Power, influence, and thought leaders...

Long late night flights and my inability to sleep in moving vehicles gives me ample opportunity for my mind to wander and ponder about all things music education. There is something special about traveling at night.  Seeing the lights below and moon lit clouds above puts me in a reflective and thoughtful mood. Last night was one such night.

While crossing over the plains of Texas and Oklahoma (at least that’s what the pilot said), I engaged myself in an internal discussion about where music education would be in the next 25 years. To that end, I made a list of the people I felt were most important in music education. It didn’t take long for me to realize that “important” was too broad, so I broke the list down to three sub categories: the powerful, the influential, and the thought leaders. It was interesting to think through all of the different areas associated with music education (instruction, industry, non-profit, advocacy, events, etc.) and curricular areas (band, choir, orchestra, general music).
 
I know that if you had asked me twelve months ago my list would be very different than it is today and I suspect it will continue to change over time.
 
My question is, who is on your list? If you are so inclined and willing, I would love it would hit “reply” or click here and share your thoughts.  Perhaps one or two names for each area?  I know you are too busy for this, but I have another long plane flight tomorrow and I need something to think about.

Like the Swallows of San Juan Capistrano…

It’s hard to believe that is has been five years since I wrote the book Leader of the Band.  Since then some things have changed for both myself and my friends that I wrote about. The one constant is my profound respect for the teachers I profiled and the impact they have had on the lives of countless children. I still consider them dear friends and continue to work with those who remain in the classroom.

This past week I was back visiting with the Saratoga orchestras and bands and their teacher extraordinaire, Michael Boitz.  What a treat it was! When it comes to being an amazing teacher and all around good guy, few people are his equal. For those of you who read the book (and those of you that did not) I thought you might enjoy meeting him in person and hearing a little bit about how he created these giant programs in the sleepy little suburb of San Jose.

 

Everything I need to know about stocks I learned in music

Yesterday’s eleven hundred point free fall of the Dow sent ripples through corporate boardrooms across America as CEOs made crucial decisions about whether to buy or sell their summer homes in the Hamptons. Uber seized the moment and decided to start up a division of ride sharing among yacht owners. Disneyland renamed Space Mountain "The Dow" and now no one will ride it.  
 
I’m no Jim Cramer, but I’m just saying, things got real yesterday.
 
Keep in mind that nothing significant happened on Sunday to trigger the events of Monday. There were no cataclysmic events or country wide collapses. Greece remained solvent while Karl Icahn and Warren Buffett took the day off. In fact, absent any other information, I can only assume it had something to do with the launch of Be Part of the Music. I promise to tell you next time before I launch a major initiative so you can clear out your 401K before I involuntarily extend your teaching career.

Through it all, unfounded fact and speculative innuendo pundits, pontificators, and Chicken Little imitators ran around screaming sell, SELL, SELL! when in fact, we know that panicking only makes it worse and further increases the free fall. In situations like these, it is best to stay the course and look for the horizon far ahead.

I’m not trying to oversimplify a complex issue but a friend of mine who works in finance always says, “It’s not about the timing in the market, it’s about the time in the market!" I feel the same way about rehearsals, it's not about your students timing, it's about them putting time in!

If today was a good day, it’s just one day.
If today was a bad day, it’s just one day.
Yesterday, today, and tomorrow are just one day!

For you and your students sake, remember, that each and every rehearsal are just one step in the long journey of a season and that each and every day are just one step in a long journey towards excellence. After all, your portfolio and your season is not defined by just one day!
 

Hootie helps me...

One of my “pre-session” rituals is to listen to Darius Rucker’s (former front man for Hootie and the Blowfish) THIS. The catchy melody and poignant lyrics remind me that my personal and professional life has been a journey in which everything, good and bad, has led me to be the person I am today. You can check out the song here.
 

 
For every stoplight I didn't make
Every chance I did or I didn't take
All the times I went too far
All the girls that broke my heart
All the doors that I had to close
All the things I knew but I didn't know
Thank God for all I missed
'Cause it led me here to

THIS

Maybe it didn't turn out like I planned
Maybe that's why I'm such, such a lucky man
 
At the start of every school year and season we begin with big plans and grand visions. We dream big and strive for greatness in hopes of a better life for ourselves and our students. This 182 day journey will likely be filled with as many failures as their are successes. You are likely to fail to reach some goals you had but are just as likely to reach some you never set. You will miss the students you lose and gain some unexpected ones. Some performances you expect to go right may go wrong, and some you expect to go wrong may turn out right. Either way, it’s the journey that makes this activity so special and not the destination.

Personally, the past six months have been a roller coaster of highs and lows as my team has worked tirelessly to transition Be Part of the Band into Be Part of the Music. Sixty-six corporate pitches (8 yes, 56 no), nine plane flights, hundreds of hours in editing, writing, re-writing, and coding have led us to this moment. On the eve of the release of Be Part of the Orchestra, I can honestly say that:

Maybe it didn't turn out like I planned
Maybe that's why I'm such, such a lucky man

Thanks to my incredible, goofy, hard working and visionary team (Paul, Julie, Leah & Clayton) and our selfless sponsors for helping bring this amazing project to life!

Jefferson County Public Schools gets it!

I am excited to announce that the Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Kentucky is getting serious about ensuring that every child has an opportunity to Be Part of the Music. In addition to hosting a teaching in-service where I met with all music teachers in the district and discussed recruitment and retention strategies, the district purchased Recruitment Kits for EVERY music teacher in EVERY elementary school!  Wow!  That is a commitment to music education!
 
As we transition the Be Part of the Band website to a the more inclusive Be Part of the Music site, one of our hopes is that school districts and communities will begin to recruit on a more holistic level. Instead of each teacher approaching recruiting individually, we believe that the synergy of an ENTIRE district music faculty approaching recruiting in a cohesive, communal, and united way will result in a greater gain in studentenrollment numbers for everyone.  Way to go Jefferson County Public Schools!

The Trump Bump

I don’t know if you watched last week's Celebrity Apprentice…. um, I mean the Republican Presidential Debates, but it was theater not to be missed. I generally shy away from discussing politics with these newsletters, as there is little to gain and lots to lose, but this is different because it’s not about politics, it’s about a persona.

Last Thursday Donald Trump landed on the stage and set off fireworks with every word. And yet, through it all, he emerged virtually unscathed and with a widening lead in the polls. It seems the more bombastic he gets, the higher his numbers rise. I call it “The Trump Bump.”
It’s easy, if not enjoyable, to watch because much like every other facet of reality TV, his communication style feeds our desire to feel smarter and superior to everyone else. I’m just not sure it’s the way we want our leaders to behave, whether they are leaders of our country, our communities, or our music programs.
 
This past week I had the opportunity to spend with several VERY fine programs. As a part of my stay, I watched rehearsals and saw these programs operate on the field and in the classroom. I was AMAZED!  Without exception, every instructor I saw operated an communicated in the most professional and positive manner possible. Their rehearsals were silent, efficient, and productive. There was no hype, hazing, or yelling.  There were just hard working teachers and harder working kids.

Let’s be clear… I am not the person to give advice when it comes to being over the top. But, I believe our country and it’s children take their cue from their leaders. I think it’s important that as music educators we serve as the model for what we want out students to be and behave in performance and in life.

During the long and grueling days of summer band, let’s show our students that reality is nothing like reality TV and that the band room is a much more civilized place than Donald’s Board Room.
 
No offense intended and all politics aside, I would personally feel better about our world and our bands iif we traded the "Trump Bump" for the "Trump Dump.”

Dear Brayden

(Today my oldest son starts his first day of band. Below is the letter I will slip in his trombone case.)

Dear Brayden,

Your mother writes you a note in your lunchbox every day telling you how much she loves you, so it only seems fitting that I do the same in your “band box."

You cannot know how happy I am to see you so excited about band. The journey that begins today will teach you things, take you places, and provide experiences that you cannot possibly imagine.  At your young age, you cannot understand this, but the trajectory of your life will forever be changed because of this decision.
 
You left the house today full of energy and excitement with your backpack and trombone. Yes, getting out of the car proved to require a little more coordination than in days past, but you navigated it well, with a smile on your face and a bounce in your step; however, I know that days such as these are numbered.

I suspect that in the months and years to come you and I will battle over band. I am sure that at some point you will ask, beg, and even demand to quit. I know that my insistence that you stay will be met with fierce resistance and sometimes tears of anger. I reluctantly accept that as a part of these discussions you will say some things to me that you will regret later. It’s okay, I know you will not mean it. Don’t blame your mother, this is my fight.

Just so you know, I will stand firm and not yield. I will wear your joy and your anger as badges of honor. I will not back down because unlike other parental choices I have had to make, in this I know I am right. There are few certainties in parenting and I believe this is one of them. You will one day thank me for this.

I do this because I love you and want what is best for you. And, when you do the same with your children, I will save this letter to put in your child’s instrument case on his first day of band. This will be our father/son tradition.
 
You're my buddy and I love you, no matter what forever!

Dad

p.s.  Just so we are clear: NO, you may not switch to saxophone. Trust me, when you get to high school, the trombones are way more fun!

Marching bandand your Giving Tree

It hardly seems possible that it has been fifty years since Shel Silverstein penned the children’s classic The Giving Tree. This literary parable has been a favorite of adults and children alike since it’s 1964 release. The Giving Tree tells the story of a boy and the tree who loves his so much that she is willing to sacrifice everything for him. Time and time again, the boy returns to the tree in search of something he needs or wants. He returns for her shade, her apples, her wood, her branches, her trunk, until there is nothing left other then her stump, which the boy (turned old man) uses as a place of respite. At the end, the tree is left old and broken with nothing more to offer after a lifetime of taking.
 
I know what you are thinking… THIS IS A CHILDREN’S STORY?  Romeo and Juliet is a pick me up compared to this. Stephen King would need a box of Kleenex after reading this sad story. Who in their right mind would read this to their children? Apparently me!

To be honest, I always wanted to do a show based on The Giving Tree. I can see it in my mind. The tree on the fifty yard line, disappearing branches throughout the show until there is little left as the band exits to the end zone, leaving nothing more than a stump and a lonely man on the field.

More than a show concept, The Giving Tree is a parable for the season ahead. In August, we are in full strength, an impressive display of energy and health. Week by week, day by day, rehearsal by rehearsal, our energy and spirit life is taken from us by the activity until, at the end, months from now, we are left a shell of our former selves.

But in the season that is our Giving Tree, unlike the book, your sacrifice nurtures the growth of everyone around you. Your sacrifice benefits every child you teach. Your loss is their gain. And unlike Silverstein’s tree, you will come back stronger than ever next year.
 

Good bye Vic!

As a drummer, and a one time avid user of Vic Firth products, I was especially saddened to hear of his passing on Monday.  More than an industry leader and philanthropist, Vic legitimized the art of percussion and music education as whole. Our profession, and the world of percussion, will forever be changed because of his efforts.

As I look forward, I wonder who in our profession will be his equal. I wonder who are the giants of the future. I wonder who will help to carry the torch he and others before him carried with such ease.  Firth, Fennell, Reed, Ravelli, and beyond.  Who will take their place? Who are the legends of the future? I don’t know WHO they are but I have an idea WHERE they are… in a band room somewhere!

Son, I think it's time we had a chat...

(This is how I imagine a parent & band student conversation going during the first week of band camp.)
 
Son, sit down and have a seat.

Listen, I was in your room last night looking through your music collection. Why? Because I am your father and its my job to meddle. We need to talk about what I found. Frankly, I am a little disappointed in you. Who is this John Mackey? Does he bite off the heads of bats? Is he in a cult? I looked him up and I didn't see anything related to drugs, sex, or rock and roll… not a trace.

BTW...I found your magazine stash under your bed. Clarinet Journal? Is that one of those how to manuals on how to turn your instrument into one of those hookah pipes we’ve been hearing about?
 
Your mother and I know about the liquor cabinet, too. We know the old tricks of drinking the booze and replacing it with water and food coloring. Listen kid, I invented that stuff. We know when the booze is missing, and it wasn’t.
 
Remember last weekend when you promised to be home with my car by midnight? Your mother and I were worried SICK about you only to find you asleep, at home, before curfew!  

Something crazy is going on and frankly, we're concerned. You leave early and come home late. What are you doing all day? Why are you always so tired? Normal stuff?! No, I don’t think so! Normal kids sleep until noon and are out all night, but not you. Your brothers and sisters were normal, and by normal, we mean horrible!   What’s going on with you?  Are you 16 or not?  

What’s going on with you? Where is the little boy that we loved and couldn’t trust? What’s the deal with that? Are you 16 or not?
 
As you begin band camp, I thought this might be a fun way to remind ourselves that despite their shortcomings and mistakes, your students really are a cut above the average teenager.