Rethinking the Norms

So do we have this band thing figured out? We put the students into large classes in the high school and then try to teach them all at the same time. Does it work? Yes, it can be very successful with advanced students. The problem is that some students will get left behind if they are not advanced and mature enough to progress on their own.

Today there were several field trips going on throughout the school, and it left the Symphonic Band class with most of the brass and percussion but only a few of the woodwinds. A few years ago I would have just told the students to practice on their own but today I kept the brass and percussion and let the woodwinds break up in the small sections. It worked! I feel like we not only accomplished things that we were not able to in a large setting but the students seemed to be happy to be in the smaller settings. We may try this again in the future. The biggest problems with this is our facilities. They stink. We do not have any real practice rooms and the acoustics in all the rooms are awful. But you can't have it all! In ever band program there are pluses and minuses. You just have to hope you can keep the average in the plus column.

I really feel like that two band directors, one a brass specialist and one a woodwind specialist, could accomplish great things if they were able to work together like this. The percussion section could go with whatever section there parts were more compatable with for that day. I guess it can go back to the answers to other questions like:

What do you teach, high school or middle school?

My answer: students

What do you play?

My answer: Music

What grade of music is your band playing this year?

My answer: The most musical grade.

How many students do you have in band this year?

My answer: All the ones that want to be there.

P.S. If you have never seen the movie "Groundhog Day" starring Bill Murray, go get it now. It is a true comedy classic and has so many sarcastic twists. By the Andie McDowell went to Winthrop!