What Kind of Band Director Was I?
I have met a lot of band directors over my 31 years of teaching. Most have been good, and a few have been great. Then there are the elite, who are beloved by their students, the parents, their fellow teachers, and the community. These are the ones looked upon by their fellow band directors as models for their own program.
My own assessment of myself is difficult to pinpoint. My life plan was to find a school and teach there until I retired. That isn't quite how it worked out, since I taught in 9 different school systems. The closest I came was my 11 years at Madison County HS in Danielsville, Ga, just north of Athens. Looking back, what I seemed to be best at was taking over "down" programs and elevating them to very good. As one principal told me, "I don't know how you get these kids to sound so good!" My gift seemed to be taking over a program that was struggling in quality and quantity, and improving both aspects, so that they were ready for the next director to take them to new heights. Unfortunately, that didn't always happen, as there were a few instances of decline after I left a program.
As I mentioned above, I did not plan to move as often as I did, but various circumstances led to each move. While I enjoyed Hazlehurst, Jackie was not fond of the area, and was unhappy teaching in Telfair County. When my brother told me of the new school opening in Macon, I interviewed and was hired. I built that program from 17 kids to around 45, but after my 3rd year, was told by my principal that she wanted the band to be a "boogie" band. Since I did not feel qualified to teach that kind of marching style, I resigned and began looking for another job. Back then, there was no internet, and you mostly heard of job openings through word of mouth. I had a salesman tell me of the opening at Madison County, and when I called to ask for an interview, the principal wondered how I knew of the opening, since it had not been advertised!
Madison County was a wonderful gig! The kids there were so ready to be successful, but I had to work through an attitude of, as one student put it, "We're from Madison County, so we'll never be any good." Once we made our first Superior rating at a marching festival, there was no going back. The kids finally understood the amount of hard work and dedication necessary to perform at a high level. The biggest frustration I had there was getting kids into District Honor Band. I had quite a few really good players who never made it because we were in a district with Gwinnett County. In fact, I had one outstanding tuba player who never made DHB, but when he went to UGA, made their top group as a freshman. What, did he just suddenly get better over the summer without a tuba to practice on?
Madison County seemed where I was destined to be, until I had a faction of parents decide I wasn't what they wanted, and finally found a willing listener in a new principal. Now, I have found that there are always unhappy parents, no matter how much you wish otherwise: You can't please everyone all the time. But principals I had had up until then, when they received calls, had always told these parents to talk to me first, and then get back to them. Then one of two things happened: they either called me and allowed me to address their concerns, or they never called me, and I never knew about it (unless the principal asked me if I spoke with so-and-so). Anyway, I took my time interviewing at over 20 places before accepting a job. For the first time in my life, I actually turned down several jobs!
Fitzgerald was where I landed, but it turned out to be a bad fit. I followed a very popular band director, and the parents there were unhappy with me almost from the start. The first problem was that I didn't care who a kid's parent was. If they were deserving of a leadership role, or inclusion in District Honor Band (we nominated students, and then they auditioned at the actual event), then I put them in that role, whether their parents were active in the Boosters or not. And having an active parent in the Boosters did not guarantee that student anything. This turned out to be a poor move politically, but one I would do again. In fact, while I was at Madison County, I had a parent upset with me because her daughter was not put into the top band even though she had worked at every home game and chaperoned all the band trips. When I said her placement was due to her audition, she told me she would never work another game. (She never did, but her kid made the top band the next year.) The other problem was that I included Black kids on the dance line my second year. At that school, the Black kids were expected to be on the Flag Line, and the White kids were on the Dance Team. This was a school which, at the time (2002-2004), still had 2 proms, though one was private. And this is a community where, after a little league game I coached, I was approached by a parent and thanked for allowing one of my Black players to pitch, as none of the other coaches would. I was flabbergasted! And the community and school was a roughly 50/50 racial makeup.
Since our house in Colbert had never sold, I resigned from Fitzgerald and moved back. However, this was one of those years when there were very few openings in the band world. I ended up taking a job at Greenville MS, 3 hours away. I would spend the week at Greenville, and then go home for the weekend. This was a very stressful time for me, as I was away from my wife and kids for much of the time. Most of my weekends at home was spent doing laundry for all 6 of us, church on Sunday, and then helping with the youth group on Sunday evenings before I drove back to Manchester, where I had a one room apartment. I rarely saw Jackie, as she was mostly exhausted from work and from dealing with the kids all week, and I missed a lot of time with my kids as they were growing up.
The kids at Greenville were hungry for some stability; I was the 5th band director they had had in the previous calendar year! Once I reigned in the behavior problems, the program really started to take off. I also spent a lot of time at the school, because what else was I going to do during the week, sit in my little apartment? I announced and kept the scoreboard for the football games, and kept the scorebook for the basketball games. I also worked with the after school program, and taught summer school for 2 years. I really loved my students and fellow teachers there! However, when I received a job offer at Elbert Co HS, even though it was for a choral position, I accepted it, because it allowed me to move back home. Greenville ended their band and chorus programs after I left.
Elbert County was, at 4 years, my second longest tenure. I really enjoyed teaching choral music (I had done it previously at Southeast HS in Macon, at Madison Co, and at Greenville), and, starting my second year there, I assisted with the marching band and with the 6th grade beginning band. I also founded and directed the Northeast Georgia Community Band, which lasted for my 4 years there, still one of the most rewarding gigs in my career. Is was a small group, but as one guest player (who I asked to come play to fill in a missing part) said to me after a concert, "This group is better than it has any right to be." Anyway, I had no intention of leaving Elberton until the principal informed me that the choral program was being cut, so I no longer had a job. Back to the job search!
After a few interviews, even some out of state, I accepted a job at Mitchell County HS in Camilla, Ga. There, like my very first gig at Jeff Davis HS, I was in charge of the whole program. The band had already started band camp when I was hired, so I was stuck with the show picked by the previous band director, which was much too difficult for the group. And there were only 7 kids in the MS band, and they were all 8th graders who marched with the HS band. There was a lot of work to do, but the biggest obstacle was the gnats! I had been is South Georgia before, but there was nothing like Camilla. The gnats swarmed in "clouds" and would go in your mouth and nose, and would crawl on your skin. Miserable! Anyway, my first priority was restarting the band program at the MS. I signed up 6th, 7th, and 8th graders, and had 3 beginning bands. We went from 7 to 45 over night, but they were all beginners. The HS band marched 14, but I was able to bring that up to around 35 or so my second year by including my 2nd year players in the marching band (they were not required to march, but many did). Knowing the level of my players, I wrote the music for the show so I could hide my weak players and highlight my strong ones. We got great ovations from both home and away crowds. This is the group I took to Athens for the marching exhibition at Cedar Shoals. We stayed overnight with Cedar Shoals Band families, and the kids were blown away by the execution of the high school bands from NE Georgia, and by the UGA Redcoat Band! And by the hospitality of those families! This was a wonderful experience for my kids for 2 reasons. First, most of the bands we saw in South Georgia weren't any better than we were (some schools didn't even have a band, or didn't march), so they didn't have any idea of the possibilities. Second, we were one of only 2 HS bands that night that got a standing ovation! It was the best performance of those kids' lives, and they were so proud. My third year there, my principal got the bright idea to have a 4 hour block of classes that did not include band. The HS band only met after school, and I taught drama, art and music. While I really enjoyed the kids in that class, it killed the band program, though I was able to keep the MS program going.
On a personal note, while Karyn joined me right away, Jackie and Miller joined me in Camilla partway through my first year. Karyn, as it turned out, was one of only 4 White kids at Mitchell County HS. While the county was 50/50, most of the White kids went to Baconton Charter School, Pelham City Schools, or the private school in the county. While the reputation of Mitchell County was one of a terrible school, I found it to be a very good school, with very few behavior problems. Since there were only 250 total students or so, I knew almost all of them by name, and I knew all of the faculty, which was pretty cool! Anyway, toward the end of my first year, Jackie had to move to Dahlonega to take care of her parents; her mom had cancer and her dad was disabled. She took Miller with her. Eric had joined us in Camilla after transferring to Darton College in Albany from Emmanuel College. My second year, Eric went to Darton, and Karyn also attended Darton on dual enrollment. I got to see Jackie and Miller rather infrequently that year. My 3rd year at Mitchell Co HS, Karyn had graduated and gone to North Georgia College (now UNG), and Eric had also moved to Dahlonega, so I was alone in Camilla. I drove home almost every weekend to see the family (now a 5-6 hour drive). Her mother died that Spring. It was for this reason, and because the HS band program was killed, that I left Mitchell Co HS.
By the time late July rolled around, I was desperate for a job, so I accepted one teaching Elementary Music in Savannah. Jackie and I thought this would be a good break from the rigors of running a band program. It was awful! The kids were the worst behaved of any place I had ever seen. When I was able to get through a lesson, they really enjoyed it, but those days were few and far between. There were a few redeeming qualities. My fellow faculty were wonderful, and the kindergarten classes were fun, but the highlight was my decision to work with the severely handicapped kids once a week, which my principal never acknowledged. It was so rewarding to see them light up when listening to the singing, or when playing their instruments. There was very little thy could do, but it was nice bringing some joy into their lives.
This was another rough year personally, as, again, I was separated from my family. I made the 4-6 hour drive to Dahlonega virtually every weekend (I stayed in an extended stay hotel just outside Savannah), and my father, Jackie's father, and my mother all died that year in November, December, and May.
When I was asked to take over the band program at Lithia Springs, I jumped at the opportunity. It was the first time in my life I had an assistant, and it was wonderful! However, I again was following someone who was very popular, and I'm not sure I ever won the students and parents over, but it was an overall good experience. I feel I have set up the program for success by laying a solid foundation of musicianship for the students to build on.
Kind of a long post today, but sometimes, when I get going, it's hard to stop. In future posts, I plan to talk about how students have changed over the years, how expectations have changed, and how schools have changed.
May your day and your loved ones be blessed!
My own assessment of myself is difficult to pinpoint. My life plan was to find a school and teach there until I retired. That isn't quite how it worked out, since I taught in 9 different school systems. The closest I came was my 11 years at Madison County HS in Danielsville, Ga, just north of Athens. Looking back, what I seemed to be best at was taking over "down" programs and elevating them to very good. As one principal told me, "I don't know how you get these kids to sound so good!" My gift seemed to be taking over a program that was struggling in quality and quantity, and improving both aspects, so that they were ready for the next director to take them to new heights. Unfortunately, that didn't always happen, as there were a few instances of decline after I left a program.
As I mentioned above, I did not plan to move as often as I did, but various circumstances led to each move. While I enjoyed Hazlehurst, Jackie was not fond of the area, and was unhappy teaching in Telfair County. When my brother told me of the new school opening in Macon, I interviewed and was hired. I built that program from 17 kids to around 45, but after my 3rd year, was told by my principal that she wanted the band to be a "boogie" band. Since I did not feel qualified to teach that kind of marching style, I resigned and began looking for another job. Back then, there was no internet, and you mostly heard of job openings through word of mouth. I had a salesman tell me of the opening at Madison County, and when I called to ask for an interview, the principal wondered how I knew of the opening, since it had not been advertised!
Madison County was a wonderful gig! The kids there were so ready to be successful, but I had to work through an attitude of, as one student put it, "We're from Madison County, so we'll never be any good." Once we made our first Superior rating at a marching festival, there was no going back. The kids finally understood the amount of hard work and dedication necessary to perform at a high level. The biggest frustration I had there was getting kids into District Honor Band. I had quite a few really good players who never made it because we were in a district with Gwinnett County. In fact, I had one outstanding tuba player who never made DHB, but when he went to UGA, made their top group as a freshman. What, did he just suddenly get better over the summer without a tuba to practice on?
Madison County seemed where I was destined to be, until I had a faction of parents decide I wasn't what they wanted, and finally found a willing listener in a new principal. Now, I have found that there are always unhappy parents, no matter how much you wish otherwise: You can't please everyone all the time. But principals I had had up until then, when they received calls, had always told these parents to talk to me first, and then get back to them. Then one of two things happened: they either called me and allowed me to address their concerns, or they never called me, and I never knew about it (unless the principal asked me if I spoke with so-and-so). Anyway, I took my time interviewing at over 20 places before accepting a job. For the first time in my life, I actually turned down several jobs!
Fitzgerald was where I landed, but it turned out to be a bad fit. I followed a very popular band director, and the parents there were unhappy with me almost from the start. The first problem was that I didn't care who a kid's parent was. If they were deserving of a leadership role, or inclusion in District Honor Band (we nominated students, and then they auditioned at the actual event), then I put them in that role, whether their parents were active in the Boosters or not. And having an active parent in the Boosters did not guarantee that student anything. This turned out to be a poor move politically, but one I would do again. In fact, while I was at Madison County, I had a parent upset with me because her daughter was not put into the top band even though she had worked at every home game and chaperoned all the band trips. When I said her placement was due to her audition, she told me she would never work another game. (She never did, but her kid made the top band the next year.) The other problem was that I included Black kids on the dance line my second year. At that school, the Black kids were expected to be on the Flag Line, and the White kids were on the Dance Team. This was a school which, at the time (2002-2004), still had 2 proms, though one was private. And this is a community where, after a little league game I coached, I was approached by a parent and thanked for allowing one of my Black players to pitch, as none of the other coaches would. I was flabbergasted! And the community and school was a roughly 50/50 racial makeup.
Since our house in Colbert had never sold, I resigned from Fitzgerald and moved back. However, this was one of those years when there were very few openings in the band world. I ended up taking a job at Greenville MS, 3 hours away. I would spend the week at Greenville, and then go home for the weekend. This was a very stressful time for me, as I was away from my wife and kids for much of the time. Most of my weekends at home was spent doing laundry for all 6 of us, church on Sunday, and then helping with the youth group on Sunday evenings before I drove back to Manchester, where I had a one room apartment. I rarely saw Jackie, as she was mostly exhausted from work and from dealing with the kids all week, and I missed a lot of time with my kids as they were growing up.
The kids at Greenville were hungry for some stability; I was the 5th band director they had had in the previous calendar year! Once I reigned in the behavior problems, the program really started to take off. I also spent a lot of time at the school, because what else was I going to do during the week, sit in my little apartment? I announced and kept the scoreboard for the football games, and kept the scorebook for the basketball games. I also worked with the after school program, and taught summer school for 2 years. I really loved my students and fellow teachers there! However, when I received a job offer at Elbert Co HS, even though it was for a choral position, I accepted it, because it allowed me to move back home. Greenville ended their band and chorus programs after I left.
Elbert County was, at 4 years, my second longest tenure. I really enjoyed teaching choral music (I had done it previously at Southeast HS in Macon, at Madison Co, and at Greenville), and, starting my second year there, I assisted with the marching band and with the 6th grade beginning band. I also founded and directed the Northeast Georgia Community Band, which lasted for my 4 years there, still one of the most rewarding gigs in my career. Is was a small group, but as one guest player (who I asked to come play to fill in a missing part) said to me after a concert, "This group is better than it has any right to be." Anyway, I had no intention of leaving Elberton until the principal informed me that the choral program was being cut, so I no longer had a job. Back to the job search!
After a few interviews, even some out of state, I accepted a job at Mitchell County HS in Camilla, Ga. There, like my very first gig at Jeff Davis HS, I was in charge of the whole program. The band had already started band camp when I was hired, so I was stuck with the show picked by the previous band director, which was much too difficult for the group. And there were only 7 kids in the MS band, and they were all 8th graders who marched with the HS band. There was a lot of work to do, but the biggest obstacle was the gnats! I had been is South Georgia before, but there was nothing like Camilla. The gnats swarmed in "clouds" and would go in your mouth and nose, and would crawl on your skin. Miserable! Anyway, my first priority was restarting the band program at the MS. I signed up 6th, 7th, and 8th graders, and had 3 beginning bands. We went from 7 to 45 over night, but they were all beginners. The HS band marched 14, but I was able to bring that up to around 35 or so my second year by including my 2nd year players in the marching band (they were not required to march, but many did). Knowing the level of my players, I wrote the music for the show so I could hide my weak players and highlight my strong ones. We got great ovations from both home and away crowds. This is the group I took to Athens for the marching exhibition at Cedar Shoals. We stayed overnight with Cedar Shoals Band families, and the kids were blown away by the execution of the high school bands from NE Georgia, and by the UGA Redcoat Band! And by the hospitality of those families! This was a wonderful experience for my kids for 2 reasons. First, most of the bands we saw in South Georgia weren't any better than we were (some schools didn't even have a band, or didn't march), so they didn't have any idea of the possibilities. Second, we were one of only 2 HS bands that night that got a standing ovation! It was the best performance of those kids' lives, and they were so proud. My third year there, my principal got the bright idea to have a 4 hour block of classes that did not include band. The HS band only met after school, and I taught drama, art and music. While I really enjoyed the kids in that class, it killed the band program, though I was able to keep the MS program going.
On a personal note, while Karyn joined me right away, Jackie and Miller joined me in Camilla partway through my first year. Karyn, as it turned out, was one of only 4 White kids at Mitchell County HS. While the county was 50/50, most of the White kids went to Baconton Charter School, Pelham City Schools, or the private school in the county. While the reputation of Mitchell County was one of a terrible school, I found it to be a very good school, with very few behavior problems. Since there were only 250 total students or so, I knew almost all of them by name, and I knew all of the faculty, which was pretty cool! Anyway, toward the end of my first year, Jackie had to move to Dahlonega to take care of her parents; her mom had cancer and her dad was disabled. She took Miller with her. Eric had joined us in Camilla after transferring to Darton College in Albany from Emmanuel College. My second year, Eric went to Darton, and Karyn also attended Darton on dual enrollment. I got to see Jackie and Miller rather infrequently that year. My 3rd year at Mitchell Co HS, Karyn had graduated and gone to North Georgia College (now UNG), and Eric had also moved to Dahlonega, so I was alone in Camilla. I drove home almost every weekend to see the family (now a 5-6 hour drive). Her mother died that Spring. It was for this reason, and because the HS band program was killed, that I left Mitchell Co HS.
By the time late July rolled around, I was desperate for a job, so I accepted one teaching Elementary Music in Savannah. Jackie and I thought this would be a good break from the rigors of running a band program. It was awful! The kids were the worst behaved of any place I had ever seen. When I was able to get through a lesson, they really enjoyed it, but those days were few and far between. There were a few redeeming qualities. My fellow faculty were wonderful, and the kindergarten classes were fun, but the highlight was my decision to work with the severely handicapped kids once a week, which my principal never acknowledged. It was so rewarding to see them light up when listening to the singing, or when playing their instruments. There was very little thy could do, but it was nice bringing some joy into their lives.
This was another rough year personally, as, again, I was separated from my family. I made the 4-6 hour drive to Dahlonega virtually every weekend (I stayed in an extended stay hotel just outside Savannah), and my father, Jackie's father, and my mother all died that year in November, December, and May.
When I was asked to take over the band program at Lithia Springs, I jumped at the opportunity. It was the first time in my life I had an assistant, and it was wonderful! However, I again was following someone who was very popular, and I'm not sure I ever won the students and parents over, but it was an overall good experience. I feel I have set up the program for success by laying a solid foundation of musicianship for the students to build on.
Kind of a long post today, but sometimes, when I get going, it's hard to stop. In future posts, I plan to talk about how students have changed over the years, how expectations have changed, and how schools have changed.
May your day and your loved ones be blessed!
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