2) prepare your mind for playing what they should be playing at contest and not what you want to play. Find extremely achieveable music so that you can work on tone, technique, everything they need to get right fundamentally.
3) You can only solve one problem at a time. However, there are ways to approach fundamental ideas as a full band. Watch the "after sectionals" podcasts with Darcy and her staff. They are very good at presenting solid fundamental ideas to the masses.
4) Work on this like a business. Develop a vision and mission statement and have a five year plan. Most great programs take around 5 years to fully implement their vision. Accept that kids and their parents can only handle so much cultural shift at a time.
5) Still smile and have fun!
6) Don't talk about how their fundamentals are bad or about anything from the past unless you absolutely have to. Everything is about today and going forward into the future.
7) Recruit. Shake hands. Smile. Find fun opportunities for your students outside of your building. At this point, your "customer service" is huge. They have to learn what you want out of a program before they can really help you to achieve what you want.
Best of luck!
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