, measure by measure, as the rest of the ensemble moves together. 
    Percussionists are sometimes re­quired to use unusual techniques to contribute a specific musical effect to the ensemble. Timpanists can practice quick and accurate pitch changes by doubling, or at least partially doubling, the bass line in a chorale. Mallet players can use a bass bow on vibraphone for a long-tone scale warmup. Tambourine players might practice thumb rolls for soft sustained notes, or rapid alternation between fist and elevated knee to match the tempo and articulation of their colleagues. 
    Students should also have the opportunity to craft their own warmups, or at least to offer input into the decision-making process. For example, a quick hand-raising poll regarding the repertoire spots they find most challenging can get creativity flowing about how to solve them. When students can see direct connections between the challenges they have identified and the solutions incorporated into subsequent warmups, they may be more motivated to participate wholeheartedly, to see the progress they are making, and to learn musical troubleshooting for themselves. Practically speaking, students might focus on identifying challenges and crafting such solutions during periods of downtime typical in large ensemble percussion sections.
    Focusing percussion warmups on beat divisions and subdivisions, mallet playing, and exploring multiple instruments and techniques can help students play their musical roles more accurately and fluently. Providing a variety of carefully chosen experiences for percussionists during warmups can also maintain players’ engagement and improve classroom management. Finally, the entire ensemble benefits from hearing a number of instruments played with varied techniques on a regular basis, helping strengthen their focus and improve their sound.

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How did the Munford Band build its culture of success?
    When Gary and I took over this program in 1994, we had 180 students. They didn’t play as well as we would have liked, but they seemed interested in coming to the band room and learning a little bit about music. That’s what we built our program on – fellowship and family. I was the third band director that the seniors had seen during their high school career.
    They were great kids and instantly fed off of our desire to be active as they are. In the first couple of weeks, I saw that they had never really been pushed to work hard or take responsibility for the skills needed to play an instrument well. Within a couple of months the feel of band at Munford was different. It started when we went to the local marching festival and earned a superior rating, which was unheard of for the program in recent history. That success lit a musical fire under these students, and things started growing like crazy. Students were practicing. They may have never been shown how to practice and better themselves before, but once they found the value of practice outside the bandroom, there were never instruments left at school on a weekend. We now have 24 consecutive superior ratings at the state marching contest.
    Toward the end of that first season we won a contest – the first such win in a decade or more. I remember the tears on every child’s face after they won this show. They knew how hard they had worked, and, perhaps for the first time, they saw that hard work leads to amazing things.
A couple months later, we competed at the Bandmasters Championship, which is held every year in the Liberty Bowl, a beautiful stadium in Memphis. It is the state’s longest running and most widely attended marching event, drawing groups from several states. In that first year we sneaked in a fifth place placement, which I thought was just incredible. I actually questioned whether we were a little higher than we should have been; that’s how proud I was of fifth place.
    Next year, the competition was even more skilled. At the time, there were a couple programs that would seem to win a competition as long as their buses made it to the parking lot. That’s how good they were. At that time it was Bartlett High School in suburban Memphis and Grenada (Mississippi) High School, and once again In 1995, both those bands attended the Bandmasters Championship. My goal, as I shared with the students, was to be one of the ten bands that made the finals. We waited through the small class announcements, and as they began announcing places in our class, the largest, we were not named the third place band nor the second. At this point, they hadn’t called out one of the expected winners, so we assumed, as usual, that once again they had won. I looked at my assistant and said, “Well, we didn’t make finals. We should still sit up in the stands and let our students watch the finals. We’ll get after it next year.” After I finished saying that, it was announced that Munford High School won that class – and ended up winning the whole show. It was a defining moment in the program, and I remember the gratification that what we were doing here was maybe turning into something special. The students were shell-shocked. We have now won that particular event 19 times, and the celebrations are amazing. When we have been successful enough to win, students remain off the bus and dance in celebration. Sometimes I would love to go home, but if playing music and dancing excites them and keeps them working hard and staying interested in music, then I will gladly sacrifice the extra sleep.

You have developed a new three Rs to replace reading, writing, and arithmetic. What are they, and what lead you to develop them?
    Munford is a far-flung suburb of Memphis. Considering our population, there is little opportunity for employment here, and a number of people drive north into our county seat or face a long commute into Memphis to work for corporations like Unilever, International Paper, or FedEx, as much of our community is blue collar. Some of my students are well below the poverty line, and you do not have to travel far at all to witness some of the negatives that an urban community can display. To help these students make a difference as they became adults, I developed a new three Rs to counteract the negative or discouraging influences Munford students might face. 
    Responsibility. I want my students to be responsible to themselves and everyone else.
    Respect. I want students first to respect themselves, and I also preach a little bit about blind faith. I think students need to have respect for people who have proven they are worthy of such an honor, such as our school administration, local community leaders, or the band staff. We should have proven to even the newest of students that we have had success in the past, and if they will do as we ask them to we can be successful again.
    Resiliency. This is the one I work on the most with my students, because life is hard. I want students to understand that life is not all about successes. You have to analyze what didn’t take you to level of success you were aiming at and redevelop your plan to do better the next time. I want students to take defeat not as a matter of failure, but as an opportunity to refine the approach so they do better the next time. It is easy to say that about band, but my goal is for students to be resilient about life and not just throw the world away because they didn’t get the job they wanted, the date they wanted, or the band contest win they wanted. I want them to be productive people in society because that is what our area is going to need. It needs a bigger influx of people who know how to get the job done and make our area a better place.
    Teachers have such a great effect on their students, and I want to use my time with my students to help them be better adults, to make better decisions, and to be more successful. I realized 12-15 years ago that my students actually do listen to me, and if I emphasize something, they seem to believe it. What I want to emphasize is that they can make a difference. This is part of why we have embraced students who may not really fit in socially anywhere else on campus. If a child wants to work harder in band than at anything else they have ever worked for in life, I don’t care what their background is, I don’t care what their socioeconomic status is, I don’t care what their challenges in life are, I will accept them into my program, and they will work as hard as they can.

How does your role as part-time assistant principal help you work with your band students? 
    My graduate degree is in administration and supervision. I tried to get the university I attended to allow a music administrator degree, but they deemed it too close to their regular degree. I help each morning with attendance and assist with discipline problems. It fills my schedule but has worked out well for me because it allows me to see my students’ grades and learn what they are doing on the rest of campus. I am able to get to know my students’ habits more vividly and then guide them to success throughout our campus at Munford High School. This is no small feat; there are 1,300 students in the school and well over 200 in band. 

How do you keep beginners motivated once they have joined the band? 
    We remind beginners early and often that they are joining a successful program at the high school. I like to use the phrase “your high school band,” as in “Your high school band is giving a concert. If you’d like to come we’d love to have you there.” We always promote that lineage. Students might be 11-year-old beginners in the program, but our goal is to develop them step by step, one day at a time, so that each of them is the next superstar in the Munford High School Band. Each beginner class is usually 100 students, and we get 50-60 eighth graders who come to the high school program each year.

What are the skills that you most want to instill in the students before they get to high school?
    I teach beginning woodwinds and horn. Although the horn is my primary instrument, I have an easier time teaching woodwinds. The horn came easily to me, so maybe I never developed a pedagogy of practice, rhetoric, and sequencing. With my woodwinds I had to develop these skills to play and teach them. Once they make it to the high school, retention is nearly 100%. The only students we lose are the ones who are so far behind academically that the administration has to pull them from the program to ensure academic success.

What have you learned about teaching beginning woodwinds?
    Many years ago, my high school clarinetists could not get the pitch up to A440. For a couple years, I even tuned my group to A438, because that was where my clarinets seemed to be. I thought I was a terrible clarinet teacher. While on the telephone with one of my clarinet teacher friends, he asked my how my groups were doing. I mentioned the pitch problems, and after quizzing me on technique, he asked what instruments and mouthpieces I had them playing. When I told him, he said, “Well, those don’t go together.” He gave me four other mouthpieces to try. We made the switch, the pitch moved up to where it should be, and my students instantly felt better about their playing.
    With teaching clarinet, now younger educators quiz me about instrument, mouthpiece, and reed choices. In addition, they ask what my clarinetists needed to be practicing. Do they work on long tones like brass players do? What method books are most beneficial for a developing player?
    Even with beginning clarinetists, we do not play any of the throat tones without the right hand down. When students point out that the method book doesn’t use this fingering, I say, “This is what the Munford High School Band does, and it is why the sound is so warm.” The truth is that I don’t have time to teach beginning clarinetists to play open G and then start teaching them to put the right hand down when I get them again in ninth grade.
    In flute, oboe, and saxophone class, we start vibrato early. It becomes part of the fabric of their tone development rather than something to be added later. When I demonstrate these instruments, I play with a warm sound and a vibrato, because I want them to hear what a good sound sounds like. I am not a professional, but I’m as close as they are going to get. My kids generally don’t go to see the Memphis Symphony or any other professional group. I provide tickets to the Memphis Wind Symphony concerts, but they still have to travel to Memphis, and that impedes many of them. When Gary and I pick up an instrument, that is what our students think it is supposed to sound like, so we take that responsibility seriously.
    I teach chromatic fingerings at the earliest opportunity. I show my flutists what the right-hand trill keys do early in the teaching sequence. I demonstrate that there are other fingerings for many notes, and while we do not use them on a daily basis, the time will likely come when an alternate fingering will make something easier. We talk quite a bit about working smarter, not harder. Children can only work so hard before getting overloaded, so they have to work smarter. This is our challenge, too. There is only so much tread on your tire, so how are you going to run it off? Where are you going to get to with that tire?

What sort of community outreach does the program do? 
    We have an annual town celebration called Celebrate Munford, which is an all-day Saturday celebration of South Tipton County that usually occurs on the third weekend of September. There are arts and crafts and numerous concerts, and the culmination is the marching band standing and playing the show music and some other pep band tunes. We have never come to this event and played for fewer than 4,000 people. It is hot and people have places to go, but even though we are not at our strongest as a band at this time of year, they will stand and watch these excited students play. 
    We have a jazz band that travels to each of the elementary schools in our area. It is recruiting; I call it the “chocolate milk tour,” and it is a highlight of the three elementary schools’ day. We play a two-and-a-half-hour concert with kids going in and out of the cafeteria during their lunches. At least once a month I have a chamber group playing at a restaurant. We try to keep some facet of our program out as much as possible so the community sees what we do.

How do you teach students to march?
    The key to solid marching is fundamentals. Start teaching them and never stop. On the first day of band camp, we treat every student the same, whether freshman or senior. We introduce them to their left and right feet. We spend an inordinate amount of time for someone who is not well-versed in what we do, just developing the out-down, which is moving the left foot out, somewhat elevated, and placing it down – heel first, middle of the foot. You cannot successfully execute the out-down of the step without core control. When you move the left foot forward to take the first step of marching, the core (especially the upper body) cannot compensate for movement by going forwards or backwards. We address every morsel of what the lower extremities are doing. We do not talk much about the hip, we talk a little more about the knee, and a touch more about the ankle, but the focus is on the foot. We break everything down incredibly small, incredibly slowly, and very methodically. The results of this constant attention to detail on the visual side and is very evident late in the season by our abilities to move eloquently and consistently. Our goal is that you cannot identify a freshman or a senior in our band. We work hard to homogenize them all to look like Munford band performers. 

What are the most difficult marching techniques to teach?
    The slow step is always the most dangerous because if any of those fundamentals break down those are going to cost you the most points. Eighty beats a minute is dangerous. Going forward at that tempo is a challenge but one that most performers can conquer. Eighty beats per minutes going backward is a little bit strange. I use Gilroy publishing for my marching music and encourage our composer, Steve Martin, to avoid using that tempo for us. At extremely fast tempos – above 160 – the same problem becomes evident, but here it is more likely to show in the upper body compensating for poor core control, which will be evident in direction changes that are not as sharp or consistent as they should be. Students start to lean forward when they march forward from a static position. This is using momentum to offset starting, stopping, and changing directions, and is a sign that their core control is just not as strong as it could be. 

During marching season, what do you do every day?
    None of our daily activities is more important than what we call Body Block, which we run whether we are at home in rehearsal or onsite for a contest. We start at a wide spacing, with students at least four steps from their nearest neighbor. Being aligned vertically and horizontally is important, as I want spacial awareness to be ever present and a strong part of what our students do. We do this to music, and usually I let my colorguard choose the song. They do a great job of choosing pop music, usually with an inspirational lyric or hidden inspirational meaning. Body Block starts with simple body moves similar to ballet or stretching. The aim is to move slowly and consider every cell. I ask students where their fingernails or the tip of their shoe went. I talk to them in those esoteric terms so I have them thinking outside of just moving the arm or leg. I am not concerned with where the leg moves, I am concerned with the end of the leg.
    Over the three minutes it lasts, Body Block evolves into some difficult strength moves. We do pliés for four counts down and four counts back up. It takes a real athlete to do this gracefully. We also do body extensions. A good exercise is to move the arms slowly out to full horizontal and then back to the center core. We work on keeping the core muscles under control at all times. The core is what is most important; the arms and legs are the visualization of what we are trying to express. Other Body Block activities include moves we use in that year’s show and exercises that are fundamental to moving your body better. Body Block promotes the step-by-step progress of moving the body gracefully in time and with meaning. Marching is nothing more a group of performers doing glorified walking. The goal is to do so gracefully but with strength.

What advice would you offer to a new director?
    I am not a social butterfly, but I have never met a stranger. You have to be a sponge more than a faucet. We teachers tend to be faucets. We talk all the time but listen little. I was told that about myself many years ago, and I try my best to make more of an effort to be a sponge. Listen to people’s successes and failures. It seems like I learn the most from listening to someone with a successful program describe something they tried that did not work. All band directors with less than ten years of experience should go outside of their district or region to see what is happening over the horizon from their local area and school. Attend the state convention, the Midwest Clinic, and Texas Bandmasters. Meet people. As you get more comfortable with teaching, you will be able to identify the people you can learn from the most. I have a network of hundreds of people I can call when I discover something new I don’t know, which still happens, even as long as I’ve been teaching. At the end of the day, I am but the summation and the product of some really smart people who I was fortunate enough to listen to.     

* * *

    Barry Trobaugh is the Director of Bands at Munford (Tennessee) High School. His career has spanned 37 years, and he is now in his 24th year at Mun­ford. His marching, concert, and jazz en­sembles are recognized nationally for their qua­lity and consistency, including three State Championships, three Southern States Championships, and the USBands National Championship title in 2011. 
    Trobaugh is currently the President of Tennessee Bandmasters Association and is on the Audition Committee for ensemble selection to the Tennessee All State Convention, developing programs to enhance the efforts of local music educators. He also serves as the Musical Director and Conductor of the Memphis Wind Symphony. Trobaugh has twice been Teacher of the Year at Munford High School and was selected as a finalist for Tennessee Teacher of the Year in 2016.

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