This month we send 90th birthday greetings to Walfrid (Wally) Kujala. His long history with our magazines began with articles he wrote for The Instrumentalist in 1971. He soon became a contributing editor who wrote regular flute articles, and with the creation of Flute Talk in 1981, he became a contributing editor for that as well. Over the years he has inspired flutists with his articles about anatomy, Jawboning and the Flute Embouchure, music theory, The 5 W’s of the Major Scale, performance guides, Debussy’s Syrinx, Bizet’s Minuet, Andersen’s Scherzino, Vivaldi’s Piccolo Concerto, Mozart’s Concerto in G and Cadenzas, and Ravel’s Daphnis et Chlöe, practice hints, Flute Fingerings: In Homage to Henri Altes, Shifting the Beat for a Cleaner Technique, flute history, and much more. His well-researched articles are appropriate for readers at all levels from students to professionals. This month his contribution, On Memorizing, continues this legacy.
    Kujala’s article, Embellishment, Italian Style: Ornamenting the Largo Movement of Vivaldi C Major Piccolo Concerto (The Instrumentalist, Dec. 1976), is one of the most widely studied of his articles. What is remarkable is that he wrote it just at the time when the early music movement was beginning to take off in the United States.
    To explain his ideas on embellishing the second movement of the concerto, he included Vivaldi’s piccolo part on the top line and put the embellished version directly underneath. Kujala stated, “Although it will probably undergo further change – most likely toward more simplicity – I am glad to share this current version with interested readers in the hope that it will offer encouragement to their own efforts in this direction.” Interested readers did pick up the banner. There isn’t a piccolo player today who is performing the Vivaldi who hasn’t looked at Kujala’s scholarship and based his own performance on this 13-measure example. Kujala suggested a tempo of eighth note = 69-72, pointed out that on some piccolos the high C#s may sound flat or harsh, and offered two fingerings to rectify the issue.
    He further wrote, “I have purposely omitted editorial dynamic markings, trusting that the performer can work out a tasteful scheme of dynamic inflections that would in the long run sound better than some necessarily sketchy editing might suggest. There are obviously a number of opportunities for echo effects in this movement, but one should not do them too predictably.” (To read this article in its entirety, please go to www.theinstrumentalist.com)
    Kujala’s long and distinguished career began in Rochester, New York where he graduated from the Eastman School of Music (BM and MM degrees). Between 1948 and 1954, he played alongside his teacher and mentor Joseph Mariano in the Rochester Philharmonic. Later he would return as visiting professor of flute at the Eastman School of Music (1973-1975). In 1954 he joined the Chicago Symphony as assistant principal flute and became principal piccolo in 1958. He continued in this position until his retirement in 2001. During his tenure at the CSO, he was featured in concerto performances as well as in the orchestral repertoire. In 1962, he became professor of flute at Northwestern where during his 50 year teaching career, he directly influenced several generations of flutists.
    Kujala is the author of several textbooks including The Flutist’s Progress, The Articulate Flutist, Orchestral Techniques for Flute and Piccolo, and The Flutist’s Vade Mecum of Scales, Arpeggios, Trills and Fingering Technique. These are all published by Progress Press, a publishing house he founded in 1970. Kujala has served as president of the National Flute Association and was the recipient of the NFA’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997.
    In the music world, Wally has set the bar for performance, scholarship and teaching. His lifelong pursuit of knowledge is an inspiration to us all. Happy Birthday Wally and keep those articles coming.
– Patricia George
Editor, Flute Talk

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    The concept of “Teaching Across the Curriculum” has been in various states of vogue over the years. Like my questionable fashion sense, I am never really sure when a particular educational fad is really in or out. I suppose it varies with the school district.
    A few years ago my principal wanted me to have the members of my high school band compose written assignments in class to develop their writing skills. After failing to convince him to have the English classes teach a little instrumental music on the side, since it seemed only fair, I left the principal’s office peeved and defiant. I simply did not do it. As I suspected would happen, the principal never even checked up on whether we did, because band was usually of little interest to him. At our school the cross-curricular trend apparently fell out of vogue within one year, because I never heard about it again.
    I have always felt a tinge of guilt, however, about not following through on my principal’s directive. Thus here, many years later, I thought I would offer some ideas that might work if this idea were ever to come back into vogue. Why not have your band students rewrite novels so that they have a musical plot? Here are some possible titles and basic plotlines to get the old juices flowing:

    The Great B-flatsby. Trumpet player Jay Flatsby moonlights as an expert who helps directors teach beginning brass players how to differentiate between 1st and 2nd valves.

    The Sound and the Furious Band Director. Temperamental band director Jason Composition says “one more time” fifty times before finally achieving perfection.

    The Lord of the Finger Rings. A suspicious band director opens a senior’s trumpet case and 50 finger rings fall out.

    War and Pieces of Music on the Floor. Band director Anna Pavlov contracts late-onset obsessive-compulsive disorder after waging a three-year war with students over trash in the bandroom. Pavlov eventually wins, but it is a Pyrrhic victory. The band room is cleaner than ever, but the band never learns its music because Pavlov spends all her time supervising students as they pick up trash from the band room floor.

    1984 Bottles of Beer On the Wall. Band members set a Guinness world record by singing the classically annoying ditty all the way from Arkansas to Florida.

    Charlotte’s Webcam. Documentary chronicles band member Charlotte as she takes a webcam to band rehearsal with her and films her band director having a major temper tantrum.

    The Very Unobservant Caterpillar. Tragedy ensues after the school’s Caterpillar backhoe is used to dig a trench down the 50 yard line of the band practice field.

    The Tapes of Wrath. Band director Tom Joad skips town and heads to California after judges skewer him on contest recordings.

    Lord of the Fries. An overly zealous band parent commandeers the fry vat in the band concession stand and will not let anyone else near it.

    To Kill a Mocking Nerd. A murder mystery where a smart-aleck trumpet player is found dead in a cubby hole. Every band and staff member is a suspect.

    Gone with the Woodwinds. During a heated rehearsal, irate band director Scarlett O’Clara tells all the woodwind players with a worn or chipped reed and no back-up reed to “get up and get out.” None are left.

    Goodnight Bassoon. A sleep-deprived marching band director says goodnight to all his band instruments before heading for home after his fourteenth straight Friday night away from home.

    The Oboe Whisperer. A backwoods oboist talks to even the most troubled and cantankerous oboe reeds and gets them to cooperate and play beautifully.

    Who Moved My Keys? Absent-minded band director constantly leaves his keys all over the bandroom and then blames students for stealing them.

    Weathering Heights. A band director gets stuck atop his marching podium during a flash flood.

    Where The Filed Things Are. Fantasy book where band director Max Factor falls into a file cabinet drawer and is ultimately consumed by paperwork.

    The Girl with the Draggin’ Run-Through. A first-year director fears her first contest because her band drags the tempo of every piece it plays, even on its final run-through.

    Everything Band Guys Know About Band Girls. A young adult version of the iconic bestseller Everything Men Know About Women with only 50 blank pages instead of 100.

    The Hungry Games. A thrilling novel about the fight to the death battle to get to the concession stand first during the third quarter.

    The Old Man and the C. A veteran director has trouble getting his clarinets to tune a Bb on the day of a concert.

    For Whom the Bells Rolled. An overzealous band dad makes a sharp turn with a four-wheeler and sends all the sideline and pit percussion equipment flying off the trailer.

    Botch-22. Director Jon Yossarian has the complex dilemma of either potentially botching 22 difficult measures in a contest piece or changing to a new selection one week before contest.

    War of the Twirls. A battle unlike any other rages between majorettes and their mothers on who should be featured on the 50-yard line.

    If you choose to do anything like this with your students, let me know; it will help soothe my conscience for my past rebelliousness. (I would do it, but I have too much rehearsing to do.)

The post Blurred Lines appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

    Most musicians endure periods of unemployment, some that last for months or years.  Regardless of how far you have progressed through the gauntlet of the music biz – or how successful you are – it pays to review a few basics.
    To find work as a musician you need skill, luck, good stage presence, networking skills, quick reactions, flexibility, tenacity, perseverance, and a somewhat likeable personality. It also takes busking – playing on the street.
    I recorded my first jingle when I was nineteen, a direct result of playing my saxophone on the sidewalks of Madison Avenue. One woman who had stopped to listen put five dollars into my open case and told me to call her regarding work. Assuming that she was just trying to be nice to a young street musician, I did not expect much when I called her. Amazingly, though, she turned out to be a jingle contractor, and she hired me to play on a Sugar Frosted Flakes spot the following week.
    During the previous year, right after graduating from Berkeley High, I toured with Ray Charles. This grand opportunity was given to me courtesy of my friend Buddy Gordon, who I had met at a high school band competition. Buddy was playing lead trumpet with Ray, and he stayed at my place when the band came to town. The lead alto player had just quit, and Buddy said, “You should bring your horn to the club.” Ten minutes before showtime, I was asked to join the saxophone section backstage to play through a chart. Then the road manager handed me a suit that was three sizes too big, and before I knew it, I was on stage with Ray Charles. I stayed with him for six months.
    Fortunately, there are many other ways to find work. First, plant seeds: let everyone know that you are a musician, composer, bandleader – whatever – and make sure they have your number; always play like your life depended on it; sit in at clubs; offer to perform at benefits, street fairs, schools and churches; play on song demos for free.  Another idea is to hire several top-level musicians to rehearse and play one gig with you, and offer this band to a club owner or concert space at no charge (few managers can resist this offer). Then, do a ton of promotion and play your tail off. This method, though potentially expensive, often pays significant dividends, even if you only find out how to do it better next time.
    But by far the best and most direct way to find employment, is through other musicians, particularly those who play the same instrument as you.  Cultivate relationships with players from the entire musical spectrum, and do substitute work for them regardless of the wages or working conditions offered. If you are willing to sit through some long rehearsals and low-paying gigs and maintain a good attitude, then better opportunities will surely arise. Either your patron – pleased by your availability and reliability – will reward you with better jobs, or you will meet a helpful person at one of the crummy jobs he gives you. As soon as your schedule begins to fill up, begin returning favors. Recommend the friends who offered you substitute work, even when you are fairly sure that they are too busy to accept more work. It is the thought that counts.
    Even your family can get into the act. They probably will not be able to get you a gig at Carnegie Hall, but they might know someone who is throwing a party.
    Below is my list of job ideas and opportunities. Some of these require further study or formal training, while others can be done immediately.

Street Play: Do not judge this advice until you try it. Street playing is a quick, fun, and easy way to generate income. If you are good – and pick a busy corner – you can make decent money. When I was 16, I bought the tenor saxophone that I still use from money I made by playing on the street corners of Berkeley, California.  Playing outdoors also helps you to develop your sound because you are forced to project it into open space while maintaining proper intonation and timbre. Plus you will meet some interesting and possibly helpful people.

Demos: Make a demo recording and give out copies to anyone who will listen, particularly club and band managers, producers, contractors, and song writers. Some venues or orchestras will have specific submission guidelines, but when you make any type of demo, follow these basic guidelines, some of which are also applicable to full-length CDs.

    • It should be under 5 minutes long.
    • The best material should be at the beginning of the demo. If you have already played on a hit song or a familiar jingle, make that the first track.
    • Either exhibit one strong area of your playing or writing, or demonstrate all your abilities. Each excerpt should last for 30 seconds or less.
    • Put your tracks in an order that will hold the listener’s attention. Consider the tempo, groove, instrumentation, and key of each candidate. Keep it lively, but put slower or more esoteric material in strategic places.
    • The production quality and volume should be consistent from track to track. Do not include low fidelity recordings even if you played brilliantly on them. Use only the best duplication equipment, and if you hire a duplication service, know what machines they use and be very specific about equalization, compression, and volume levels. Ask the CD service to give you a sample recording, and listen to it on several different systems before you authorize them to make more copies.
    • Be creative with the design; make it as fancy, funny, or far-out as you can afford. Hire a designer or ask an artist friend to assist you.

Audition and Sit in Relentlessly: Even when you don’t want the job, audition for it anyway just to gain more experience and meet people. You can find audition notices on the internet, in the back of music trade papers, in the classified section of your local newspaper, and on college and union bulletin boards. When you speak with the audition organizers, ask as many specific questions as they will answer: what the job involves; which songs to learn; who will accompany you; who will preside over the audition; whether it will be filmed or recorded; what to wear; the number of people auditioning; whether non-musical skills will be considered. Sometimes you won’t be given anything but a time and an address, and even if you do know all the details, it may not help to prepare beyond getting a good night’s sleep.  Still, a little information can go a long way. When you do an audition, arrive early, be friendly, do your best, leave promptly unless the audition coordinators ask you to stay, and forget about it the minute you walk out of the door.

Put a Band Together: Then play at weddings, hotel bars, bar mitzvahs, corporate parties, and industrial shows.  There are three essential requirements for building and maintaining a happy, healthy band that should be mentioned at the outset. First, define your band’s mission and your music. That means you must know your market, your audience, and your limitations. Do not try to be all things to all people. Second, communication is king: make sure that all band members know the band’s mission and understand their own role. At the same time, everyone should feel able to speak their minds and offer suggestions that will be taken seriously. Build trust.  Finally, nothing makes a band member more loyal and enthusiastic than abundant, lucrative gigs at great venues. Keep your band in the black.

Play at Clubs and Colleges:  Remember that club owners and managers are primarily interested in selling drinks, and they usually do not care what you play as long as you attract a crowd. You can buy a great deal of artistic freedom when you fill a room with free-spending friends and fans.  Build a solid local following by sending out regular e-mails to anyone who will sign your mailing list. Talk about your band to everyone you meet. Hand out t-shirts and other giveaways to your faithful fans. When the band isn’t performing, stay in touch with your followers through social media and let them know about your current recording activities and future plans. Thank them for their support.
    Beware of pay-to-play deals, where you actually pay a fee to book your band at a club. Do not volunteer to be ripped off.

Collaborate: Work with as many people as you can. Two heads are better than one, so even if you don’t produce fabulous music or make buckets of cash together, you will make new contacts via your colleagues.
Volunteer: Play at hospitals, nursing homes, and mental institutions via organizations like Hospital Audiences.

Studio Playing: Although this is now a ridiculously crowded field in a deep recession, try to break into your local studio scene. Most of the record, film, and jingle work is still done in New York, Los Angeles, Nashville, and Chicago, but there are thousands of small production houses scattered around the world that produce music for cable television, internet sites, smartphone ring-tones, independent films, industrial shows, video and computer games, and other uses. Contact these studios, visit them, give them your demo recording, and invite them to your gigs.

Build a Home Studio: Put together a home studio and sell services such as film scoring, CD duplication, song demo and voiceover production, sound design, and Pro-Tools editing.

Write Music: It is best to write music that students and amateurs can easily sing or play. You can also produce songs for young artists.

Send Out Casting Materials: Send a professionally produced video, 8 x 10 photo, and a résumé to all of the casting agents in your area. You never know when a client will need a real musician (or your instrument) for a print ad, television commercial, or film.

Start a Music Preparation Service: Most professional copyists now use computer software, but some clients still prefer to use handmade charts.

Work at a Music Store: This is a great way to meet people (and get equipment discounts). You can also learn instrument repair skills, and eventually start your own repair shop.

Run a Rehearsal Studio: With the right location, gear, and advertising, your business will thrive.

Spend Time with Creative People: These can be poets, painters, actors, dancers, designers, or filmmakers. Through these people jobs – or at least job ideas – will come your way.

    Most of all, keep on plugging away with unyielding determination.  Maintain high hopes and low expectations. Good things will happen!

The post Getting Gigs appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

    In today’s competitive job market, finding a job in music performance, education, or academia can be a great challenge. Many job seekers struggle to represent themselves and their accomplishments in the best possible light. Here are ways for job seekers to create an effective job portfolio, beginning with the development of an effective résumé and cover letter.

Résumé or Curriculum Vitae?
    Résumés come in a wide variety of styles, formats, and lengths. When applying for a job, it is important to know which one to use. The two main options are a curriculum vitae and a regular résumé. A résumé usually is a brief one-page summary of experiences and educational background, whereas a curriculum vitae (Latin for “course of my life”) typically is more comprehensive. A curriculum vitae is generally the standard for résumés used in applying for higher education or academic positions. A one-page résumé is more often used in seeking other kinds of employment.
    Within the music industry, there are two basic résumé categories: standard and performance. A performance résumé is self-explanatory, whereas a standard music résumé could be used in applying for jobs in music education, music industry, arts administration, or other similar fields. As an emerging music professional, it is important to have templates ready for both performance and standard résumés.

Résumé Headings
    Résumés usually feature many of the same basic headings and sections, including name, contact information, objective/summary, experience, education, related skills, and references. When writing a résumé or CV, it may be easiest to begin with a template or outline provided by different software companies (Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Pages). However, be sure to use this template only as inspiration, so that you maintain 100% control over the document and have the ability to customize it. Keeping your résumé or CV customized will give it more individuality.

Name
    For the name category, be sure to distinguish between a salutation and credential. “John Smith, D.M.” looks and sounds different than “Dr. John Smith.” One is not better than the other, but keep in mind that a résumé is a listing of credentials.

Objective or Summary
    Résumé drafters often are confused about whether to use an objective or summary section; this is an important decision. For most music performance jobs, the objective or summary should be self evident from the application itself, so this section can easily be omitted. For other music jobs, however, applicants generally will use the objective description later in their career. This would be appropriate, for example, when the applicant has extensive experience professionally and is now concerned with finding a good fit in another position. A good example of an applicant’s objective for a position in music education administration could be “School of music dean with 20 years of administrative experience seeks flagship state university school of music position.”
    A section titled summary is more often used earlier in one’s career. This section should be a short statement that will convince the search committee that the applicant has much to offer. A good example of a summary for a music education student could be “Classically trained pianist and educator seeks employment with an established college music department.” Overall, the objective or summary section should be a brief statement that describes your general goals for employment, and those goals should be appropriately based on your experience.

Experience
    Experience is a category that can include a wide range of entries to show the applicant’s worth to the employer. In addition to listing your professional experiences, you can also include here any leadership roles or achievements. For young emerging professionals who lack professional experiences, this is an area where transferable skills can be identified.

Education
    In the education section nearly all academic experience should be listed, starting with the highest degree earned. For students who have yet to graduate from a program on the list, the best choices are to put the graduation date in parentheses or to list the date as an expected graduation date. Either choice is appropriate; this is simply a matter of personal preference. For a doctorate or Ph.D. degree, a statement such as “All But Dissertation” (ABD) is appropriate and may help you advance to the next round of the application process.
    One question that often arises is whether to identify a high school within the education section. Unless the high school is likely to give the applicant an edge or connection to the job, there is no need to list it. But if the high school is potentially useful to note – for example, if the job requires building a program through local recruitment – then listing a local high school on the résumé would give that applicant an edge. The only other reason for listing high school would be if the school were well known in the music industry (e.g., Interlochen Arts Academy, Juilliard Pre College). Also, school GPA is generally unnecessary to note unless it would add significant meaning to the application.

Related Skills
    In the related skills section you should identify any additional abilities and knowledge that may be relevant. In music, the most common item to note is knowledge of music software knowledge, which can include Finale, Sibelius, SmartMusic, Pro Tools, and Pyware.

Music-Specific Résumé Headings
    Music-specific headings can vary depending on one’s area of expertise. Possible options include applied teachers, audition experience, prizes and awards, recordings, publications, clinics/master classes, summer festivals, performing experience (including solo, chamber, orchestral, and collaborative).
    It is common practice for musicians to list their applied teachers on a résumé, particularly if they are well known teachers. Such references should only be included if the teachers are informed and approve of their inclusion. It may also be temping to list a renowned teacher on a résumé, even if there was only one interaction with that person. A general rule is to determine if the teacher would qualify to be a reference. If the teacher would not qualify as a reference, then the name should not be mentioned on the résumé.
    Indeed, in all of these categories, be sure to include only entries that have significance and worth. Always keep in mind that the principal goal of a résumé is to emphasize and highlight key experiences of the applicant, which is far more important than just adding length to the document. Also, keep in mind that the transition from student to professional may appear awkward or abrupt on paper. To help with this transition, be sure to front load any professional activities on the résumé whenever possible.
    A section on audition experience should include auditions taken for professional or notable pre-professional experiences. On a performance résumé, this section should be appear further down the résumé than the performance experience heading.    Although audition experience is seen as important, hands-on professional performing experience is regarded as more valuable. Also, when listing auditions, it is best to include only successful audition experiences where you advanced or won the audition.
    The category of prizes and awards can include both scholarships and competitions. Be sure to create an extra subheading if necessary to distinguish between the two.
    Lastly, within the performance experience section, you can use numerous subcategories to organize your experiences. Try to tailor the listing in a way that will connect your experiences to the job or employer.

Academic CV Format
    The format for curricula vitae can vary and may be dependent on the particular institution’s tenure/promotion formats and guidelines. Most institutions provide preferred portfolio formats on their websites. It is recommended that applicants follow those formats if provided. For emerging young professionals, it is suggested to use a template from their graduating school or the institution in which they send their application. Template examples can be found online on websites for the University of Texas, Eastman School of Music, and New England Conservatory. While not all inclusive, these examples provide some commonly adopted formats. The basic CV format for higher education positions should include personal information, a list of honors and awards, and a list of scholarly contributions, which can be in teaching, research/creative word, outreach, or service.
    When writing a CV, keep in mind that it is not targeted like a résumé. A CV is more of a narrative and should be as comprehensive as possible. Be detailed and thorough.

Résumé and CV Principles
Research
    Musicians must promote themselves on paper as well as they do on stage. When applying for a job, it is prudent to research the institution thoroughly, exploring the information about the school mission, faculty, location, size and type of program, areas of focus, budgets, university strategic plans, and more. Once the research is complete, the résumé should be customized for the particular position and institution where the job is sought. Instead of just listing your achievements, craft a résumé or CV that addresses expressed specific requirements of the position and the institution.

Transferable Skills
    Many young and less-experienced musicians struggle to present a depth of experience in a résumé or CV. If there is concern about showing too little depth, try to focus more on transferable skills. Hiring committees are looking not only for prior experience, but also for potential for future success. If you are lacking in hands-on job experience, be sure to focus on these skills and make connections that will prove your worth for the position. Some examples of pre-job experiences that transfer well in music could include section leader, marching band drum major, student teaching, internships, graduate assistantships, private lesson instruction, volunteering, teaching band camps, military service, and experience in fraternities and sororities.

Tone
    Tone in a résumé or cover letter can dramatically influence the hiring process. There is a fine line between self-advocacy and projecting a tone that may be interpreted as egotistical. When writing a cover letter or résumé/CV, be aware of this balance and choose the wording appropriately. It may help to have numerous people offer suggestions on editing.
    Applicants will often preface an accounting of their qualifications with “I am…” For example, an applicant might state in the letter, “I am completely qualified and experienced for the assistant professor position at your institution.” A statement such as this conveys confidence, but it can also be interpreted as presumptuous. A search committee might perceive an egotistical tone in such a statement. To avoid the risk of seeming overly confident, it may be better to use the phrase “I feel” instead of “I am” for the music and academic work fields.

Visual
    The visual aspect of a résumé and CV is easily just as important as the content. Reverse chronological order is preferred for all dates. At times, this may mean that significant experiences will not be listed first. It is also important to keep all entries consistently formatted.
    Be sure to list dates on the right of the page instead of the left. For example, list your experience as

    Colorado Symphony    2014

rather than

    2014    Colorado Symphony

The significant item here is Colorado Symphony, not the date. The date is meant to give a timeline and context to the entry. The experience of the applicant is more important than when it happened.
    Also, choose a font that is different from the more popular ones. Try to avoid Times New Roman, Cambria, Calibri, Ariel, Courier New, and possibly Helvetica. These fonts are overused and will blend in with the rest of the applicants’ submissions. Find a font that is clean, clear, and individual. Some examples may include Palatino or Optima. Font choice is the first visual representation of a job portfolio, and it will either encourage or discourage the committee to read over the materials. Font size is also important to ensure readability and clarity. Be thoughtful in these decisions.

Objective Data
    Numbers and objective data are hard to dispute. Use both in a résumé/CV and cover letter whenever possible. In a cover letter, a statement such as “I have taught numerous private students in Chicago, with my top ones making All-State Band” is less powerful in comparison to “I have taught 26 private students in three suburbs of Chicago. Of this group, four made All-State Band with one being first chair.” In addition to presenting a stronger statement, the objective data will gives the committee more context and understanding with regard to these experiences.

Edit
    Once the résumé is written, find an editor. Then find another editor. A résumé should be an evolving document, and it needs numerous pairs of eyes for improvement. Talk to people who have recently succeeded in finding a new job. Compare résumés and discuss potential changes to be made to yours.

Cover Letter versus Résumé
    The cover letter is an applicant’s chance to highlight strengths and positive characteristics, and this is especially so in the early stages of one’s career. The letter is the committee’s chance to get to know the applicant, and from the letter they can see how you think, how you write, and what kind of colleague you would be. This is where applicants can state their case for why they should be interviewed. A cover letter also provides the essential context for all of the experiences listed in the résumé or CV. The cover letter should not duplicate the details in the résumé or CV but rather explain the significance of those details. When writing a cover letter, make sure that the tone is confident and professional. An appropriate start for a letter of application might be: “My experience and background… are excellent preparation for….”

Format
    The cover letter should have three main sections, all totaling no more than one page if possible. The introductory paragraph usually consists of three to five sentences and covers the basics. This is where applicants reference the employer and opportunity, and how they learned about the position. While this information might seem obvious or mundane, the application may be immediately strengthened if the committee is informed as to how the applicant learned about the position. Networking is extremely important in the music industry, and having a strong name connected to the applicant in the first sentence of the cover letter can be quite valuable. For example: “I would like to be considered for the position of assistant professor of trumpet at New York University. I became aware of this opening through a personal referral from Philip Smith, principal trumpet of the New York Philharmonic.” This statement immediately elevates the applicant’s status just by the connection to Philip Smith. After the opening statement, the next part will explain why the applicant is applying for the position. Here the letter should discuss the applicant’s interest in and motivation for the opportunity. Be concise and confident by using action verbs here.
    In the middle paragraph, which should also be three to five sentences, the committee will get to know the applicant as a person and how they think. Include a statement that connects your skills and experiences back to the position or employer. Review the job posting and employer website, and highlight the skills and past experiences that are the most applicable. For younger professionals, remember that relevant experiences can cover a wide range and may include paid, unpaid/volunteer, internships, academic coursework and programs, study abroad, leadership roles, student organizations, community programs, and military training.
    This is where transferable skills will come into play. When discussing background, be sure to provide specific and detailed examples of experiences and accomplishments. (Remember the value of objective data.) Often applicants will use subjective, arguable statements in the cover letter, which can be difficult to confirm. Here is an example: “Recently, I concluded a rather successful term as a sabbatical replacement at Chicago University.” Successful according to whom? In general, avoid phrases that are vague and hard to prove. Lastly, focus on qualifications and any transferable skills if there is limited direct experience. If you have only limited previous experience for the position, discuss an experience where new skills were learned.
    The concluding paragraph should be three to four sentences, and it should restate your interest in the position. The letter should conclude with an expression of appreciation for consideration of the applicant’s materials.

Related Principles
    One of the key challenges when putting together a job portfolio is the transition between student and young professional. In today’s job market, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to get a job without hands-on experience. In a résumé/CV and cover letter, work to cast yourself as a professional, not only a student. Student status will be immediately obvious to the search committee, so omit any information that is less significant or applicable. There is no shame in being a student transitioning into the professional marketplace. Use transferable skills confidently as a substitute for professional experience. The application portfolio depends on past accomplishments and related skills as evidence of the applicant’s likelihood of future success.
In addition, take advantage of any networking opportunities to elevate your application through the search process. Networking is a valuable part of becoming a professional in the workplace – especially in music. In the performance world, most freelance work comes through personal referrals, and it is important to make a good first impression. When going through college or working, strive to make and keep many positive relationships with co-workers, students, colleagues, faculty, and administration. Part of the job application process includes listing references or recommendation letters. Often search committees will call people who are not included on the reference list. In addition, knowing someone who can be of help through the application process can be extremely valuable. Be professional, kind, and considerate at all times to avoid any problems in getting hired.

Conclusion
    Be clear and confident when writing a cover letter and résumé/CV. Consider aesthetics and tone when writing, and strive to balance confidence while avoiding arrogance. For those who are lacking professional experience, focus on transferable skills and networking to enhance the job application. When applying for a job, be sure to have more than one résumé template and know which one to use. Lastly, include as much objective and indisputable data when describing experiences. There are jobs available for music majors who are right out of school.

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    Why should we memorize? It had never occurred to me to ask such a question when I began studying the flute seriously. I just took it for granted that memorizing one’s solo repertoire was the right thing to do and was also an important mark of professionalism. I loved to memorize. I even memorized my high school marching band music – as I also did later in the 86th Infantry Division Band during my World War II service in the U.S., Germany and the Philippines – mainly because I hated those clumsy, bobbing music lyres.
    By the time I entered college, I had already built up a reasonably solid, memorized repertoire of Chaminade, Enesco, Gaubert, Griffes, Kennan, Ganne, Saint-Saëns, Caplet, Poldini, Telemann and Handel. Then, at Eastman I added Bach, Mozart, Debussy, Dutilleux, Piston, Varèse, Hindemith, Hanson, Faure, Martin, Reinecke, Hüe, Schubert and Ibert (the Prokofiev sonata hadn’t yet been published).
    After graduation I was fortunate enough to win the second flute/piccolo position in the Rochester Philharmonic, and two years later got to play the Bach 4th Brandenburg Concerto (but not by memory), collaborating with my esteemed teacher Joseph Mariano, concertmaster Millard Taylor and conductor Erich Leinsdorf.
    My first solo appearance with the Chicago Symphony was in 1959, when I performed the Vivaldi A Minor Piccolo Concerto by memory under music director Fritz Reiner. By this time I had picked up several good strategies not only for memory reinforcement but more importantly, for coping with possible memory slips.
    Devising strategically placed flagging spots in the score to land on in case of a memory lapse was an indispensable part of that strategy. Basically, I practiced the last four bars of the movement by memory, then from the last eight bars, then from the last sixteen bars, and so on. Next I practiced “pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey” style, starting anywhere in the movement randomly.
    My flagging system actually came in very handy when I accidentally omitted one arpeggio in the first movement during my performance of the Vivaldi. It happened near the end of a very long passage of arpeggiated 16th note triplets, and luckily I landed unscathed on the next flagging spot that was just one beat away. I had probably left out no more than five 16th notes and one heartbeat.    
    After the concert I went to Reiner’s dressing room to apologize for my stumble, but before I even had a chance to finish my apology, he smiled (a rarity for Reiner), quickly complimented me on my performance, and reassured me that my lapse was of no consequence. That was a great relief! He then sat me down and in a blithe mood told me about concerts he had conducted where some famous soloists suffered memory slips serious enough to necessitate starting over. He added that of course no one is completely immune to memory lapses, for even great artists like Jascha Heifetz, Artur Rubinstein, Nathan Milstein and Rudolf Serkin had experienced them (usually in Bach performances).
    Reiner, himself, conducted most of the standard symphonic repertoire by memory, but did use a score when conducting concertos and newer works. Virtually all the major conductors of that era conducted by memory, being greatly influenced by the renowned Arturo Toscanini, who in so many ways set the standards for all conductors, including for memorization. Leonard Bernstein, Leopold Stokowski, Erich Leinsdorf, George Szell, Eugene Ormandy, Fritz Reiner, Serge Koussevitzky, William Steinberg, Josef Krips, Bruno Walter and Dimitri Mitropoulis were among the most notable memorizers.
    Mitropoulis was especially notable. When he guest conducted the Rochester Philharmonic in 1952, the major work on our program was the Liszt Faust Symphony. He not only conducted the concert performance by memory, but even more impressively, the rehearsals as well. At any stopping point, after making comments and corrections, he would quickly identify our restarting spot, e.g. “12 bars before letter F,” without referring to the score! (Check out his rehearsal of the same work with the New York Philharmonic on YouTube – John Wummer, principal flute and Ben Gaskins, piccolo.) 
    Leinsdorf also had a prodigious memory, no doubt influenced and strengthened by his close association with Toscanini, with whom he worked as an assistant at the Salzburg Festival during 1934-37. In addition to the standard orchestral repertoire, Leinsdorf conducted all concertos and new works by memory. I never knew him to make an error.
    After Leinsdorf left the Rochester Philharmonic in 1957, he led the newly established New York City Opera and then returned to the Metropolitan Opera where had made his original American debut in 1937. In 1962 he became music director of the Boston Symphony, conducting many stellar recordings with that illustrious orchestra. He resigned his BSO post in 1969 and for the rest of his career devoted himself exclusively to guest conducting, making annual appearances with the Chicago Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philhar-monic, Philadelphia Orchestra and several European orchestras.
    In the first of his annual guest appearances with the Chicago Symphony in 1969 it was interesting to note the changes in his conducting style since I had last played under him in Rochester. He had thrown away his baton, and he was no longer conducting from memory! In several conversations I had with him he emphasized the importance of expanding his repertoire, not only into new works but also lesser known but significant works of the master composers of the past and present. That meant that the time saved in not memorizing scores would give him more opportunity to expand his non-standard repertoire. This resulted in very fascinating program designs that juxtaposed familiar and non-familiar works. The CSO and its audiences always looked forward to Leinsdorf’s unique programming brand.
    Nineteen sixty-nine was also the year when the highly-revered conductor Sir Georg Solti became music director of the CSO, and he was the first major conductor who had the audacity to conduct everything with the score – even the national anthem. It was almost as if the so-called Toscanini curse was at last broken. Solti not only conducted from the score but also marked his music profusely, using various colored pencils. To look at any of his scores was almost like visiting an art gallery.
    These markings were not just cues and balance adjustments, however. Most of them were related to Solti’s analysis of the score. His knowledge of the score was a very deep and perceptive one, and he was always searching for new insights. In fact, I remember several occasions when we were about to revisit a Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert or Shostakovich symphony. At the first rehearsal he would proudly announce that he had discarded his old, marked-up score, obtained a new one, and looked forward to taking a fresh approach to the work at hand. The implication was that if one memorizes a score, there is always a risk of becoming locked into a single, hidebound interpretation.
    Sir Georg’s successor, Daniel Barenboim, took over the CSO in 1991, and he was just the opposite of Solti in the memory department. I could easily have voted for Barenboim as the world’s champion memorizer, and I’m sure Toscanini would have agreed. Except for premieres of new compositions, Barenboim conducted everything from memory. He also sported an enormous memory bank of piano works. He not only knew all the Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Grieg, Schumann, Bartók, Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky piano concertos, but most of their sonatas, concert pieces and many of their chamber works. Fortunately, Barenboim’s phenomenal memory doesn’t seem to interfere with his knack for interpretive flexibility.
    What about orchestras – do they ever memorize? Actually, yes. Alan Walker’s terrific biography, Hans von Bülow, A Life and Times gives a detailed account of that famous conductor’s years in the 1880s as music director of the Meiningen Court Orchestra in Germany, during which time he had his musicians play by memory all nine Beethoven symphonies plus many other works, often in standing position. Of course Bülow himself had a fabulous memory, both as a conductor and pianist. He had studied piano with Franz Liszt, who incidentally was the pioneer of memorized recitals, which in those days were sometimes as long as three hours (he was facetiously referred to as “Liszt: The Inventor of Stage Fright”). Bülow hired the young Richard Strauss as his assistant conductor, mentored Johannes Brahms, whose 4th Symphony was premiered by the Meiningen Orchestra in 1885, and worked closely with Richard Wagner, whose Tristan und Isolde and Die Meistersinger were premiered in Munich with Bülow conducting. He also championed the music of Berlioz and Tchaikovsky. Bülow in fact played the premiere of the Tchaikovsky 1st Piano Concerto in Boston in 1875. His musical influence in Europe and the U.S. was all-encompassing. 
    Most big-name soloists perform from memory, but there are some notable exceptions. One of those notables is the violinist Gidon Kremer. (He also often conducts his concerto accompaniments.) Pianists who play from the score include Olli Mustonen, Gilbert Kalish, Alexandre Tharaud, Peter Serkin (sometimes), Martha Argerich (sometimes), and Stephen Hough (most of the time). Flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal always played his recitals with the score. However, Rampal always gave the impression that he was playing from memory because his music stand was situated quite low, like a discreet teleprompter. He certainly did his Mozart concertos and some other standards by memory, but everything else was always with the score. As a result, he amassed an incredibly large repertoire. His discography lists 773 albums, probably the largest repertoire of any solo artist, past or present. All of his recordings are listed in Jean-Pierre Rampal: A Half-Century of Recordings compiled by Denis Verroust and published by La Flûte Traversière, Salvatore Faulisi, Paris.
    Now back to my original question – why memorize? I firmly believe that my earlier experiences in memorization laid an important foundation for my growth as a musician. Neverthe-less, my overall philosophy did shift over the years. I was especially influenced by Leinsdorf’s history (I had always considered him as a mentor), and of course the Rampal and Solti examples. Thus when I started out as a young flute professor at Northwestern University in 1962, I began to realize the importance of developing a greatly expanded teaching repertoire as well as a larger recital and chamber music resource. For an average memorizer like me, however, such a goal could only be accomplished by cutting back on excessive hours for memorization – and that is what I did.
    Nonetheless, it is still a very satisfying feeling to be able to revisit most of my favorite oldies without having to retrieve the scores, and I remain convinced that it is important for students to memorize much of their solo repertoire. The benefits are indisputable. As a final piece of advice, when performing by memory, don’t get in the habit of keeping your eyes closed. Instead, direct your eyes just a little above the audience. Then they will know you are sincerely sharing with them your love for the music!

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    Most of the practical tips I have learned over my 35 years of teaching have come from colleagues, clinics, and good old common sense. There is no magic bullet that will cure all of the challenges we face as band directors.
    One of the best things I ever did was to start a journal of the practical ideas that really worked to improve my program. Many teachers attend clinics and conferences and come home inspired and ready to take on the world. My suggestion is to type out those ideas that really speak to you while they are still fresh in your mind. Try to place these ideas into categories – e.g., Pitch, Tone, Phrasing, Articulation, etc. The key is to keep a list on your computer of techniques that work for you. Below are a few ideas that have worked for me.

Warming Up the Band

    Set the mental stage for rehearsal by informing students clearly about your expectations and their responsibilities. Put your plan on the board every day. This also gives the percussion time to get the correct instruments ready.
    Every student must have a pencil. Do a pencil check. Grade students on this. Also remind them: “A short pencil is better than a long memory.”
    For warmups, try having the brass buzz on the mouthpiece while the woodwinds play.
    Stress the importance of good tone quality from the first day of band. Insist on a resonant and centered sound. Remind students that developing a tone quality is probably the most important thing they can do to improve the sound of the ensemble.
    The purpose of a warmup is to prepare students mentally and physically. It serves to bring the instruments to room temperature and to get embouchures loosened up before tuning. The reason that we warm up on long tones, chords, chorales, and the like is so that the students can concentrate on quality of sound and pitch center in relationship to the overall band.

Pitch and Intonation

    Good pitch is a direct result of good tone quality. Remind students to begin every day with their instrument’s tuning set where it was the previous rehearsal and to keep the instrument warm during rehearsals and concerts.
    Students need to know what to listen for as they tune. Tune the tuba. All first chair players should listen to the tuba. Then the second chair should tune to the first chair, the third chair to the second, and so on. The sound your students play should melt into whomever they are listening to. Work to eliminate any beats in the sound.
    Tune up in the same key and volume as your first piece. Practice long tones both soft and loud, with a tuner.
    Sing more in rehearsals. Singing is a great tool: use it!
    All students should learn how to read up and down an octave. You may want to have the flutes or clarinets play certain passages down an octave if the overall sound is too strident.
    Have the band play a concert F scale. As they do this, try to make the top note sound as dark and in tune as the bottom note.
    Try to have your students bend notes up and down using just the embouchure. Explain that all instruments have different pitch tendencies, and a performer must always listen and adjust.
    Have the entire band play a unison pitch after tuning. Point to one person and have everyone else stop. Decide as a band if the note is sharp or flat.
    Adjusting pitch is like riding a bike, because the players must make little automatic adjustments in order to stay upright, or in tune.
    Establish with your students a basic awareness of the tendencies of certain chord voices. For example, a perfect fifth needs to be two cents higher; a major third needs to be 14 cents lower; a minor third needs to be 16 cents higher, etc. Discuss the concepts of equal temperament versus just intonation.
    Sing any pitch. Have students find it by ear only. Move your hands (or point) to make the students bend the pitch up and down. When you bring your hands together, the students should sing a perfect unison. Do this when playing with the instruments as well.
    Tune major, minor, and diminished chords using this method. First, explain and then play a major triad. Then, using hand signals, lower the third (to make it minor), lower the fifth (to make it diminished), lower the root (to produce a major triad a half step down). Continue the sequence from there.
    Remind students that even professional symphony orchestras play out of tune. The orchestra sounds in tune only because the players adjust each note so quickly that the intonation problem never reaches the ear of the listener.
    After tuning a chord in the music, have your students mark an arrow (up or down) above the note to remind them which way to bend the pitch. The height of the arrow can indicate how much to bend the note.

Tone and Balance

    Here are some concepts to keep in mind with regard to tone and balance:
    The formula for good tone: Embouchure plus air equals tone.
    Any melodic line should be one-third top and two-thirds bottom.
    Correct balance takes care of many intonation problems. On marches and faster pieces, take time to isolate chords and play them with fermatas in order to isolate pitch problems.
    Have two students (first on the same instruments, then different instruments) sit next to each other and play a unison note. As they do this, have the rest of the band close their eyes and see if they can hear when the two instruments sound like one homogeneous new instrument.
    Memorize a simple chorale as a band. As they play it, the students can then devote their entire attention to listening and watching, since they no longer have to read the music.
    Students should strive to put their sound inside a lower and darker sounding instrument. For example, a trumpet should try to put its sound inside a French horn, a French horn sound inside tuba, a clarinet sound inside bass clarinet, and so forth.
    Players should always listen down and try to put their sound inside another instrument. Higher sounding instruments should realize that their sound is one of the harmonics of the lower sounding horns.
    Read Francis McBeth’s book again. The pyramid of sound is a good tool.

Articulation

    Use the concept of stage make-up as you try to get articulations across. The audience must hear it. The same idea applies to dynamics.
    Articulations depend on the style and era of the piece: Mozart and Stravinsky accents are very different.
    Practice various articulations in scales during warmups. In general, students need to practice more legato.
    Lift and separate notes in marches and similar pieces. Use buoyant air support.
    Experiment how to release a fermata. I suggest having the upper instruments release first and the lowest instruments release last. Try it both ways to prove this theory.

Phrasing

    Every musical line should have direction.
    Most bands do not play with enough passion. Music is boring without feeling. There should be more shape to musical lines and more extremes in the dynamics. Sing a line then play it. Play like you talk, with inflection in your sentence, which will help to develop a musical line.
    Playing dissonances stronger provides for increased satisfaction at resolution.
    Music is generally either a song or a dance. Song music is lyrical in nature. Think about the line, and the energy is in the center of the note. This often provides for more nuance in tempo. Dance music, by contrast, is rhythmic in nature. Think about the rhythm, with the energy at the start of the note, and try to use a strict tempo.

Rhythm

    Think of double dotting when playing dotted eighth-sixteenth passages. Play it as a triplet, and then play it correctly to show the difference.
    Subdivide all fast groupings of notes and then speed them up. If you continue to practice a passage incorrectly at a fast tempo, you are simply getting good at being bad.
    Try practicing tempo changes first without the conductor to see where the natural speed is, and then practice the same passages with the conductor.
    Have students play everything with just the attack; do not hold out pitches. This pointillist approach is a good way to practice pieces with many different entrances. Then, after practicing this way, play it as written.

Breathing/Posture

    Two of my favorite quotes about air and breathing are “Air is free, use it,” and “Air is your friend.”
    To work on posture, have a contest among your students to see who can stand up the quickest. Ready position is the correct posture.
    Students should be told not to think about embouchure when they are playing. Instead, they should think only about air.
    Get percussion players to breathe with the wind players, which will help them to start phrases together.
    Practice hissing like a snake. Hiss a phrase, and then play it.
    Practice playing longer phrases. Have a contest to see who can play the longest (just to demonstrate that students can play longer than they think they can).
    Project the air all the way through the instrument. Imagine making the bell vibrate. Students should think of the air going out of the bell, not just into the mouthpiece.
    Remind your students about proper instrument playing position often.
    Students should think of playing a wind horn. In other words, they should use fingerings and blow, rather than just buzzing.

Performance Protocol

    Explain to students exactly what is expected for concert dress (send home a hand-out on this).
    Rehearse tuning procedure for performance as well as when to stand and sit. Remind students that there must be absolutely no talking on stage during a concert.
    Percussionists should know exactly where to be at all times. Often these players are the only ones moving on stage, and so this may be where the audience members focus their attention. Keep any movement to a minimum.
    If you must tune on stage, make it simple and quick. Do not tune individuals on stage. Consider playing an easy chorale to warm the instruments and to get a sense of pitch.

Conducting

    In rehearsals conducting should be like a good conversation. Listen more, talk less.
    The attitude of the conductor toward rehearsal techniques and the music being rehearsed will directly reflect how the students view these things. Be positive and passionate.
    Videotape yourself conducting during band rehearsal. You may be surprised at what you see.
    Students care far more about how you feel about the music than how much you know.
    Do more score study. Mark up the score more than you normally would. Listen to recordings, but do your own interpretation. Pick the pieces you believe in, not just what others say is good. Picking the correct literature for your band is one of the most important things that will help your program.
    Talk to other directors about the challenges you may be having. We are all in this together. Many suggestions and answers are just a phone call away. Encourage a colleague that you respect to observe one of your rehearsals. Take that person out to lunch and discuss any ideas for improvement.

Miscellaneous

     Rehearse exercises in the circle of fifths (or fourths).
    Work on teaching students to play their own part while listening to another part.
    Rotate parts. Have your first chair player move down to the third part on occasion. Be creative and let all students feel important.
    Write the word focus on the board, and remind students repeatedly that all of the ideas you have discussed will mean nothing if there is no focus. Relate this point about focus to real life situations, such as the Olympics or listening to instructions for the SAT test.
    Sitting too close together will prevent the lows from projecting, and it also may cause some higher overtones to come out too much. Put some space between the musicians. Have them fill up an imaginary circle with their sound.
    Sectionals are extremely important. Talk to student leaders and have them help with the organization and rehearsal of sectionals. This is a win-win situation.
    Remind students to keep their instruments clean. Every now and then have your students take out their mouthpieces and look through them into the light. This is important for both good health and a good sound.
    Encourage students to form duets and small ensembles. This will quickly improve intonation problems, and students will have fun.
    Record your rehearsals. You will hear many things that you did not realize were happening. This is also a great way to get ready for your next concert. Listen, then take the time to mark up your score.

Thoughts in Conclusion

    All of the ideas above are drawn from years of picking the brains of my friends and colleagues, as well as what I have learned from attending clinics and rehearsals. The key is to use this information in your rehearsals. Try one or two concepts that you think will help your group. Common sense should be your guide.

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    Bobby Lambert worked for 13 years as an assistant director at Marian Catholic High School, which has a renowned band program under the leadership of Greg Bimm. In Lambert’s years as an assistant director at Marian, he worked with and learned from Bimm, who was a mentor.
    This past fall Lambert took on his first head director position as director of bands at Wando High School in South Carolina. The marching and symphonic bands at Wando have a proud and successful history, having won numerous state and national awards in recent years, along with numerous other honors. In leading this band program, Lambert has tried to bring to Wando all that he learned during his tenure at Marian, while earning the respect and trust of students and parents at Wando.
    In this interview Lambert reflects on his experiences in this new position, sharing the triumphs and challenges he has experienced so far in taking on the head director position and in joining a program that already has a well-established tradition of success.

How has your first semester as head director at Wando High School been?
    It has been quite the emotional roller coaster, from the highest highs to some very challenging lows. That is usually how it works. Having been an assistant director at Marian Catholic High School for 13 years, I thought I had experienced everything as a director, but when the ultimate responsibility falls to you as a head director, it changes the scenario.

What is different now that you are head director?
    At my former position I was very fortunate to work with Greg Bimm, who is now in his 38th year; when I got there, he was in year 25. Very little was new to him, and he had a good idea from month to month exactly what was going to happen, and what we needed to do to prepare for it. We would plan ahead, and although plans would sometimes go awry, there were not many surprises. His expertise and experience made it all a relatively smooth ride, whereas here, there have been many things that have seemed to come out of left field, as can be true with any new job. For example, preparation for all-county band is different here, and there are tasks that need to be done in preparation for Bands of America that I had no idea about, including minor items like tickets and parking passes.
    With change and responsibility comes greater stress, but also a greater level of ownership in what we are doing. One aspect of the job that I have enjoyed far more in this position is to see the way in which my wonderful associates Lanie Radecke and Jeff Handel, the staff, students, and parents all work together. As a head director, you can see the benefits of this more clearly. When I forget something, someone else usually has already picked up the slack. That has been a real joy to see.

What were some of the most difficult lessons you learned in your prior job at Marian?
    At Marian my focus was on gaining experience, but I made some mistakes.  One of the first mistakes I made was a miscalculation with the Concert Band, the second band at the school. I had the idea of entering these students in solo and ensemble contests. The top band always participated in solo and ensemble contests, but we had never asked the second band to do that. I introduced the idea of having students from the second band compete, and I did this without any direction from the head director or any other consideration beyond thinking that it is a good idea. It was a disaster. There were a few good results, as some students rose to the occasion of performing at the contests and did so because they were forced into it. However, there were some other students who were not ready for this, but because I had thrown the gauntlet down, I could not go back on it. After that experience I learned that it is necessary to look at all the angles and to get as much input as possible, because once you make a decision, it is hard to back away from it.
    In my current position at Wando, if anything, I was slow to move at first. I wanted to make sure I had a good understanding before I made a decision, and sometimes people would get anxious and make decisions without consulting others or they would make decisions preemptively. Part of this job is not only trying to decide the path, but also trying to herd everyone to go in the same direction. This has been difficult at times.
The second challenge was to build trust with the administration, parents, and students, which is something I had at my prior position. Here they didn’t know me, and it is taking time to gain their trust. This can be frustrating, and while I knew it might be a challenge, I did not fully realize the degree to which I relied on the trust of others. There were times when I found myself just asking students to take a leap of faith, saying, “I know you don’t know that this is going to work, but trust me. I am quite positive it will put you in the best light.” I had to do this with the parents, too.
    I established some key guidelines early on. I made it clear that the first thing I will always do is make sure the students are safe. The second thing I will always do is make sure that I treat everyone as fairly as possible. The third thing is to try to put all students in the best position to achieve success and fulfillment. The caveat to this third point is that we as directors get to define what is success and what is fulfillment, not a panel of judges. If you can do that as a director, you set yourself up for good things.

What are some of the best lessons you have learned about how to run a program?
    If I could boil down the teaching philosophy of my mentor Greg Bimm and focus on one concept, it would be that the students come first. He taught me long ago that whenever you are struggling with a decision, which may involve hurting someone’s feelings or going against the grain, you should always look at what is best for the student. Sometimes that means letting a staff member go. Sometimes that means being frank with a student who is hurting another group of people. Sometimes it means putting your ego aside. Often there is a goal or a piece of music that I wish to pursue, but the students are not right for it. Perhaps we could have pulled off a certain piece of music I wanted to do, but if it would have left everyone bloodied by the time it was over, then that is not the right piece. Making sure the students always come first was the main lesson I learned at Marian.
    The second lesson I learned is that students can do just about anything, and sometimes giving them freedom to make mistakes is better than holding their hand and guiding them every day. I remember my first week at Marian when we were working on marching outside. The group had just won Grand Nationals the previous year, and we looked awful. But Greg just let us go for four days. I kept waiting for him to emphasize the marching, but he didn’t. Then he came out on Thursday evening and said, “Bobby, I need to see everybody right now.” I thought, finally, here it is. He pulled us together, pulled out a plastic bag, and took out two McDonalds bags that had been left on the floor. He proceded to talk to everyone for 15 minutes about the importance of picking up after yourself and great character. It hit me then that if you teach people to be great people, the musicianship tends to follow. The other point here is that students can go pretty far on their own before the director needs to come in to save the group or the staff. Even directors who are very determined to achieve success should allow the students and staff to have a sense of independence and ownership in what they are doing.
    In teaching students over the summer, I learned that some of the best students come from so-called less successful programs. The reason why this happens is simply that these students are allowed to do more of the work on their own. There may not be a staff at these schools to teach marching, so a drum major has to do it. The section leaders may need to work with other students simply because there is no staff available. Also, I think that sometimes the best lessons are in failure rather than success. These lessons really go together. The students’ ultimate well being, not just how you place at contests, is the most important thing, and in addition to that, sometimes failure is a more important and more valuable lesson than holding someone’s hand.

What goals do you have for the program at Wando, and how do you plan to achieve them?
    When I am interviewed for a job I usually am asked where I see the program in five to ten years, but I do not spend a lot of time thinking about specific goals. I try to focus on what we want to feel in five years, and I think that in five years we want to feel satisfied, fulfilled, and like we have grown from where we are now. This might translate into numbers or accomplishments. Yes, I would love for us to look at playing at Midwest in the next few years. Is that my goal? No, not necessarily, but as I look at the players and the aptitude we have here, that is a natural progression in where we could go. Would I like to see us return to Grand Nationals? Not next year, but I would like to go again and get into a cycle of going every two or three years. Again, though, I am trying to make sure we pursue these goals in a way that is healthy for the program.
    If I had an overall goal, it would be more about how people feel about the program. I would love for every eighth grader in the county to wish that they could be in the band program, for student-teachers to come here and wish that they could work with the great staff members we have, and for people to look at our program and try to model things after us. Some people have very concrete goals, but I think that you can get blinded by those. I try to maintain a good balance when thinking about goals.

How do you handle the possibility of failure?
    When there is a possibility for failure, to succeed is all the better. If you go into a poker game knowing the cards are stacked in your favor, that may feel good, but it is not nearly as fulfilling as winning when you know there is a substantial chance of failure. Knowing that there are many reasons to fail but succeeding anyway is a good thing.
    I think there were many eyes on us this past fall to see how the band would do under a different director, and rightfully so. I felt like we actually drew a lot of momentum from that pressure. It made us go forward.
The potential for success or failure in a new system under a new director also presents challenges on the student level. The former director here had put in place many great systems for everything, from how you turn in work to how the band loads the bus. What I told the students here originally was that I did not know all of these systems, so they were going to have to help pick up the slack. The juniors and seniors, as well as the most experienced sophomores, did a great job of stepping up to this challenge.
    There was also an occasion when I asked the members of the top band to write down the name of one student who they would make sure did their playing pass-offs. I remember this idea seemed like a foreign concept to students. They were so concerned about taking care of their own business that they had not considered helping anyone else. One benefit of being asked to help out with others in the band is that you tend to do your own job better when you are trying to help other people do theirs.
    These situations arise on the individual student level as well. If there is a particular freshman who is struggling, I can approach the freshman to ask what we can do to help, but it might be far better to go to a senior nearby and say, “That freshman is struggling. Why don’t you see what you can do?” If the senior and freshman can work together, the senior will tend to do his job better, and the freshman will benefit more from having a peer come over to help, instead of an adult.
    I do not have all of the answers that many of our greatest players and most experienced marchers have. This is true with symphonic band as well. Right now we are discussing the most effective way to warm up. I have my ideas, but we are trying different things. I have learned over the years that some of the methods that I was supposed to use have changed. The idea of practicing is different from what it used to be with the advent of new technologies. I do not believe that you should continue using the same methods that you learned in college or doing things that are five to ten years old. Personalities change, too. I think that the strength of any great teacher is not doing the same thing over and over but rather being able to read and assess what the students in front of you can do and what they can’t do, and then blend these two together.

What advice would you give to someone taking on a position at a school that already has a successful program?
    Everyone will always tell you not to change anything the first year, and that is valuable advice. At the same time, however, I think it is important to have a few core principles that are part of who you are. I believe that the chemistry of the group is of vital importance and must not ever be ignored, so it was very important to me to get every person involved in putting forth effort to have as much success as possible. To do this, we changed a bit about how our alternate system worked, and we gave people greater opportunities to perform with us. These changes were a bit risky at first, but I think it will pay dividends down the road. It has paid dividends already. We will have a higher retention rate. My core principle is this: “If you will try, I will make it work for you.” I will find a path, and we will do whatever we can if you are willing to try. I think we held very firm to that. This is the one principle on which I was unwilling to compromise. If a student is willing to try, I refuse to let that person go.
    This is a principle I learned in my first year at Marian. We had a set of twins in the band who were horrific marchers. The band used an alternate system, with two people in one spot, and these twins were alternating. It looked like they were trying hard, but they continued to be unsuccessful at marching. I remember going to the head director and saying, “Hey, these guys aren’t going to make it.” His response was that they were putting forth effort, so we were going to keep going and keep moving. We finally began concert season, and these two boys who I was ready to kick out both auditioned into our top ensemble. This was unheard of for freshmen. For the next three years these two students were always the first chair flute and the first chair clarinet, and every director knows how important those positions are. In their sophomore year, these students were still struggling marchers, but by junior year they were both good enough to perform well. Having gone through this experience, these two students both knew what it meant to struggle. As a result, they worked with freshmen better than anyone else, and their sections usually had high retention rates and high performance levels. These students were so great at working with struggling freshmen because they had been there themselves. There is a powerful lesson that comes to life when no one is turned away. You never know when gifts and talents are going to emerge.
    Another lesson I have learned is that sometimes a student has gifts that are not musical, but the student still can become the heart and soul of the program. A great student in our program many years ago was the best leader I ever had. It took every fiber of his musical being to audition into last chair of the top band, but he was a leader who no one questioned, and he became the heart and soul of our program. Everyone knew he was working harder than they were, so they would always follow him.
    This principle of always giving everyone a chance has led to success in myriad ways. I see students who are coming back to band years and years later, even though these students would have been cut in other programs.
    This principle is also about only taking positions that I know I can defend. To whom can I say, “You can’t do this this year, you’re not quite good enough yet”? How would I even say something like that to a child? A brutal statement like that might not be inaccurate, but to what end would it go? I also think, when are we ever ready to do anything? If someone had come up to me and told me I was not quite ready to be a head band director, there would have been some truth to that. But I also think that the only way we get ready is by trying.
    In planning for being a director, you have to decide who you are going to be, and that has very little to do with musical prowess, the style of marching, or who the arranger is going to be. My mentor would always say that you had to pick the hill you chose to die on. I could choose to die on the hill for every student who truly wanted to be there. I could defend that to anybody. I cannot necessarily defend or fight battles over matters like marching style or core sound. Luckily, with the staff at Wando, those are not fights that will ever need to be fought, but if you go into a program, there are things that are better left as is until the trust is built.
    On some issues I am willing to accept change. For a long time I was accustomed to being the only voice that the students heard in a particular part of rehearsal. At one of my first rehearsals here, however, I was standing there, and Lanie Redecke was doing the music side while Jeff Handel was working percussion. As all this was happening I stood there feeling as if I should be doing something, but instead I just shut up and watched the rehearsal unfold. The students were learning and getting better, and the teachers were pointing out aspects of the performance that I was not catching. It was good that I just stood back and let the rehearsal go.

What advice do you have for directors looking to build a struggling program into a strong one?
    Look at what is possible. When I taught marching band methods at VanderCook College, I worked with guitar majors, vocal majors, string majors, and other instrumentalists who had never marched. In a new situation it is always important to decide what is reasonable to shoot for first. For some programs, it will be a parade. For another, it will be forming a pep band. For others the goals can be larger.
    Whatever your initial expectations were, I think it helps to set those aside and look first at the talent and ability of the students sitting down and playing their instruments, because it starts there. Before I started at Wando I did my homework on the program. For many years they were building up a concert band program. They were not ignoring marching, but they made sure they were getting great players in place first. That is key. You cannot hope to be the marching band champion of the universe if you do not have great players with great ears. That said, I do not think you need to compromise on concert or marching band, but it helps to figure out where the program is in terms of its focus. If the concert band is not good, there is no way that the marching band can be very successful. At the same time, I have seen that when the marching band is sub-par by choice, this will negatively affect the concert band program as well.
    Choosing priorities with the band is similar to the process that any musician goes through. Nobody should begin a performance or teaching career with overly lofty goals, like wanting to win the Marine Band audition. A high goal is good to have, but the process should start with more simple steps, like knowing that you need to be able to play in tune and in time. Start with building the fundamentals. In teaching, I think the fundamentals are these: First, create an atmosphere where character is important. Then, build a culture where great musicianship is valued and honored. Finally, try to develop the resources you will need to support your program.

What are the keys to a productive marching rehearsal?
    A rehearsal starts with good communication at the preparation stage. Very rarely do I go into rehearsal with any singular idea in mind. Often I talk with other staff about what the color guard might need or what we need to do for percussion and electronics this week. I might also discuss any musical ideas with the associate directors, as well as the visual aspects we want to rehearse. All of this is usually done during a Monday morning hash-out session. Some staff would give me their information over the weekend, and then we sit down on Monday morning to discuss what we have coming up and what we need to get through. It is my job to balance it all out and see what makes logical sense.
    Also, as a head director I had to learn to let go of some of the details that I was always so focused on as an assistant director. There are two key points to keep in balance here. The director should not be afraid to let other people have their input, but at the same time, the bottom line is still the responsibility of the director, and it was my job to provide an overall structure to everything.

What were you most afraid of this fall in starting at Wando?
    I think that the hardest part of the fall was the first month. We could not go 24 hours without a problem of some kind. These covered a wide range. One was that there might be a staph infection outbreak in the school so we should cancel all practices for the week, while another complaint was that our water breaks were not long enough. All of the complaints that could fall in between those two extremes were brought forward. During all of this I kept thinking, “trust me, this will work.” I wanted to say that many times, but in that first month, there was doubt in all of our minds about whether we were going in the right direction. The students were trying but not convinced, and rightly so. I do not fault them for that. The staff was becoming more convinced that we were going to be okay, but not completely. I think that the parents, probably because they had the least contact with what was going on, were the least convinced that our approach was the right way to go.
    I do not think I was changing a great deal about the program, but any time you have a leadership change, there tend to be people who are jockeying for position, and some people who stay in the background, just waiting to see what will happen. Nobody wants to jump onto a sinking ship, and I think everybody in that first month wanted to see what would happen.
    There was a real turn after our first football game performance, with a big shift in viewpoint from the students in particular. At this performance we went through an experience that was new and different. We had a visual moment in the show where the students got down and were hitting the ground, and it was a very aggressive moment. The student section of the stands just went nuts. Our students were standing up and were supposed to jump right into the next drill set, but I bet we had 20 people miss it because they were looking at the student section of the stands to see what had happened. The band members were so surprised by the reaction that they were caught off guard. After that first football game started momentum with the students, we then had our home contest, the Lowcountry Invitational, and the parents got  to see us deliver a truly fine performance. That felt pretty good, too.
    Once we built some momentum with the students and the parents, people were coming out of the woodwork asking what they could do to help. When I would ask the students to do something, instead of giving me a puzzled look, they were now saying, “okay, we’ll try.”
    As a director, you cannot assume that everyone is going to follow blindly. You have to give people reasons to trust you. At least half of that depends on a high-quality performance. It really does. The other half is good character. I have seen varying ability levels in both areas, and the directors who are successful are good at both. I have seen great people who were not as interested in good performance, and that has its downside. I have also seen fabulous performers who were lacking in character, and that has its pitfalls as well. There has to be a balance between the two.

What are the keys to a productive concert band rehearsal?
    We have four concert bands, and each one requires a slightly diffferent approach. With our least experienced group, we spend 60-70 minutes of each 90-minute rehearsal working just on fundamentals. This is necessary to get these students ready to jump in when they join the three higher groups later on. At the opposite end of the spectrum is the Symphonic Band, our top concert band, which is working on Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis right now. In that group the students can read exceptionally well, and we have a number of great individual musicians. With them, I spend less time on right and wrong notes and more time on how the ensemble sounds and how can we improve it. I do not want to hear just the sounds of flutes, oboes, and clarinets; rather, I want to hear a new sound that is created when those instruments are blending together perfectly. This has been a challenge for us. Wando has played at the Midwest Clinic and state conventions, so there is talent and a strong foundation to build on, but I am working with them to develop more of an ensemble sound with multiple sounds that can come from it.

What were your goals when starting the leadership program at Marian Catholic and how did you accomplish them?
    I spent a lot of time working with teachers and asking what students needed to learn. What are the subjects you have to address more than you would wish to? What would you want every teacher in the building teaching? It boiled down to four thoughts: honesty, integrity, responsibility, and enthusiasm. We put that together in an acronym: HIRE.
    Then we looked at how to teach that. If you simply lecture on honesty, students will immediately lose interest. We asked students how they had learned about these four traits and found several videos and activities students liked. We had a game called the Blue Card Game that taught responsibility though a number of scenarios. We asked students to bring a blue card to class on a specific date and then never reminded them again, leaving it up to students to bring or not bring one. We asked students one by one if they had a blue card. If the first one did, we would say, “If you have a blue card, that means you renewed your drivers license on time and have no penalty. If you hadn’t, it would cost you $300.” This was to give students an idea of what to expect in the real world. They haven’t done any of this stuff, so they don’t know. We would ask the next person, who might say no, he didn’t have a blue card. That meant he didn’t buckle his seat belt when riding in a car with a friend. There was an accident, he went through the windshield and now has permanent damage on his face. It got very real very fast.
    It is easy to say everyone should be responsible, but adults don’t even take to that lesson very well. Young people have to see, know, and assimilate those characteristics. Not every lesson was successful, but after eight years, we did find a pretty good system that helped us out and got those points across. It changed the culture of the school, lowering both detention rates and major disciplinary actions. It paid off for us.

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    Mary Land’s career includes 29 years of teaching middle school bands and her current role at Young Harris College directing bands and training the music educators of the future. We asked her to discuss her approaches to several common problems faced by new directors on the podium and outside of class. Her solutions combine practicality, hard-earned wisdom, and a healthy dose of compassion. These lessons can help an ensemble at any level.

Fixing the Sound
    When a band just doesn’t sound right, I focus on a unison pitch, even with high school or college players. I tend to use concert F, but any comfortable, easy register will work. I have found that if you give students a model, they can listen and reproduce that sound. I find the member of my ensemble with the best tone to play the pitch. It doesn’t matter what instrument it is. Students can tell a good tone regardless of whether it is a flute player or a trumpet player. I ask the student to play that pitch and then encourage everyone to hum the note back in a call-and-response style. We are creating a model sound for all to follow.
    I then get students to hum and sing the pitch. I hold my fingers on both hands on either side of my face with my fingertips and thumbs closed. Students should hum the pitch when my fingers are closed. When I open my hands I want them to change that hum to singing an ahhh. This eases them into singing, particularly if this is the first time I have done this exercise with them. Many times students feel reluctant to sing a pitch, but when I have them start with a hum, they move right into singing.
    Next, I ask my brass players to take their mouthpieces out and buzz the pitch. The woodwinds still hum or sing as the brass are buzzing. Again, I use call-and-response form with the model tone and the buzzing. Then, we add mouthpieces to the instrument and move on to playing. With the woodwinds, particularly the reed players, if I hear a poor sound, I verify that the embouchure is good by having the clarinets play with mouthpiece and barrel only. I can easily walk through the section and put my hand on the barrel to make sure that it is not wiggling in the mouth and that the embouchure is firm.
    I tell my saxophones to drop the chin, as if the embouchure is pulled by a drawstring from the corner. I tell them to think of saying ohhhh. Then we return to that model player, and everybody plays back to that tone. The next step is to ask everybody to hide their sound in the model tone. This gets students listening carefully. That usually solves the problem.
    Occasionally you hear a band that has a peculiar sound, and you quickly discover a problem with an easy solution. This happened not long ago when I was invited to work with a band and make suggestions. I found that the tubas were playing an octave too high. Once that was adjusted, the rest of the band sound fell into place. Sometimes the problem is as simple as a baritone saxophone player playing a tenor saxophone part. Strange things happen in bands, and you have to figure out the solution. An oboe with a key that is missing a spring can produce a sound that distorts the rest of the band.
    To fix intonation problems, I always use the analogy, particularly with younger players, about a pencil sharpener. If your pencil is sharp, you pull it out of the pencil sharpener. If your point is dull and flat, you push it in. Usually that helps students remember what to do. You cannot hide in someone else’s sound if you are out of tune. It is not a big crime to play out of tune, but it is a humongous crime to keep playing out of tune.

Teaching Rhythms
    I use modeling in class to teach rhythm where I say it and then the players say it. I count it, and they count it. I clap it, and they clap it. They have to have a concept of feeling the beat. Once again, I find a student who can play the rhythm correctly to serve as a model. If there is no one who can play the rhythm, I might play it. I use my phone or iPad to record the rhythm and let players hear it correctly. Then, I ask students to play it and decide if what they played matched the model. If they can distinguish that it is not the same, then they will come closer to understanding the rhythm.
We use a lot of slogans and sayings for specific rhythms that students will remember. They can even take their pencil and write these above a particular measure to get the rhythm correct. One of them is trip-a-let, for triplets. I was taught a syncopated rhythm, before I even learned to count it, as quick-draw, ma-graw. This is pretty simple, but if they say it they get it.
    Solfege is also a great technique for learning rhythms, and I do not think many directors use this method often enough in class. Students understand solfege because they learned it in elementary school. As instrumentalists, we need to build on that early musical experience. It is a logical step in learning.
    Students want to be the heroes of the class, and being used as models for good rhythms or pitches makes students feel good. They go home and practice their parts and come back and volunteer to play.

Improving Style and Dynamics
    Let’s say a piece calls for light and separated playing, and the band sounds heavy and slow, like they are just stomping through the music. To help students, I tell them, “these notes cannot touch.” In these four measures, no notes can touch each other. Let’s say we have a fortepiano. I like to use the word zoom; if you say that word, it starts out strong and immediately disappears. If I have a whole note or a long, sustained note with a fortepiano underneath it, I have students take their pencils and write zoom underneath it. After I have had them say it several times and it is written on the page, students remember it.
    With accented notes, I still want these to be separated, but here I use the phrase “pointed in style.” It needs to project. Depending on the experience level of the group, I use all kinds of analogies. I might say that playing in an accented way is a similar to throwing a dart. It is very pointed in style. If I have a section with an extremely boring style, where everybody is playing about mezzo forte and there is no excitement, I compare this to a person being in the hospital hooked up to a monitor with a flat line going across. Students love that and they say, “Oh, that means the person is dead.” I respond that this is how they are playing.
    We talk about adding life and vitality, increasing dynamics and intensity to produce a blip on the monitor. I tell them there are more ways than just volume to increase interest. We actually nudge the tempo up a bit and then back off and bring the volume down. Sometimes there are notes that have to be airlifted, and I use the analogy that the notes should evaporate like a puff of smoke. Don’t slap at them, don’t stomp them, just let it be a puff of smoke that evaporates.
    We might be playing through a piece of music and suddenly it sounds like flutes accompanied with a little bit of band. I remind the flutes that their register is way above everybody else and will sound louder. I ask the flutes to darken their sounds and blend in with each other. Just because it is a high register, does not mean that you need to play it loudly. Flutists can still play softly, even in the high registers.

Marking It Down
   I hear so many directors say, “Pick up your pencil and mark that,” but they are not giving enough details about what to mark. Be specific – use your board in the room and draw a staff on it. If you want them to mark that F# on it, put an F on the staff and show them properly how to draw the sharp sign. Too many times, students pick up that pencil and circle something. They have no idea what the circle means the next day, much less at a concert. I tell my students they don’t have enough time when they are reading through a piece during a concert to read a novel. Try to use symbols and not so many words when marking a part. If there is a Bn, students should put a natural sign in front of it. Do not write anything above it.
    I learn quite a bit about my teaching when collecting music after a concert. I examine how students marked their music. When I see a whole measure or specific notes circled, I wonder what it meant. If I want students to play in a separated way, they should take a pencil and draw a straight line between those notes because those notes do not touch. If there is a crescendo that is not going well, take your pencil and make the crescendo much more bold on your paper, and then put a p in front of that crescendo because the brain will think to start it a bit softer and then the crescendo will be more effective. I can make accent marks bolder with a pencil. If I want to show places where I don’t want students to breathe, I use the symbol of a staple. “Staple measures 2 and 3 together.” Students get that.
    Some students resist marking their parts and say that they will remember the Bn. I will tell them, “You might remember it, but you might be sharing the music with someone who forgets their music on the night of a concert, and they may not remember it, so just mark it anyway.” It is always safer to mark potential problems. Sometimes I show students how I mark my part, and they see that I do exactly what I ask them to do.

Keeping Students Engaged
    Directors should know a piece top to bottom before beginning to teach it. You are the expert in the room. Do not learn the music with them. There are recordings of everything, even newly published pieces. You should also know your performers and understand where the clarinets or trumpets might struggle with a section of a piece. The best plan is to have that difficult section written out for everyone to play. I like to write up an extra sheet and pass it out. In my teaching I call it a lead sheet, and this approach requires every student to learn this tricky little part. If you are planning properly, you can even distribute that lead sheet out before you pass the music out, and the entire band can learn this phrase that one section is going to struggle with. Let’s say there is an obbligato flute part and the flutes are having trouble. Write it out for the whole band to learn. When you hear the tubas and trombones nailing that technical part, you can bet that the flutes are going to go home and learn it. It is a great motivator.

Calming Angry Parents
    I joked to some of my college students not long ago that it should be a law that you cannot teach until you are a parent yourself. One of my mantras is to teach every student the way I would want my children to be treated. Sometimes, information reaches home in a confused form, and the parent wants an explanation. I stop and let the angry parent speak. Hopefully, it is behind closed doors. I resist the temptation to interrupt and clarify something. When I respond, I always start with “I completely understand. If my child came home and told me the same thing, I would be so upset. That is not what happened. I will give you all the details.” Then I invite the student to come into the meeting and ask them exactly what happened. I would try to explain why I said what I did. Usually this clears up the problem.
    The hardest thing is to avoid becoming defensive. Defusing the situation in privacy while keeping your cool is the best approach. If I made a mistake and blew it, I don’t have any problem admitting that I was wrong and apologizing to the parent or student.

Preventing Dropouts
    I always take it personally and feel that I have failed a student who wants to drop band. It tends to haunt me for quite a while. I try to figure out what happened. It took me years  to discover that people drop activities for millions of reasons. Often, money is a factor. You have to find out, without appearing to harass the student, what caused them to leave. It could be that their parents can’t afford the instrument, or the student just isn’t good on an instrument and feels embarrassed. They may be a star in academics but feel less successful in music. Maybe you put them on the wrong instrument. It could be that the student is having a bad day, and the one thing they can control is whether they continue in band or orchestra. They have to go to math but they do not have to go to a music class.
    Students in school are very sensitive. A funny comment on the wrong day can be taken as a personal insult. The teacher has to be able to sit down with students and have a mature conversation and figure out why they want to quit. Frequently problems can be resolved to keep students from quitting, but sometimes it is best for all if they do drop. When students come to me and we decide that it is best for them to pursue other interests, I always try to end it with the phrase “I will sign the form, but you have to come by and say hi to me one day a week.” That ends the conversation with students knowing that I care about them and am not mad because they are dropping. Students need to know that it is not all about your band, it is about the individuals. I teach my college students now that students are not going to care about an ensemble until they realize how much you care about them individually. If they are also on the soccer team, find a way to go to a soccer game. They will think the world of you because you went to something else that they enjoy.

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