Bands are NOT the Same. And that's okay!

by Aaron Noë

No two bands are the same. And that’s a good thing!

It’s easy to get into the comparison game especially after marching season as we begin to reflect on the successes and short comings of the fall season. Reflecting on the successes of other bands and other band directors can be a good thing…

…until it isn’t.

When you see success in another group, applaud it. But recognize it for what it is: the result of a plan that worked for that band, at that moment in time. 

That director found a strategy that worked with her band. She chose music that resonated with her students. She found the right motivation for her parents to go out and fundraise, build props and volunteer to chaperone and serve in the pit crew. She had productive conversations with her administration to get the support she needed to take her band to the competitions. 

Her strategy worked for her band at this moment in time. 

But her band is not your band. Her students are not your students and their parents are different from your parents. She has a different principal with different struggles and different goals. 

When you see her succeed, celebrate her success with her. Ask what is working with her band, her parents, and her administration. Ask her about the struggles and challenges she overcame to motivate her students and develop a strategy that worked.

You may find some of her strategies may work for your band. You may find that none of her strategies work for your band. 

And that’s okay.

It works for her band. Celebrate with her.

Reflecting on your Season

When you begin to reflect on your season, you will find places that can be improved. As you start to build a strategy for the coming season ask yourself, “What is going to work for my band?”

What music is going to resonate with my students?

What is going to grab their attention and make them want to strive more?

What motivates my parents to volunteer?

What are my administration's goals and how can my band program help them to succeed?

Sometimes the answers to these questions are different from your own personal wants. 

And that’s okay.

We didn’t get into this to fulfill our own personal musical desires. We started down this path because someone sparked a passion that motivated us to achieve more. Now it’s our turn to be that spark in our communities.

Be that spark in your community.

Remember, that grass is greenest where you water and fertilize it. 

Your program’s success doesn’t come from copying someone else’s plan. It comes from knowing your students, your community and your administration and leading them with purpose.

Go. Make music.