Recent tragedies, coffee, and collaboration!

Recent tragedies, natural and otherwise, have had a galvanizing effect on our nation. In the aftermath of these transformative events, there’s a little less bickering, a little more caring, and a general sense of empathy for what others are going through. Despite all of this human connectivity, health experts from all across our country are warning about a new and equally dangerous threat to our humanity, loneliness. 

Yes, that’s right, loneliness is now a very serious national health concern.

Despite all of our modern “connectivity,” Americans, and their children, seem to be more disconnected than ever before. Despite living in the most communicative country in the world, reported cases of loneliness have doubled since 1980. More concerning is the fact that in a recent study, more than 40% of American’s reported being lonely, and the research suggests that the real number may well be higher.

This would normally be the place and time where I would pontificate on how music connects kids in a very real and meaningful way. I would talk about how students involved in music have lower rates of risky behaviors associated with loneliness, i.e. drugs, alcohol, etc. I would talk about the physical, mental, and emotional bonding that goes on in a child’s mind and body as a result of their shared musical experience. Yes, this would be the place in the newsletter I would do all of that and more. That is, if I were talking about our students. But, I’m not. I’m talking about YOU!

YES, YOU! 

The work you do can be all consuming, and demanding on a level that few other professions can rival. There is little time to spare and too much work to do. This, coupled with the ease of electronic communication (email, text, social media), leaves many of us without any meaningful personal interaction with our peers or other adults. Yes, you spend your days surrounded by a sea of humanity, teens and adults, but are doing so in emotional isolation from people who really understand what you do and can empathize with the challenges you face?

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Loneliness and weak social connections are associated with a reduction in lifespan similar to that caused by smoking 15 cigarettes a day and even greater than that associated with obesity. 

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When I was a teacher I distinctly remember feeling this way on many occasions. I remember interweaving the hopes and dreams of my profession with the hopes and dreams for my life, losing a little bit of me in the process. I remember being at work before the sun came up and leaving after the sun went down, for weeks at a time. I remember feeling isolated while in the midst of a sea of teenagers, and I suspect that many of you remember feeling, or are currently feeling, the same way right now. I have always believed that a happy teacher is a better teacher, so it’s imperative that you make time to be happy.

So let’s do something to make us happy!

I am challenging you to meet up with a musical friend/colleague in the next 72 hours, someone who understands what you are going through and can empathize with your experiences. Too busy you say? MAKE TIME! Pick up the phone (NO TEXTING), call a friend, and meet for coffee. If you are willing, I am buying. Yep, that’s right! If you text me a selfie with a colleague drinking coffee, tea, a smoothie, or other beverage, I will respond with a gift card to cover the cost of the drink. I’M NOT KIDDING!

You can text me your selfie to (480) 577-5264. If you are willing, you can even tell me how it went and if it helped.

I don’t care which colleague you meet, or what you talk about. Just talk!I dare you to take me up on this. Please!

I am waiting to hear from you.

p.s. This event is not sponsored by Starbucks, but should be.

p.p.s. I reserve the right to limit this offer to a reasonable amount, should making my mortgage payment become a concern.

Good times, ba(n)d times, and what we really remember!

 

Hey everyone:

"BAND ISN'T FUN ANYMORE!" This is the clarion call of late September. Gone are the fun-filled days of band camp where team building and bonding activities were paramount and smiles were aplenty. The energy of new faces, new music, and new drill have been replaced with the drudgery of cleaning the opener while simultaneously trying to get the ballad on the field and teaching the closer. 

The repetition and drudgery associated with daily rehearsals are starting to take their toll, but the energy and enthusiasm associated with contests and competitions are a ways away.

Add to this homework, tests, jobs, and the other responsibilities associated with being a teenager, and your students might be right... Band might not be fun anymore. Here's a secret:It’s not supposed to be fun. It 's supposed to be meaningful and memorable.

Don't get me wrong, music brought me more joy than any other of my high school or college experiences. It connected me with quality friends, gave me opportunities, and created memories that have had a profound impact on my life. But, these moments and weren't always FUN!

You know what I remember about band?

I remember being so hot that I thought I was going to die, but running back to my spot anyway. I remember being so exhausted for early morning rehearsals, but crawling out of bed anyway. I remember being so sick of marching and playing the same three songs each and every day, but playing and marching them again anyway. I remember those things like they were yesterday. I remember the good, the bad, and perhaps the most important part, the people I shared it with.

Perhaps you could have your students take just a minute and write down some of their favorite memories from their band experience. This will hopefully help to remind them that the difficult times are a part of what makes this activity so special.

In fact, the experiences that had the greatest imprint on my life, were the ones that made me work and persevere through difficult times and arduous moments. 

Keep in mind that FUN times make us feel good, but the "BA(n)D times teach us to BE good. When choosing between "feeling good" and "being good," it is often the latter that does the "most good" for our lives. 

Yes, I remember band, and it wasn't always fun! You know what band is?

Band is worthwhile. Band is life-changing. Band is working hard with the same people, fighting through the bad days, and celebrating the good ones together. Band is memorable.Band is family. Band is sleepless nights and never-ending days. That’s what band is.

And I remember it like it was yesterday, because it taught me to BE GOOD!

Have a great week!

Music, Marching, and Our Connective (HE)ART Form!

In a recent, and beautifully illustrated, article on the impact of the arts on our brains, the Washington Post eloquently and evocatively explained the effect that movement and music have on our cerebral cortex. 

Using the ballet Swan Lake as their course of study, the Post explored the impact on performer and audience members alike when music and movement are combined to create a symbiotic and unified message. 

The article explains, “When you go to the ballet — or any other show — you’re entering into a highly controlled experience. If everything works as planned, all the elements contribute to a kind of shared consciousness. In effect, your billions of brain cells are interacting with billions of other brain cells, busily making the microscopic connections that join together the brains of those present with an almost inescapable force.”

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The combination of pairing emotion filled movement with emotion filled music changed the body responses of not just the performer, but the audience member as well. In short, the two actions in combination were more powerful than when separate.

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“As an audience, we’re watching a story unfold that connects us with the performers, vicariously feeling and making meaning out of their actions on stage, responding to the magnetism of specific visual cues, experiencing heightened emotions as music and movement entwine and even bonding with those around us. It’s just as the artists — choreographers, directors, playwrights, composers, performers — intended. And this magical transformation starts within the architecture of one brain.”

It turns out that the audience is not just connecting with the performers, but with other audience members as well.

For the brain, and the heart, music and movement are the perfect partners, Which makes me wonder if there is something more to this thing called marching band.

Perhaps the draw to this activity for performers and audience members alike is not just the music and the pageantry or the precision and the pride. Perhaps its appeal is something far more neural and biological. Perhaps we do this for the sense of connection we feel with one another when we share in the experience. Perhaps it makes us feel less alone. 

Perhaps we are drawn to marching band as much for the HEART form as we are to the ART form.

Just sayin… 

Have a great week!

The success of being a flunky!

 

To be the class valedictorian is the dream of every high achieving student. The idea of sacrificing sleep, friends, and experiences all in search of the almighty GPA is as American as apple pie and insider trading. 

You remember your class valedictorian, right? Perfect attendance, perfect grades, perfect hair, perfect teeth… UGH! Just imagine the life they are leading now. Surely it is one filled with unimaginable riches and unending luxury. Although, if you’re imagining a life better than yours, well, you just might be imagining wrong. 

In his recently published book Barking Up the Wrong Tree, author Eric Barker explores the life and legacy of these academic darlings and his findings were somewhat surprising. “Valedictorians do well,” says Barker, “but they don’t typically become titans of industry or people who change the world.” He further states that while high school success is a strong predictor of college success it is not necessarily a predictor of life success. Yes, valedictorians are known as reliable, consistent, and well educated, but out of the people he studied, he struggled to find success that was extraordinary. Simply stated, out of the the subjects he studied, guess how many had gone on to achieve greatness or life changing success? 

The answer is simple: ZERO! 

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Meanwhile, lots of the “normal " or average students he looked at thrived after high school and beyond halls of academia. To that end, he cites a recent survey of more than 700 American millionaires that found that the average GPA of these titans of industry was a paltry 2.9.

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Barker’s research indicates that students who have a greater breadth of experiences and are forced to balance their many demands and passions tend to acquire the skill sets necessary to be successful, not just in school, but in life. Specifically, students who are forced to prioritize their time and (sometimes) triage their academic work, learn valuable life and survival skills. 

This is yet another reason why participating in music is important for young people. Students who are involved in music face greater demands on their time and acquire skills necessary to be successful after their academic careers have concluded. By participating in music, students are not preparing for a life as professional musicians, they are preparing for a life in any and every profession. 

We've all heard the complaint from parent and students alike that "being in music takes up too much time and makes grades suffer!” And perhaps that’s the point.Remember, the average GPA of a millionaire is 2.9! 

So, yeah… There’s hope for me yet! 

Have a great week. 

The Sounds of Silence

 

As a part of her new book project, Kicked, Bitten, and Scratched: Life and Lessons at the Premier School for Exotic Animal Trainers, author Amy Sutherland spent her days watching exotic animal trainers do the seemingly impossible: 

teaching hyenas to pirouette on command, cougars to offer their paws for a nail clipping, and baboons to skateboard. 

Day after day the impossible became possible. She would listen in awe as professional trainers explained how they taught dolphins to flip and elephants to paint. Mind you, these were not your average animals, nor were these your average tricks.

As a part of Sutherland's observation, a dolphin trainer at SeaWorld San Diego introduced her to the Least Reinforcing Syndrome (L.R.S.). 

When a dolphin does something wrong, the trainer doesn't respond in any way. He stands still for a few beats, careful not to look at the dolphin, and then returns to work.

The idea is that any response, positive or negative, fuels a behavior. If a behavior provokes no response, it typically dies away. 

The central lesson: reinforce the behavior you want, ignore the ones you don’t.

If this can work for a two-toed sloth, then it certainly can work for the two legged saxophonist.

Typically speaking, music teachers are among the most loved and yet most negative teachers on campus. Where other disciplines search for ways to turn a negative into a positive, often times & inadvertently, as conductors we do the exact opposite. We harp on those who don’t practice instead of highlighting those who do. We scowl at the tardy students instead of smiling to those who were on time. We stop the group to tell them what they did wrong, instead of telling them what they did right.

Our intent is pure, but research suggests that our methodology might be somewhat flawed.

I’m not suggesting that the L.R.S. is a cure all or will fix every problem. I’m not suggesting that you attempt to fix wrong notes and wrong rhythms by ignoring them. Perhaps they hyenas are not learning from us but teaching us. 

Perhaps, while we were teaching Chimps to shred a halfpipe, they were teaching us something much more valuable. Perhaps they were teaching us that sometimes we learn more from the sounds of silence than anything else.

Just something to think about. 

Have a great week!

p.s. After last week's email about the devastating floods in Houston, many of you asked how you could help. The short answer is: we don’t know yet. Many of the schools hardest hit have yet to return to their buildings, so we don’t have an understanding as to how bad the damage is and what their most immediate needs are. If you want to make a general donation in support of music education in South Texas, you can do so via the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation and their Music Rising program. If you are looking to adopt a specific school or address a specific need, just shoot me an email letting me know and as I get more information I will connect you with a program in need of assistance.

Houston, we have a problem!

 

After nearly a week of unbelievable images coming out of Houston it feels like an end should be forthcoming, but it’s not. Meteorologists believe that after a week of torrential downpours and nearly 49 inches of rain, there is still more to come. 

The National Weather Service Office serving Houston described the rain amounts as unfathomable and has reached such epic proportions that they have had to create new colors for their color coded map. 

At a time when they should be doing damage assessment, Houstonians are still preparing for more flooding. 

Through it all, the citizens remain resilient, generous, compassionate, and even heroic. 

Next week, where possible, schools are set to reopen and students will return to class. I suspect that they will be seeking refuge from not only the physical storm, but from their emotional one. Their lives have been disrupted and in some cases, their homes destroyed. These students are seeking a sense of normalcy and a return to something familiar. They will be looking to return home. Last week I spoke of our rehearsal spaces being a second home, and for some, this will be truer than ever. 

Throughout the climatic crisis, I reached out to all my clients and friends in the Houston area to inquire as to their well being. To a person, each director stated that they were in constant contact with their students and that they were all “weathering the storm,” literally and figuratively. 

As I processed through all that they were dealing with, I found myself wondering how many other non music teachers and administrators in Houston were in contact with their students during this time. I wondered if this response was universal or if music teachers were just a little bit different. I am not suggesting that other teachers care less than music teachers, but that the community of music creates a different level of engagement. 

I don’t know how I would respond in a similar situation, as I have never been faced with such dire circumstances. I do know that while the rest of the world is saying, “Houston, we have a problem,” I know a dozen or more directors saying, “We’re here, and we’re working on it."

To Mike, Blair, Chris, Andy, Steve, Gene, David, Daren, Joni, and the rest of the music teachers in the south Texas area, know that we are all thinking of you and wishing you the best.

Have a great week and send some loving thoughts down south.

Going Home!

This week I engaged in something of a pilgrimage; a wayfaring back to my roots, if you will.

In part through strategery (I know this is not a word), and part through stroke of luck, I am spending the milestone of my 50th year in the place where it all began: Buffalo, New York. 

I love returning home. I love the sights, the smells, the food. Most of all, I love the opportunity to connect my fading memories to real places, people, and things. As a part of my pilgrimage, today I will visit my old neighborhood, see my old home, and visit my brother. I will walk along sidewalks played upon long ago and stand under trees that I helped to plant, but are now fully grown. 

Maybe it’s too much time on the road, maybe my impending departure from my first half century, but I am feeling nostalgic today. I am thinking about all the places I have been and people who made me who I am, including YOU. 

Yes, I will visit my old house. The people living there now are different and the source of the squeals of laughter in the front yard will have changed, but even fifty years later, it’s purpose remains unchanged: to serve as a safe place of refuge and harbinger of hopes and dreams. 

We all know that our music rooms are more than a rehearsal space. They serve as a refuge, home base, hangout, and secondary cafeteria to our students. Our musical sanctuaries serve as a remembrance of the past, connection to the present, and launch pad for the future. They serve as a place to survive the growing pains of high school and safe harbor from the occasional storm of teenagerdom. They serve as a place to not only succeed and fail, but to take risks and be challenged. My high school band room did this for me and I suspect yours did the same for you. 

This was why I taught. This is what I love about this profession. This is what I remember, not just about my home in high school, but the one I attempted to create for my students. 

Yes, we worked hard and make some incredible music there. But, in the end, I suspect that those memories faded far quicker than those related to laughter, joy, and the feeling that there was a safe place where students could rise, fall, and be cared for regardless of the outcome. 

The inhabitants of your building may change from period to period, day to day, and year to year, but like my house on Grayton Road, it’s purpose remains the same: to be somebody's home, somebody’s safe space, and somebody's memory keeper. 

Today, as you unlock the front door, set your stuff down, and lay your keys on the desk, let me be the first to say, “ Welcome home!”

Forward Thinking and a Total Eclipse of the Start

In case you're living under a rock, or otherwise deep in the rabbit hole of starting school, you're fully aware that next Monday, North America will experience the celestial phenomenon knows as a total solar eclipse. 

I make no claim to being an expert on total solar eclipses, nor do I hold advanced degrees in astrophysics or celestial mechanics. I am not an astro enthusiast or eclipse chaser (which is apparently a thing).

In fact, despite having barely passed Astronomy in college (in a thinly veiled attempt at avoiding math), I am about as ignorant as one can be when it comes to this particular subject matter.

As long as we're being honest, I thought that looking into a solar eclipse and it causing blindness was an “old wives’ tale.” You know, like waiting thirty minutes after eating to swim or flossing daily? But, it turns out to be true. Evidence of why I shouldn’t be allowed to teach children, as I would be the guy that says, “Hey everyone, let’s go check out the eclipse... Be sure to bring your cell phones for some selfies.” 

I am told I experienced this phenomenon before in my life, but I was either ignorant or unaware, as I do not remember it. Perhaps that is because back then, I saw the event as an issue of alignment between the sun and moon. But now, with time and perspective, I understand it to be a powerful opportunity to feel connected to a shared experience. It is a chance to see the power and size of the universe and experience it on a grand scale. A chance to understand the yin and yang of relationships physical, spiritual, and emotional. A chance to embrace being small. A chance to be reminded that there is no shadow without light or light without shadow.

This celestial event represents a great learning opportunity for all of us in this crazy profession. It reminds me that in teaching there are times of light and times of darkness and that they are all cyclical. It reminds me that while the good and bad days stand in contrast to one another, they are both a requisite part of this profession. It reminds me that with time and perspective, my impact on young people only grows and that looking forward to the year ahead is more important than reflecting on the ones of my past.

Yes, Monday’s solar event will serve as a reminder that while I can't change my students' past, I can change their future.

Here’s to forward thinking and Monday’s total eclipse of the start.

Discrimination and Our Musical Triumph of Equality

 

Hate filled rhetoric and divisive statements scream across our nation's headlines each and every day. Just this week issues related to Affirmative Action, immigration, police brutality, and institutional sexism at Google have brought discrimination to the forefront of our national agenda.

Why can’t we see past color? What can’t we value each and every human for who they are? What can’t we all get along? 

Why can’t we all be just like marching band?

To be fair, this activity wasn’t always a beacon of virtue. Music educators, myself included, once led the way in segregation. Sure, we didn’t do it based on the color of your skin or your gender, but we discriminated none the less. Yep, depending on who you were and what you played, some people were relegated, not to the back of the bus, but to the back of the field. Different location, but same concept; some instruments and people have more value than others. BUT NO MORE! 

Recent advances in technology and understanding have created a newfound sense of equality in our activity. Yes, marching band is LEADING THE WAY in creating an environment of peace, harmony, and equality. 

Don’t believe me? Check it out!

• Freshman are the new senior. Freshman typically represent about thirty-five percent of an organization. If the freshmen are successful, than the band is more likely to be successful.
• Color Guard is the new drill. Half time shows have evolved into mini (or not) theatrical productions with the auxiliary units becoming the main characters and story tellers with the musicians being relegated to the roll of pit orchestra and human curtains.
• Front ensemble is the new drum line. With the addition of sound systems, the front ensemble moved to the head of the musical class by being able to change the tambre, tone, and texture of an ensemble with the change of a mallet or the flick of a switch. No other section has that capability.
• Woodwinds are the new brass. Wireless mics and domed stadiums have pushed aside the button pushers in favor of the reed-lickers. Their musical dexterity and technical skills are now what sets apart some of our nation’s top marching ensembles.

Gone are the days where we discriminated against someone because of her age or instrument. Gone are the days when the auxiliary was in back and the pit was called a pit for a reason. Today is a new day of enlightenment. Yes, advances in show design and amplification have moved our activity to a place where EVERY student, regardless of age or instrument, has an EQUITABLE opportunity to contribute and has EQUAL value to the ensemble.

Yes, instead of focusing on what’s wrong in the world, our nation’s news headlines should be shouting: Music Education Champions Equality!

But before the pendulum swings too far, let's remember, BRASS LIVES DO MATTER!

Have a great week everyone! 

How can it get better than this?

If you were to sit down next to me right now and ask, “What’s new?" I would tell you that: 

• This week I will cross the threshold of 1,000 workshops.
• This week I have traveled more than one million miles on a plane.
• This week I will enter the month of my 50th birthday.
• Last week, my son started middle school.
• Last week, my family said their final goodbyes to my wife’s father 

If you were to sit down next to me right now and ask me “What are you thinking?" I would answer, “Rituals, milestones, and how many we miss.”

Today is an important day to be sure. If not for you, for someone close to you. For instance:

• Today is someone’s first day of music.
• Today will be someone’s last.
• Today is someone’s first day of teaching.
• Today is someone’s first day of retirement.
• Today is someone’s first experience with marching band.
• Today is the start of someone’s last.

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Each and every day marks a moment, musical, personal, and otherwise. Some we honor, while others we ignore. Some are joyful, while others are not. Some are within our control and some are outside of it. But, they are important moments none the less and they all deserve to be observed and acknowledged. 

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As I mentioned, we recently lost my father-in-law, who was an incredible man. In the final days before his passing, his visitors spoke confidently of the great beyond and the bounty that would await him when he left this earth. Despite being in a great deal of pain, and imprisoned by a body ravaged by cancer, he would respond with, "I don’t see how it can get any better than this.”

As you stand on your podium or tower today, experiencing the heat and humidity, it would be easy to think about your next objective, rehearsal, or meeting. You may have a passing thought about your next job, or retirement, but instead, I want you to celebrate the moment. Celebrate the fact that we get to make a difference and have an impact in this world. Celebrate the fact that you get to work with kids instead of adults. Celebrate that while others are bemoaning how lazy millennials are, you get to stand in front of the hardest working kids in the school. Celebrate the fact that you are not in a cubicle. Celebrate that you have music in your life each and every day. Just take a moment and CELEBRATE.

This job is hard and not for the faint of heart. This job requires you to sacrifice on a personal, physical, and professional level. But as hard as it gets, I would have to agree with my father-in-law and say, "I don’t see how it can get better than this.”

Have a GREAT week and celebrate!