I am currently the head director at a large middle school in a 4A district. I am looking to step up to a High school head position in the next few years. What advice would you give in preparing to move to HS? I currently work marching band with the HS in the district. I have been a full time assistant at a HS before.
Re: HS head director
Posted by The Mandalorian on 5/2/2022, 3:51 pm, in reply to "HS head director "
I would say that you should stop and think not about the actual teaching part of the job, but the logistical things you will need to deal with. Fortunately, a lot of things you will need to take care of you have already been doing so far in your current position. Many of those things will need longer "lead times" at the HS level.
Think about your marching program. Depending on what you want to do with your shows, how far ahead of time will you need to secure copyrights for arrangements, hire the arrangers themselves, drill writer, guard writer, any other adjunct marching staff? When do you want the music ready by? The Drill/guard work ready by? Are you going to do a pre-show? Who's doing that? What equipment do you need for the pit that the band doesn't already have? How about any props? Does the school have trailers or trucks in order to haul everything from the band hall to the contest/game and back? Who drives those? How far ahead do you have to file the transportation requests for those? How do the kids get fed? Do the boosters cover that...or is it "every man for themselves"?
It also depends on what size school you are shooting for. If it's a competitive 5A or 6A program, chances are in May a lot of the things I've listed have already been set in motion. You will need to touch base with everyone to make sure things are on schedule. As schools get smaller, less has been done at this point in the year, simply because the majority of small schools aren't contracting out for a lot of things due to budget constraints. To make sure where things are, if you take the job contact the outgoing director and/or the remaining staff to see where things stand.
Re: HS head director
Posted by Suggestions on 5/2/2022, 8:06 am, in reply to "HS head director "
Attend HS UIL concert events to get a feel for what a 1, 2, and 3 sound like for V and NV bands at the level you are looking to move to.
Judge all region tryouts at the high school level if you have't been. Don't expect to get paid for it. This is for your resume and not your checkbook. If you are looking for jobs in a different region or at the 5/6 level volunteer to judge region auditions in that region. I know my region was always begging JH directors to fill spots for the programs that were out for playoffs or because there were too many rooms and not enough hs directors. Having a director over a lessons teacher is nearly ALWAYS better and the region folks would appreciate it. Plus, networking with your panel.
Does the HS in your district need an extra director for a 3rd UIL ensemble to go to contest if they are big enough? Maybe you can do some sectionals or work the ensemble a few rehearsals as "fresh ears"
