A Lifelong Career
    My career as a military bandsman began after college when I joined the USAF Band of the East for six years followed by two years with the USAF Heritage of Am­erica Band at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. Both were full-time, active duty organizations. Next I auditioned to play percussion with the Air National Guard Band of the Mid-Atlantic, which is stationed at Ft. Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, un­aware that the position would be perfect for me.
    At the time my wife and I were expecting our first child so I simply wanted to be close to home and near my parents’ home where I could teach. To be honest I knew very little about the organization, its requirements, or my responsibilities as a member. Within a few months I realized the value of my decision. Now, 15 years later, I continue to enjoy the benefits of the Air Guard Band and great music making with other fine musicians.

Benefits for Students
    For college students, membership in the Air National Guard Band includes educational benefits, such as the GI Bill, and additional benefits that vary from state to state. Members of the Pennsylvania National Guard qualify for the state’s Education Assistance Program, which pays 100% of school tuition fees for those who attend one of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education schools or the equivalent amount to attend another school in Pennsylvania.
    Several members of the band have used this opportunity to pay for college and earn additional monthly income.  Bands also provide professional instruments for their members and perform literature comparable to college ensembles. The Popular Music Ensemble of the Mid-Atlantic Air Guard also performs Top 40 rock charts, popular country music, and anything in between. A typical summer tour encompasses Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, and Western New York.
    The responsibilities of a bandsman include devoting one weekend per month and two full weeks in the summer to the Air Guard Band. It leaves me enough time for my full-time position as band director at Garden Spot High School in New Holland, Penn­sylvania. Although I am not a re­cruiter, I have discussed the benefits of joining the Air Guard Band with several of my students, and now some of my former students are in the band with me.
    Auditioning for an Air Guard Band is not easy because the stringent audition requirements take months of preparation. Recruiters are always looking for highly qualified, talented, and mature musicians who share a love of music and sense of dedication to their country.
    The friendships I have made through the Air National Guard Band have provided a lifetime of memories to cherish, amazing performances to remember, and even an additional retirement pension. There are 11 Air National Guard Bands across the country. For more information go to www.bands.af.mil or learn more about the Pennsylvania Air National Guard Band of the Mid-Atlantic by visiting .  The career possibilities may surprise you.       

Master Sergeant Richard Fitz is the principal percussionist and director of Operations for the Air National Guard Band of the Mid-Atlantic. He earned a bachelor’s degree in music education and a master’s degree in music performance from West Chester University in Pennsylvania. He also is the high school and middle school band director at his alma mater, Garden Spot High School.

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     President George Washington de­clined an offer to be King of America, but the United States does have a king in John Philip Sousa, The March King. His legendary achievements keep his name alive today, perhaps more so than in his lifetime. Sousa’s final resting place at the Historic Congressional Ceme­tery (1801 E Street, SE, Wash­ington, D.C.) is popular with tourists.1, 2

Sousa’s Early Years
    The story of how Sousa became interred in the Historic Congressional Cemetery is fascinating because it re­volves around music. Sousa was born on November 6, 1854 at 636 G Street, SE, Washington, D.C. and as a boy played near the Congressional Cemetery with his young schoolmates.3
    He began music lessons at an early age, encouraged by his Portuguese father, An­tonio, and Bavarian mother; Antonio was a trombonist and longtime member of the Marine Band. The couple had ten children, of which John Philip was the first son.4   Soon after Antonio’s death on April 27, 1892, John Philip had a monument to his father placed in the Historic Congressional Ce­metery at range 85, site 83, named The Antonio Sousa Plot. In three adjacent burial spaces the graves are deep with 11 stacked caskets: John’s mother and father, their children Josephine, Ferdinand, Ro­sina, Annie, Antonio A., and four others who are not identified. It was expected and natural that John Philip’s wife, Jane, bury The March King at the Historic Con­gressional Ce­metery in the family cemetery’s plot, range L77, site 163-S.1, 3, 4

Legendary Career

    Sousa’s lifetime connection with the Marine Band and military music is legendary. When 13-year-old John Philip wanted to join a traveling circus in 1867, Antonio enlisted the youth as an apprentice musician in the Marine Band. John grew musically, playing in the Marine Band, Washington pit or­chestras, and conducting musical theater.3
    He was selected as Marine Band Leader in 1880 and composed many of his famous marches while residing at 204 Sixth Street, SE. In 1892 at age 38 he founded his own civilian band just three months and three days after his father’s death. Guided by manager David Blakely, the Sousa Band began touring the United States with the goal of bringing fine-quality music to every corner of the growing nation.5

Congressional Cemetery
    The Historic Con­gressional Ce­me-tery was not yet considered historic when it accepted burials in 1807. A group of private citizens set up the cemetery by enclosing it with a fence and appointing a manager; plots sold for $2.00 each. By 1812 it was free of debt and ceded to the vestry of Christ Church, becoming known as Wash-ington Parish Burial Ground.6
    Because of its proximity to the Capitol, the cemetery developed a close association with Capitol Hill politicians. Even though the Historic Con­gressional Ce­metery is private and not  part of the U.S. government, it can be considered our first national cemetery. Today there are over 60,000 burials listed in the Historic Con­gressional Cemetery registry and more are currently being added.6 

Sousa Dies in His Sleep
    On March 5, 1932 Sousa arrived in Reading, Pennsylvania, scheduled to conduct the Ring­gold Band. He had ar­rived in the afternoon “and appeared in his usual health,” newspapers reported. Following re­hearsal, he dined at a banquet held in his honor at the Wyo­­missing Club, and although his voice seemed weak, he made a brief speech that included two or three funny stories and reflections on his lengthy career; he sat down amid enthusiastic applause.7
     He asked to be excused from saying more to save his strength for the next day’s concert and retired to his hotel room. Checking on him at 12:10 a.m., Lillian Finegan, his secretary, found him unconscious. Twenty minutes later the Lincoln Hotel physician pronounced him dead, having suffered a fatal heart attack as he slept.7, 8

Sousa’s Funeral
    Since the early days of the Ma­rine Band, its lea­ders have kept a logbook, the Lea­der’s Ledger, of the band’s daily activities. Cap­tain Taylor Bran­son, the leader at the time of Sou­sa’s death, recorded this timeline of events:9, 10

Sunday, March 6, 1932 – 8:00 p.m. John Philip Sousa’s body ar­rived at Union Station. Repo­s­ing at Gawler’s Undertaking Es­tablishment.

Monday, March 7 – 3:00 p.m. to 4 p.m. Band concert (radio) “Dream Hour.” All request program. Broad­cast by WRC-NBC. Leader conducting. Memorial concert to John Philip Sousa. Clarke R.E. (trombone) played “Lost Chord” and “There is no death.”

Tuesday, March 8 – Band Aud­itorium 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Broadcast by WRC-NBC. Dedicated to memory of John Philip Sousa.

Wednesday, March 9 – 8:00 p.m. Band at 8:15 p.m. to assist in Goodyear Company Broadcast mem­­orial to John Philip Sousa. Played in tribute to Sousa “Semper Fidelis.” Poor place for Broad­casting. (Ar­thur) Godfrey an­nouncer for Band.4 

Thursday, March 10 – Band Aud­it­orium 3:00 p.m. Funeral of the late John Philip Sousa, who lay in state from Wednesday. Chief Chap­lain Sidney Evans, U.S.   Navy and Rector Gable of Christ Episcopal Church, officiating clergyman. Grid­iron Quartet sang “Abide with Me” and “Jesus Lover of my Soul” directed by Leader of the Band behind floral background.
Band, company of Marines, and Sailors on parade ground. Band played “The Son of God Goes Forth to War” and “Nearer My God to Thee” as body was brought from Auditorium. On funeral escort to Congressional Cemetery played “Sem­­per Fidelis” in dirge time, “Garfield’s Funeral March” (Sousa), “Honored Dead” (Sousa).
    Played “Lead Kindly Light” at the grave.8 Beautiful but cold day. No eulogy. Very short service. 15 minutes. Notable musicians pallbearers, Gene Buck, Hen­ry Hadley, Arthur Pryor, George M. Cohan, Franko Goldman. Overflow gathering at funeral in Band Auditorium. Throngs of people lined the streets 8th to G to Potomac Avenue to E Streets, S.E. to Main Gate. Poor police protection at Cemetery.4, 9 

Earlier in the Band Auditorium the Evening Star newspaper reported:
    The service at the barracks, which the widow of the great bandmaster and his family will attend with many notables in Army, Navy, and congressional circles, will consist of the simple Epis­copal prayers for the dead. It will be broadcast to every part of the city by stations WMAL and WJSV. Sousa was laid out in his Navy Reserve uniform bearing the rank of Lieutenant Commander.11

The New York Times reported on March 11:
    The escort, in addition to the Marine Band, included two companies of bluejackets and marines. The coffin was borne on a flag-draped caisson drawn by eight dapple-gray horses.12 The burial service was concluded with the firing of a volley over the grave by a firing squad and the sounding of “Taps” by a marine trumpeter. [“Taps” was actually played by a former Sousa Band cornetist, Del Staigers.]
    As John Philip Sousa was buried today, Congress was asked to dedicate The March King’s famous Stars and Stripes Forever as the national march of the United States. A bill to that effect was introduced by Rep. Lich­tenwainer of Penn­sylvania whose district includes Reading, where Mr. Sousa died suddenly on Sunday.

    Among others attending the funeral were former Marine Band members  Walter F. Smith, Louis Kreuger, and John Ter Linden. “He was strict but fair,” Smith said, “a good conductor, the best bandmaster I have ever seen. He was to bands what Toscanini is to orchestras.” The former bandsman added that “Sousa, in his younger days, was amazingly alert and vigorous.  He was keen for perfection. A sour note was like a blow to him.”13

The Memorial Gravestone
    After Sousa’s death, many people talked about erecting some type of majestic memorial to him. The first attempt, proposed in 1938, was to collect $750,000 to build a new concert hall, the Sousa Memorial Auditorium. Supporters planned a series of radio broadcasts to raise funds, and the Mutual Broadcasting Company aired the first program. Because the nation’s economic picture was still bleak, directors of the memorial ceased fund­raising.4
    From their efforts, however, they were able to commission Walter Russell, a famed sculptor, to create a bronze model statue of Sousa and also a decorative marble seat. Now in the Historic Congressional Cemetery, this marble seat at Sousa’s grave gives visitors a place to pause for meditation and sit in contemplation and gratitude for the life of America’s March King, John Philip Sousa.4

Marine Band Concerts
    Guests to the Historic Con­gressional Cemetery can hear annual concerts on November 6 when a contingent of band musicians travels the short distance from Marine Barracks, resplendent in their brass-buttoned, sparkling red, blue, white, and black full dress uniforms for a morning concert. Marching smartly down the Historic Congressional Cemetery drive­way, they move into a horseshoe-shaped formation; the director stands before the marble seat and headstone to conduct.
The band plays two or three Sousa marches accompanied by words of com­fort and inspiration read by an officer or drum major. Then the ceremony concludes with the march, whose introduction is carved into Sousa’s gravestone – The Stars and Stripes Forever! – our National March.     

Footnotes
1Cindy S. Hays, Historic Con­gressional Cemetery Association, President. Interview, November 2008.
2The Instrumentalist Magazine, March-April, 1951, pages 12-16 (The Instrumentalist Publishing Co).
3Historic Congressional Cemetery, bro­chure, “A Salute to John Philip Sousa,” 2003. Archival clippings, undocumented, U.S. Marine Band Library.
4Paul Bierley, John Philip Sousa (In­tegrity).
5Master Gunnery Sergeant Michael Ressler, Marine Band Historian. Interview, Nov­ember 2008.
6Scottish Rite Journal, “History of Con­gressional Cemetery,” May 1998, pages. 13, 14.
7New York Times Newspaper, March 6 and March 11, 1932.
8Etude Magazine, June 1932.
9Leader’s Ledger, U.S. Marine Band, March 5, 1932, etc.
10Captain Taylor Branson, USMC, letter to Albert R. Hoffman, August 9, 1942.
11Evening Star Newspaper, March 10, 1932.
12Herald Tribune Newspaper, March 11, 1932.
13Washington Post Newspaper, March 11, 1932.

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A Good Start
   Give tuba players the same start, with the same expectations, as everyone else. Learning to read low-register bass clef and play “Hot Cross Buns” in unison with the rest of the band makes a world of difference. Tuba students will be able to develop sight reading and aural skills from the beginning, whereas it would take students who switch years to catch up. By the end of sixth grade it is likely that tuba students will be able to read melodies more difficult than the parts they play in concert band.
    When concert music becomes too easy for tuba players, I give them solos from county, district, and state lists. There are also a number of section features for tubas or all low instruments available from any music publisher.

Tuba Myths
    One common apprehension students have is that the instrument is too big. However, tubas, like violins, come in sizes; compact 3⁄4-size tubas are quite easy for 10-12 year olds to handle. These instruments are actually more comfortable for some beginners than trombone and are also moderately priced.
    Students are also worried they have to have a second tuba at home for practice, but I find this unnecessary. I can usually convince homeroom tea­chers to let tubists practice during this time. Some of my students will also practice for 20-30 minutes after school rather than wait in the car line. There are times in every school’s day during which students are simply waiting, whether waiting for school to begin or waiting to be picked up, and these are great times for practice.
    Sometimes directors are hesitant to start more tuba players than they have instruments for. If my school owned three tubas I would aim for three players in 6th grade, three in 7th grade, and three in 8th grade, with each student having his own mouthpiece. This is by no means ideal but can work. Having students share an instrument can also be motivation for boosters or administrators to step in and purchase more instruments. Although the ideal situation is for each tuba player to have an instrument at school and an instrument at home, until that happens I prefer not to let the balance of my band suffer.
    The cost of the instrument is another factor in people avoiding the tuba. Although new tubas are extremely expensive, used instruments are not. There are a great many used instruments for sale in music stores and on eBay in the $600-1,200 range. They are rarely beautiful, but they will work. Having an old three-valve, 3⁄4-size instrument available at home for practice is something a tuba player could use all the way through high school. After graduation, it can be sold to another 6th grader for the same purpose.
    If attention is not paid to starting good students on tuba in beginning band, the deficiency will only become more obvious over time. No other instrument in band can substitute for the tuba voice, but careful recruiting and teaching will produce a tuba section that can more than keep up with the rest of the band.   

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Check Patterns
    I learned about check patterns in high school when I read how the author used his approach with championship drumlines and applied it to teach percussionists of all ages. Check patterns simply takes a basic 16th-note pattern (the check) and replaces the 16th notes with variations (the check patterns). It is based on the fact that there are only 14 possible variations of 16th notes and rests in one beat. 
    Teachers can use each variation to train students to play each rhythm correctly, every time, while creating a rhythmic vocabulary in the process. In his new book A Percussionist’s Guide To Check Patterns: Building A Funda­mental Rhythmic Vocabulary (Alfred), Thom Hannum explains that for students, “learning to recognize and respond to patterns gets them beyond the note-to-note stage of reading music. At the same time, pattern recognition helps to improve technical facility and musical expression, as the player now has to concentrate on a unit larger than a single note value.”
    While this method was created to help percussionists, there is no reason to limit these powerful exercises to one instrument. With some simple alterations, check patterns can become a major part of how band directors teach rhythm to an entire ensemble, a way to begin each rehearsal, and with time, a new musical vocabulary.  

The Basic Idea
    As stated, check patterns use a 16th-note pattern and replace each set of   16th notes with variations. In the original version there is no concept of note length or pitch, merely rhythm, which is how they are typically used as percussion exercises.

   

To use the exercise with mallet instruments, the student plays simple arpeggios and even changes keys if necessary.

    As an exercise for wind instruments, the most important change is the concept of note lengths. When a snare drummer hits a note, the same sound results whether the notation shows a 16th note or a whole note, but instructors have to adjust this for wind players. The exercise begins with clapping so at first the length of the note is unimportant. Eventually, however, students add note values to make the note lengths included in the exercise.
    Another difference created by adding note lengths is the visual appearance of the rhythm to the players. Check patterns work best when students learn them first in the original form, focusing on only 16th notes. Later, it is important to apply the rhythms as wind players usually see them.

Check Patterns in Rehearsals
    Check patterns will only be helpful to playing accurate rhythms if the director and students are patient and detailed. Those who rush through the process usually do not achieve the desired effect. Begin by using the original rhythms, only worrying about 16th notes and rests, and set the metronome between 60 and 75 b.p.m.
    Slow practice is important because it forces students to subdivide and to understand space and silence in rhythms. It is also important to set either an 8th-note or a 16th-note subdivision. This helps to train students to play even subdivisions of the beat, thereby increasing their feel of space and tempo.
    Begin teaching these exercises by having students clap the rhythms.  This takes out many variables caused by the instrument, and more important, it teaches students to feel the rhythms.  Start by having the students clap the original pattern. You will probably notice that they will want to rush the rhythms, especially the 8th notes. Do not move further in the exercise until they are comfortable doing this part perfectly at a slow tempo. It may take three minutes or three days, but be patient.
    Once the original pattern is rhythmically even, move on to the variations. Simply have the students clap Check 1 in place of each beat of 16th notes. They have to learn to truly feel the rest on the downbeat. Counting the subdivisions works well because the students don’t have an instrument in their mouth as yet. When Check 1 is comfortable, keep working on the next 13 variations. You can skip around the order if you feel some rhythms need more work than others, but do not change the numbers. They will be useful later. 
    Because these are wind players and not percussionists, have them use the instruments as soon as they are comfortable with the exercise and have a better understanding of rhythm. Never be afraid to return to the clapping because it is a great teaching tool. Begin by playing the original check on concert F (or B flat if that is your usual long-tone) using a staccato articulation.
    When the students have a strong understanding of the subdivision of the rhythms then introduce the typical notated check patterns.
Once students have a strong concept of subdivision, they should have an easier time with the 8th-note to 16th-note relationships than before. As all 14 patterns become stronger, I suggest using them as a daily exercise, creating strong rhythmic habits. The easiest way to do this is to set a metronome and play from the original check, straight though the patterns, and end with the check again. You could also play the check between each variation.
    Directors should begin to see im­proved rhythmic accuracy throughout their ensembles, especially in sight-reading, once they reach this step. Many introduce
the patterns as vocabulary for their bands, telling one section, “Trumpets, those check 3s are too short and too loud. Flutes, the check 7s were perfectly separated.” At this point I suggest you evaluate the merits of the exercises and explore the many ways they can evolve to help your students.

Beyond Check Patterns
    The only way check patterns be­come effective with wind players is when a director adds note lengths and varied articulations. Students learn each exercise using a staccato articulation, so next it is time to play with the full length of each note using slightly separated note lengths. In doing this they are using a sequential, formula-type exercise but applying real-world concepts.
    This should greatly increase the improvements in performance skills during rehearsals and at concerts because the students are now combining the math concepts of note length with correct performance. As Steven Cooper notes, “It’s crazy to have an intellectual understanding of note values if one doesn’t know the rhythm.”   (Teaching Techniques and Insights for Instrumental Music Educators, GIA Publications) To further increase the students’ productivity, you can add accents on different parts of the beat creating almost limitless variations.
    Some band directors use the check patterns as breathing exercises because many young students stop the air when they have to play notes in succession. By performing check patterns using air and tongue only, teachers can adjust a  student’s articulation technique while learning how to keep air behind the tongue at all times.

Melodic Variations
    There are any number of ways to use melodic variations, including some that are simple to learn and very effective. To introduce melodic variations  go up the instrument in scale degrees every two beats or follow the circle of fourths. You can assign scale degrees for each 16th note, replacing them with rests as needed.

    Some teachers become creative and assign chord tones throughout the band, which results in a balance-and-intonation exercise as well. The only limitations are your own, so work with students to find a process that is best for the group.
    Directors who are having success with this method should continue to use it daily. There are any number of ways to keep it interesting, such as creating a contest in which students play all the way through with no mistakes. These are especially a lot of fun when someone is beginning to learn the exercises.
    As a motivational tool, students like any kind of game used in instruction.  Games also reveal a lot about how a person thinks and acts. You can assign specific check patterns to individual students or to sections. When played together the entire band should execute 16th notes sounded in identical rhythms across the ensemble, leading to even stronger results. When combined with exercises in which students play different note lengths, this can build skill throughout the ensemble. You can also use it with other warm-ups, such as including the patterns in daily chorales or using variations within phrases and chords. Any way that you can work in multiple concepts will help students to apply them to actual music.
    One important method of using check patterns is during marching season. Simply combine the techniques with marching fundamental blocks and then add creative ways to change the patterns. Perhaps change them at each direction change. Again, the possibilities are almost endless.
    Whether you use all of these ideas or just the basic check pattern, the idea is to develop a consistent way of teaching rhythm and apply it to musical concepts. Keep experimenting to find what works and what doesn’t. Most important, come up with your own variations that work for your particular ensemble. 
    While it is helpful to remind students that good tone and intonation  create the desired sounds, I cannot overstate the importance of great ensemble rhythm. When I teach rhythm, I like to remember the ideas of the late Alfred Reed, who wrote, “If the rhythm is not accurate, it makes no difference how good the intonation is, how perfectly an ensemble produces tone, or anything else because it is not going to sound great. It makes no difference how well everyone plays individually. The ensemble depends on rhythms; the rhythmic sense.” (Teaching Techniques and Insights for Instrumental Music Educators, GIA Publications)             

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How did you become passionate about teaching leadership?
     Tim Lautzenheiser planted the seed for me as he has done for so many people. He isn’t just the leader of the movement; he created it. He not only started me on this journey but was also the one who encouraged me to pursue it professionally. He and I share the belief that improved leadership skills not only produce better people but better musicians as well. I draw my inspiration from a variety of people and resources, although my beliefs drive the message. When I first started talking about leadership, perhaps 90% of the material was adapted from others and 10% came from my ideas. Over time as my knowledge and experience have grown, that percentage has reversed.

How do leadership styles vary depending on the job and the program?
     The demands placed on student leaders differ greatly from program to program, depending on the needs of the director and the resources of the program. Some organizations are so well-developed and have such high-quality instructional staff that they require little more than clerical work from student leaders. Other programs look to student leaders to be instructional assistants and program managers. Beyond this, each director has a different opinion on how much control to relinquish to student leaders. Blending the needs of the program, the skills of the student leaders, and the comfort level of the director is a difficult but important process. To make matters more difficult, each of these parameters changes every year.
     It takes effort to match students to the right job and to develop leaders who will complement the director’s approach. I hear many directors complain that they wish their leaders did more but then have a hard time explaining what tasks they want to delegate. Many directors thrive by controlling every aspect of their program and have a hard time giving up some authority.
     I learned this lesson the hard way. After 15 years of being a band director I got married and for the first time had to juggle work and family responsibilities. After band camp that first year, my booster president came in and asked me to make a list of everything I did during the day. She returned to pick up the list, and the next day walked into a band council meeting and handed out new job descriptions for the officers. It turns out that the students were capable of doing far more than I had been asking of them. When I protested, the response was direct. “Do you like being married? Do you want to stay married?” When I responded yes, she said, with some righteousness, “Good. Then it is time you started going home at a reasonable hour.”
     That’s when I understood for the first time how much of my day was filled with tasks that had little to do with teaching and learning. While important, these tasks can be done just as well, if not better, by students. I was hesitant at first but learned that the delegation of such tasks as updating the music website or straightening chairs in the rehearsal room was not an opportunity to work less, but a chance to teach more. Too often in life music teachers equate the hours spent on a task with effectiveness. It’s almost as if it were a badge of honor, when it actually inhibits the growth of student leaders and the progress of the ensemble.

How difficult is it to match students to the right positions in the organization?
     Directors have to make sure students understand the expectations for each job. It’s unfair to ask students to sign on to be a leader when they have no real idea of what is expected of them not just as a leader, but as a person. In my leadership teams I always look for trust, work ethic, and a sense of humor. To find leaders who matched my philosophy, I developed a quirky application that required service projects, individual studies, and an element of creativity.
     My favorite part of the application simply stated “Do something that dazzles me.” The projects I received in response to this part of the application never ceased to amaze me. One student convinced composer John Williams to call me. Another talked the mayor into doing a glide step down Main Street. A student created a series of coloring books based on marching band. Perhaps one of the most memorable was a student who cut her application into six pieces and sent me on a scavenger hunt every day for six days to find all of the pieces. Beyond the energy it created for the program, it was a real-life display of the characteristics I was seeking.
     In the first year I tried the application I had 25 students apply for 24 positions. That number jumped to 28 the next year and then 38. By the fourth year I had 87 applicants, essentially 90 percent of the Sophomores and Juniors who would be eligible for a leadership position in the coming school year. This is when I knew the band was ready to accomplish something extremely special. I still get excited when I think that nine out of every ten students wanted to lead.

How long would you wait before deciding that a leadership position was not working out?
     When a leadership assignment is not working, it can be hard for directors to admit that they have made a mistake and even harder for a student to admit he is floundering. I think it is best to be as open, honest, and direct as possible when dealing with this. I remember  wrestling once with whether to remove a student leader who had many skills but frequently butted heads with me and the members of his section. I brought him in to my office for a meeting and after about 15 minutes I asked, “Are you happy in your leadership role?”  He responded, “No, I’m miserable. I hate it.” We quickly made the decision to end his job. In that case it probably was my fault that I did not train the student properly about what the job would entail and who he would be working with.
     When working with student leaders I focus on six areas that students need to know to be effective.
1. Purpose ­­­– An understanding of the goals of the leadership team.
2. Parameters – Clear limits of their authority as leaders and what they may or may not do.
3. Picture – A broader sense of how the program works.
4. Process – Precise descriptions of the chain of communication and how things work.
5. Performance – Success as a leader depends on how well the job is done.
6. Presence – Leaders are expected to have a strong presence in the group. If someone is talking inappropriately, student leaders should handle it.

There are many students in ensembles who are talented players but who may not see themselves as leaders. What steps can get these students more involved in leading the group?
     You have to find out what students are passionate about and try to match their skills and interests with the tasks you are asking them to do. Those who are more skilled as musicians should have more musical responsibilities. Those comfortable with their people skills should be managing others. There may be some players who will never be at the top of their section but still have a good attitude and strong commitment to the organization. These folks can become great leaders if given an opportunity to be successful.

What common mistakes do student leaders make?
     The mistakes students make tend to mirror those make by directors. Students will often approach things in the same way that they have been approached, so if you see something you don’t like, before correcting it, make sure your leaders didn’t learn it from you. I also find that students tend not to take initiative, which is completely understandable. We tell students where and how to sit, when and where to move, what to wear, and even how to breathe, but then as leaders we expect them to make decisions independently. In rehearsal we reward followers and often select as leaders those who were our best followers, then wonder why they on’t take more initiative. In my experience, students are more comfortable being told what to do than making a judgment call. This indecisiveness, combined with directors who are unclear about what they really want from leaders, produces a culture of inactivity.

When we taught together in Arizona, I remember your students as particularly well-mannered and respectful. How did you get students to show such appreciation for others?
     It can be hard to instill a sense of humility and service in modern students. Certainly there were daily reminders of courtesy and gratitude, but I also tried to organize one activity each quarter that reminded students of how fortunate they were. We collected books for homeless children, adopted 250 Christmas Angels every year, and participated in such activities as Race for the Cure.
     One of my fondest memories was when we participated in the Tourna-ment of Roses Parade. We turned the event into a fundraiser for the March of Dimes calling it, “The March for Those Who Can’t.” This gave us a great opportunity to take an honor for the band and use it to help others.
     Leadership training is not just a way to build better people, it is a way to build better ensembles. When students are more engaged and involved, they are more invested in their success, as well as the program’s. Our primary responsibility as music educators is to teach music, and leadership is an important tool used in accomplishing this.

Scott Lang can be contacted via his website:
 

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