The First 30 Days: Teach the System Before You Teach the Music

by Aaron Noë­­­

It’s the last days of Summer Vacation. You’ve mapped out the concert cycles for the year and have the calendar ready to pass out to your students.

It’s easy to get in the groove and begin diving into the music to prepare for that first performance. But I want to encourage you to step back and think about how you want the rehearsals to run.

How do the students enter the band room?

What do you expect when the bell rings?

How long should setup take?

What do your students need to be successful during rehearsals?

What is your warm-up routine? And how does it relate to what you are going to be rehearsing?

How can your student leadership assist in making sure everything is ready to go when you take the podium?

Taking the time to answer these questions now will help you achieve the goals you have set for the year. If the first 30 days are chaotic, they will learn that chaos is the norm. If the first 30 days are focused, clear, and consistent, students will learn that preparation, ownership, and focus are part of the band culture.

You can’t expect students to be accountable if these core systems are never taught. And it is much harder to teach a system when you are reactive. Be proactive by creating consistency in the operation of the rehearsals this year.

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By focusing on the systems, you aren’t ignoring the music. You are teaching music through a structure that reinforces the culture that will achieve the best results.  Setting up the system protects your time and energy to ensure you are able to accomplish what you set out to accomplish.

The system gives ownership to the students. They actively participate in the success of the ensemble. They learn that growth doesn’t happen on its own. It comes from consistency and focus.

Before you teach the music, ask yourself how you want the students to learn.

Teach more than just the scales. Give them the tools to play in all 12 Tonal Centers!

Teach the system.

Teach them how to be prepared.

Teach them how to enter.

Teach them how to ask questions.

Teach them how to take ownership.

When you teach a clear system, you give yourself the opportunity to create meaningful musical experiences.

Before you teach the music, teach the system.