TEACHING IS LIKE…BEING A BAND

DIRECTORBy: Lisa Lodder

DETAILED PLANS ARE NEEDED!

You must have a detailed plan of what you will teach, songs that are inspirational, the different sorts of instruments that will be in your band, and a final composition to work towards at the end!

UNDERSTANDINGS You must have a deep understanding of

each instrument and what it takes to play. You must know the ins and outs of the instruments and learn the right “key” (ways to make the instrument learn and grow).

MATERIALS You must have many materials in your

band room for the instruments to help them work in the best way possible. It is crucial to provide these materials for the instruments in case they get stuck, out of key or lost in the music. These materials will help these instruments work together as a band and make glorious music.

ENVIRONMENT

The instruments must also get to know you as the band director so they can develop an understanding of our band room and feel comfortable in this environment. My role as the director is to ensure the instruments trust me and my judgment and understand that I am excited to help them learn and grow. They will also have a huge role in helping me learn and grow as a director! Some instruments may feel uncomfortable at first and squeak every so often, but they will eventually display a beautiful sound.

PRACTICE The instruments will require a lot of

practice for growth. Your job as the band director is to work alongside these instruments and help tune them by providing them with opportunities for successful music making.

DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION

Sometimes it will be necessary to find different music for these instruments to play. They each have different attributes that make them unique and my role as the band director is to enhance these attributes and bring out the best in each instrument.

COOPERATIVE LEARNING Different instruments may sound best

together and my job as a band director is to allow them to teach one another and learn to play together. It is also important to group different instruments together every once in a while to see what music they are capable of creating together. Each instrument makes a huge difference in the whole of the band and adds a great deal of variety, inspiration and beautiful sounds.

PROGRESS

A band director must observe the progress of each instrument and assess how improvements can be made. The band director may have to find different music or techniques to help these instruments perform at their full potential and will stand with them to help with progress.

FUN Making music should be fun and the role

of the band director is to ensure learning is happening along the way. Each instrument is unique and can collaborate with one another to make fun, upbeat, funky music. As a band leader, I cannot wait to hear the fun that ensues in the band room!

THE MUSIC PLAYS ON

The music must come to an end eventually, yet I hope the instruments have gained some knowledge and learned new notes that will help them in their future music playing. As a band director, I will miss the music these instruments made in the band room and will often reminisce about the impact they made on my life. The music plays on!!!

I AM A BAND DIRECTOR!