Following Directions

What should our expectations be with people following directions? And, when I say people, I mean adults and students alike. It seems to me that people not necessarily refuse to follow directions, but just choose not to. Is there away to counter act this? Is it in the delivery of the request? Is it the level of the request deemed by the person who is receiving the request? Meaning, if they feel it is a request below them or not high on their priority list, they aren't going to do it. What should we do if your directions and request are not followed? Can we punish an adult? What sorts of consequences should be in place?

I am certain many people have been in the situation where they have asked someone do something, most of the time a simple task, and it hasn't been followed. Misunderstandings happen, but when it continues to happen one wonders where the communication gap is.

Delegating responsibility and relying on others to complete tasks is an important part of having a leadership position. Leaders have lives outside their job and cannot devote 100% of their time and energy being sure every little thing gets done. They have to rely on the abilities of their followers to help fulfill many of the responsibilities of the organization. What do we do when we feel tasks are not getting done? First, self evaluate that as a leader, you are giving ample instructions for someone to complete the task, second, provide the proper materials needed to complete the task, and third provide a deadline for the task to be completed.

Have you ever been the person who has neglected a responsibility given to you? If so, why did it happen? For the sake of all leaders, and you as a member of an organization, please reflect and comment on that experience. If an organization is to flourish, all members must be on the same bus, heading to the same destination.

The Next Step.....

One week ago, my jazz band performed at the Iowa Jazz Championships in Des Moines, Iowa.  15 bands in each class (Iowa runs a four class system) qualified for the opportunity to perform for the state championship. We performed in class 3A, the second largest class offered in the state. Say what you want about the value of competition in music, but I am a believer that competition has it's place and when used appropriately, provides students with a physical goal (yes, a trophy) that they can tie their efforts to.

The day and experience is wonderful. Many fine bands, musicians, and music educators are gathered, ready to showcase their work for the year. The awards ceremony is electric. One of Iowa's college or university jazz band performs for the students, the All-State jazz band participants are announced, and of course, the final awards ceremony.

The band was ready to perform. They had their best performance of the season. I was so proud of them! They felt great coming out of the performance and it made the rest of the day so enjoyable. When the awards were announced however, we were not the state champion. We were not even in the top half of the class. We ended up 11th out of the 15 bands. Should we feel disappointed? Maybe we didn't place as high as the goals we set for ourselves, but we still performed as well as we had all season so no, I don't feel there is any reason to be disappointed. However, the question always arises from students, parents, and other supporters. "I thought we played wonderful! What makes those other bands so much better than ours?"

When we arrived home, we talked about this question. Some answers from the students were, "Their rehearsal situation is different than ours, " "They have more students in their program," "They played harder music." One student then said, "They practice." I asked, "How?" Another said, "They practice more individually." That student hit the nail right on the head. Now, at the risk of making it sound like I don't feel our players are good players, I explained that there is another level of musicianship that very few of us have tapped into.

We could rehearse for hours on end as an ensemble, play every note and rhythm correctly, shape every phrase just how we want it to sound, and perfectly tune every chord, but we will only be as good as the music we play, which means each individual will only be as good as their part.

I challenged the students to take a look at themselves, and not just commit to the ensemble, but commit to themselves. Here is what we talked about:

1. Use every opportunity in our program as an opportunity to grow as a musician.

• Marching band, concert band, jazz band, pep band, solo & ensemble season
• Audition for All-State, and District Honor Bands
• Take assessments seriously

2. Look for and participate in playing opportunities outside our program.

• Jazz camps, city bands, church services, combo gigs, private lessons from reputable professionals.

3. Study music on your own.

• Listen to various CD's, and You Tube performances
• Read and research music, performances, participate in blogs and twitter about music.
• Invest in music by buying books and other music
• Perform with your friends and have fun!

4. Be an advocate and a role model for music and our program.

• Educate your parents, and the community as to why music is important to you.
• Excite and influence your peers and our younger students positively about music and our program.

I want my kids to be successful and I want to help them reach success. We all know there has to be a point where they decide to take the bull by the horns and commit to what they are doing, but we have to be sure we are educating them and exposing them to the fact that the sky is the limit when we talk about a student's music education. Let's keep pushing these kids to reach their full potential so they may reap the rewards of their hard work!

Thoughts from a Band Director.....

"I told my kid they had to stick it out for the rest of the year, then they can quit" is the new phrase amongst parents when dealing with students wanting to drop various activities. "We don't allow them to quit in the middle of something." Well, that's all fine and dandy, but hey, how about a reason why it's important to stick with and be part of something? What will the student learn from it? Could they possibly form a new appreciation for the activity with a little support and encouragement?

When I hear a parent make those comments the message I get from it is, "Just get through the year and I'll get you out of there. Then I look like a good parent by not allowing you to quit." Ok, so step 1 is to keep them involved in the activity, but that simply is not enough. Step 2 is to show the student that being involved with the activity is a great benefit to them. Introduce them to the opportunities available to the student through the activity. Encourage them to actually work hard, participate, and learn. Teach them about responsibility and dedication. Not just go through the motions and let time pass. If we are going to only allow the student to "get through the year" no one is gaining. We might as well just let them quit.

So parents, are we really teaching the student a valuable lesson by not allowing them to quit? Or, are we only trying to make ourselves look better? Maybe we should start sharing that there is only 24 hours in a day. Get through the day and you can quit. Or, maybe together we can find ways to make every day valuable and worth being involved in.

The Role of Scales in Music

How many activities can people do without some sort of knowledge of it's fundamentals, or building blocks? Athletes cannot effectively execute their positions without a knowledge of the fundamentals. Basketball players need to be able to shoot, pass, and dribble before they can properly execute a pick and roll. Baseball and softball players need to be able to play catch, before they can take an infield. Even mathematicians need to be able to do simple addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication computations before solving calculus or trigonometry problems.

So, why do so many student musicians choose to ignore the fundamentals needed to execute their music? I'm talking about scales. "I don't like scales. I just want to play music," says a student. Scales create the horizontal line that IS our music! Key signatures provide us with the tonal center which creates the mood of the music. How do we instill in students the importance of this knowledge for the sake of music?

Jason Heeren
Director of Bands
Storm Lake, High School

Music Theory

Please post information, links, videos, articles, etc that would apply to our music theory class. Also, feel free to use this to ask questions regarding the readings or class discussions.

Mr. Heeren