Finding the Right Fit for Each Beginner

It's the most wonderful time of the year! No, not Christmas- little band babies all over the country are receiving their very first instruments! It's glorious!

 

Do you just allow students to choose what they will play or do you test them out to see what they might be the most successful in playing? There are definitely different schools of thought on this. I have had the most success with students when we spend time trying instrument mouthpieces before letting them choose what they will play. Some directors do this to facilitate balanced instrumentation. While I certainly understand this and agree to a point, I rarely stop a student from playing an instrument just because we already have too many people playing it. I might strongly suggest they play something else but that will mostly be determined by what they made the most natural sound on. 

Students join band wanting to have instant success. They want to make music! It can be difficult for a 9-12 year old to truly understand the patience and persistence needed to be an accomplished musician. I never want the first few weeks a student experiences an instrument to be spend struggling just to form a basic tone.  Facial structure, body and hand size, and many other factors can effect a student's success on an instrument. For example, it is generally discouraged for someone with a tear drop upper lip to play flute because it splits the tone. I have had students play with this and while they have had some success they always struggle to produce a clear, pure sound. 

I generally spend some time introducing the instruments to students. If you are comfortable playing all the instruments yourself you can do this. I have also seen older students from the high school come in and perform for new bandies. Lately there are also a number of incredible resources with videos demonstrating the instruments. One that I really enjoy are Scott Lang's Be A Part of the Music videos. I find some of it a little cheesy for my older beginners but the content is still fantastic. Also, a project from the American Band College resulted in Beginning Band Boot Camp which has some wonderful video resources. I hope she got an A on this project! 

I developed a sheet students fill out after learning about all the instruments where they mark their 1st, 2nd and 3rd choices.  They come to see me one at a time and I assist them in trying the mouthpieces for their choices. On the back side of the paper I make some notes for myself on how they did and then we discuss which one they felt the most comfortable on and which they made the most characteristic tone easily. Of course, if a student is still insistent on playing one instrument over another I do allow them to. Their happiness is important but I do usually try to convince them to stick with the one that was most natural. 

Some things I look for are:

Flute- a resonant tone and natural articulation

Clarinet/Saxophone- matching the mouthpiece pitch, comfort with the mouthpiece in their mouth

Brass- creating a buzz off the mouthpiece, pitch matching on the mouthpiece

French Horn- match pitch vocally in addition to on the mouthpiece.

For percussionists, I used to just see if they could pat a steady beat with a metronome but I am trying something new this year as suggested by a friend who is known for having incredible percussionists.  Students will be asked to keep a steady beat in their feet while sitting, then pat quarter notes, eighth notes and possible 16th notes with that beat. Sixteenths are really just an added bonus I think but being able to keep a pulse steady on quarters and eighths is essential. I also encourage students who have piano experience to play percussion since mallets are such an important part of what we do. 

Make sure that you are using working equipment so students have an equal opportunity to make a quality sound on every instrument. I will admit (and yes, this is controversial) that I do use a slightly harder reed on saxophone than clarinet. I want to make sure that I have committed students on saxophone who can play with good air. Saxophone is typically a little easier for students to make a sound on and no, I don't want a sax orchestra for my beginning band. 

Really my number one goal is to help students find the instrument that they will have the most instant success on. We want them to be able to make music as quickly as possible, if they are struggling to produce a tone for weeks while their peers are moving onto playing songs they are likely to get discouraged and eventually quit. 

Professional Dress

Teachers reported back to school last week and even though we didn't have students I have to admit that I was absolutely appalled by the appearance of so many of my colleagues on the first day of work. Many of my friends have heard me rant about this topic in person but I just had to take the moment to spread my thoughts further.

We are constantly whining that we are not treated or compensated appropriate for the degrees that we have. We call ourselves professionals and want to be treated as such. If we want our profession to gain the respect we all know we deserve, we have to start dressing the part! I have always heard and believed that you "dress for the job you want, not the job you have". Dress for success and all that. I have even heard from colleagues that what they wear shouldn't matter, just what they teach. Well I'm sorry, it does matter. The impression you give the world through your appearance does matter and your students notice too. I've actually asked my students about this, because they have noticed that I dress "nicer" than their other teachers and they wonder why. Students have repeatedly shared with me that they do respect teachers more that dress in a professional manner and they act differently too.

Now what does this all mean?  Don't worry, I'll break it down for you.

Pants/Skirts
Pants my friends. Wear pants, not leggings and for the love of band not yoga pants.  I don't care how oversized your shirt is, leggings are not professional. Workout clothes should be reserved for the marching band field only. Jeans should be reserved for Fridays only and should be clean, neat and dark colored because those look more professional.  If you're sitting in meetings all day jeans may be fine but again, don't look like you're going outside to do yard work.  Even then, I do not wear jeans for at least the first month of school or so and when I do it's usually with a spirit shirt or school colors. Dress pants, khakis, even dressier capri pants if you teach in warmer climates are fine just make sure they are again clean, neat and fit properly. We don't need to be showing off how many squats we do at the gym in our classrooms or on stage, make sure your pants aren't too tight. Women often like to wear skirts and dresses and that's perfectly fine. Skirts and dresses for teaching should be knee length or longer. Maxi skirts are something I would consider a bit casual but I think still work for days in the classroom, they're like getting away with wearing yoga pants to school. I love to rock a good pencil skirt as much as the next professional woman but in our job you must be careful that they're not too tight. You have moving around to do and you don't want to be restricted.

Footwear
Dress shoes are essential. They make some pretty comfortable flats these days and guys they make dress shoes that feel like sneakers. You don't need to wear heels or wing tips to look professional. I'm not saying they have to be boring, I'm just saying that they shouldn't be crocs. Or flip flops! I live in a climate where many women feel that strappy sandals work for professional dress, I tend to disagree but that's just me. A pair of nice looking flats can be comfortable and go a long way to helping you look more professional. You can find inexpensive ones easily or get some really nice pairs. I recently upgraded my shoe stock and found some great flats with cushioning and everything. If you're comfortable in heels all day, more power to you. However, be aware that maybe 5" heels are more appropriate for the night club than the classroom or concert stage. If you teach marching band and you're running around on a field all day by all means wear sneakers. For competitions however, you should find yourself something professional and comfortable.

Shirts/Blouses
On top we also have some things to keep in mind. Gentlemen in most places are usually fine in a polo but I am a bit old school (as is my husband) in this regard and I like to see teachers in a shirt and tie. You can have some fun with ties too- go for it! Again really, outside of marching rehearsals and perhaps spirit days we should save our t-shirts for the weekends at home. I personally like having a polo that compliments the student t-shirts to wear on spirit days, being mistaken for a student was cute for a little while and then I realized I needed to start looking like the adult in the room too. Ladies, we must consider our necklines in our shirts. The "twins" are not something our students should ever be able to glance at. Please consider that as ensemble conductors our arms flap around all day and really should be covered to a degree. We don't want any extra movement (putting it bluntly) distracting our students, or our audience while we conduct.  I personally am a fan of wearing a blazer  or a cardigan although I too get rather warm conducting all day and often end up taking it off when I can.  Always keep in mind that if you do wear a sleeveless top that your bra straps should never show while teaching.

Performances
In performances we should also be aware of a few things. First and foremost, our clothing should fit properly. I have been just about every size a woman can be and I have the black blazers to prove it. You don't want to look like a little kid playing dress up in an oversized jacket or like Chris Farley in Tommy Boy with one that you've outgrown. Something to consider in our profession when purchasing jackets for concerts are sleeve length and jacket length. While ladies often like 3/4 length sleeves for a formal concert they really should be long and over the wrist. Jacket length for both men and women should cover your rear end, which can be difficult to find in stores today. The audience should be watching their kiddos perform and we don't want to be a distraction for them.  I have seen some women wear some beautiful dresses and gowns and have been known to wear one a few times myself. Be mindful of the length of the skirt, the fall of the neckline when you bow, and any extraneous movement or sparkle that could be distracting for the audience. I've spent entire concerts focused on the sparkle of a jacket or watching how a dress flows as a conductor moves and that is hopefully not what you want your audience thinking about. Also, keep in mind to check for any bumps or lines cause by undergarments that might show. Spanx are a miraculous thing, and that's all I'll say on that topic.

I know personal budgets are smaller than we'd like and we often do not have an abundance of free time for clothes shopping but we must make how we present ourselves a priority. I am a big fan of clearance racks and sales. Discount stores such as T.J.Maxx and Marshalls are great too. Kohl's and Target clearance often have great finds. Don't overlook your local thrift stores either! I have found some great Ann Taylor LOFT pants for $10 at Goodwill and the like. I recently even bought a light weight chiffon blazer off of Amazon for $25 that was a great little find.

If we want others to respect our profession we must garner that respect by the way we dress.  How we look is the first impression the world has about us, our program and the impact we make. We wish we lived in a world where people were not judged on their appearances but let's face it, we all are and we all do. If we want to be taken seriously as teachers I believe we need to take ourselves a little more seriously too. I guarantee when we dress more professionally people notice and you will notice the difference in how your colleagues, students, and parents treat you too.

Band Director's Talk Shop-Proactive Classroom Management

I was recently contacted by the Band Director's Talk Shop website to be a contributing author.
Cool huh?

I thought a post on Proactive Classroom Management in the beginning of the year might be helpful to other directors. It is something I present clinics on and feel very passionate about helping other teachers with. So, instead of a new post I give you my first unofficial publication!

Band Director's Talk Shop-Proactive Classroom Management for Band in the Beginning of the Year

Let me know what you think and if any of this is helpful for you!