The Yellow Board

The Scary Future of Band Directing

Posted by Concerned on 6/2/2022, 12:51 pm

I am very concerned about the future of our profession.

1) It is nearly impossible to have a family or a hobby and be a director at a large 5A or 6A HS.

2) We are charging more and more for band fees because we are pushing the limits more and more in the HS Marching Band Field. This is excluding students and turning off parents

3) The amount of time required to be in the HS band is increasing because we are pushing the limits more and more. This is excluding students and turning off parents

4) large HS bands are only able to keep assistants for 1-2 years and most head directors are leaving the field after working at the large HSs.

5) MS is being valued less because of the demand at the HS. This is hurting retention from MS to HS across the State of Texas

6) The hiring process becomes less and less fair. Jobs are given out months before they are even posted. I hear of head directors meeting outside of school to have side interviews before the real ones happen

7) I have noticed that Percussion directors at the HS level are leaving in big numbers.

The more and more money, time, electronics, props, etc. that the HS band requires, the worse our retention and staffing will become.

I am very concerned.

Re: The Scary Future of Band Directing

Posted by me on 6/7/2022, 11:11 am, in reply to "The Scary Future of Band Directing "

Band Directing has always been scary and it's always been hard to balance your personal life with school.

1) How did we deal with integration of schools in the 1960's?

2) How did we deal with No Pass-No Play and House Bill 72 in the 1980's?

3) How did we deal with the TECAT test for teachers?

We've been through hardships before and we adapted and kept on teaching. There's nothing new under the sun. The marching and concert bands in Texas are the best they've ever been. What changes is US---WE get tired of change and start to feel like it's time to retire. But a younger person will be thrilled to have our job because what we think is so different and impossible is what've they've always dealt with.

My high school band director was getting out of teaching high school in the 1980's saying "it's not like it used to be-I can't teach like this." It worried me because this is what I thought I wanted to do. Now in 2022, I'm almost at 30 years and I've enjoyed every minute of it. I just keep on teaching.

Re: The Scary Future of Band Directing

Posted by Old dude on 6/16/2022, 11:35 am, in reply to "Re: The Scary Future of Band Directing "

Anyone in this profession for any length of time has had to deal with change. If one cannot roll with the times it's time to go into another profession or retire.

Re: The Scary Future of Band Directing

Posted by Ca-Ching on 6/4/2022, 9:09 am, in reply to "The Scary Future of Band Directing "

It is beyond infuriating the amount of money our district provides the high school programs for marching band. With the amount budgeted for ONE HS for ONE SEMESTER we could outfit MULTIPLE ENTIRE MS programs with instruments (not saying we need to...) and then they come around and tell us that there simply isn't enough money for basic summer maintenance.

If you want to go all out with those big marching productions, go for it! BUT raise your own money to do it. Let's stop dumping all this tax payer money for halftime entertainment.

Re: The Scary Future of Band Directing

Posted by Or on 6/6/2022, 3:01 pm, in reply to "Re: The Scary Future of Band Directing "

How about taking that money and putting your kids in private lessons? Or master classes (for something other than rote teaching the region music). Give them experiences by seeing professional Symphonies and Theater, and Ballet and Wind bands and Jazz Ensembles. Make them true consumers of the arts with that money, (since you don't need instruments and simply spending money on instruments to sit on shelves instead of a marching performance really doesn't do any good either). Teach the kids how and show them the want to actually learn to play the instrument they are holding!

Re: The Scary Future of Band Directing

Posted by Designers on 6/3/2022, 2:50 pm, in reply to "The Scary Future of Band Directing "

Stop farming out everything. Designers are driving the profession. That’s where many go after they burn out of band directing. Bin Reynolds said something similar years ago in an article. We control the future of our profession when we make choices like literature selection, etc. If we buy crap, they will sell more crap.

Re: The Scary Future of Band Directing

Posted by My thoughts... on 6/3/2022, 8:58 am, in reply to "The Scary Future of Band Directing "

No director can just decide to not "be competitive" and refuse to do BOA and Area/State Marching Contests. These are expectations from Administration/Community/Parents (all or any part/combination).

Many parents, etc. expected the band to advance to the highest levels, however in my experience as a 4A/5A/6A Head Director, they (and their child) had every reason to miss multiple rehearsals [not due to illness], and still want the group to be competitive. They really did talk through different sides of their mouths.

Re: The Scary Future of Band Directing

Posted by NLABD on 6/7/2022, 1:27 pm, in reply to "Re: The Scary Future of Band Directing "

We missed a golden opportunity to scale back during the pandemic and allow breathing room.

It is the nature of things that it cannot grow without tracking backwards slightly to grow again.

The body inhales and exhales, the tides ebb and flow.

Re: The Scary Future of Band Directing

Posted by Solution on 6/3/2022, 7:05 pm, in reply to "Re: The Scary Future of Band Directing "

Work somewhere else, or educate your community.

Re: The Scary Future of Band Directing

Posted by Answer on 6/5/2022, 4:12 pm, in reply to "Re: The Scary Future of Band Directing "

Not as easy as you say

Re: The Scary Future of Band Directing

Posted by But.. on 6/6/2022, 12:21 pm, in reply to "Re: The Scary Future of Band Directing "

Why not?

Coaches can come in and say "We're rebuilding this year, we'd hope to make the playoffs (a 1) but we're in a tough division/conference.

Why can't we reframe "success" to our communities?

Is it that we can't - or that many people simply don't want to?

Re: The Scary Future of Band Directing

Posted by Conflict on 6/2/2022, 5:29 pm, in reply to "The Scary Future of Band Directing "

Number 4 and number 7 seem to contradict themselves. Either jobs are so awesome people will do backroom bribery to get them or people are leaving in droves.

I understand what you are saying and totally agree with most of it. Marching band has become Skynet and we are losing control quickly.

There are solutions - stop charging fees and stop trying to be DCI. I think the funding bubble is going to bust. Districts will quit paying 100k for a show and numbers will eventually drop low enough that the parent organization can't cover the extra 500k in travel and extra personnel. If middle schools aren't valued quickly the high schools won't have any students to compete with, (and that might accelerate the financial crisis forcing folks back inside to focus on music).

As for 7 why do we have percussion directors that aren't certified music teachers?

Re: The Scary Future of Band Directing

Posted by Omg on 6/2/2022, 8:48 pm, in reply to "Re: The Scary Future of Band Directing "

Y'all are hiring full-time non certified percussion DIRECTORS?!

Part time would be understandable.

Re: The Scary Future of Band Directing

Posted by Response on 6/2/2022, 5:05 pm, in reply to "The Scary Future of Band Directing "

1. Only if you insist upon being competitive at the state or national level.

2. See #1.

3. See #1.

4. Head directors are leaving the field, true. Those assistants are stepping up into those open head director positions.

5. MS Band is in a bad way right now not because of this, but because of covid. It's literally going to set band back for a decade - and we're in year two.

6. This has been happening literally forever. This is not new

7. How many programs have justified paying a "percussion instructor" as a para, rather than a teacher? You're asking someone to work full time as a band director for $9.50 an hour - less on game days or competition weekends. It's no wonder they're quitting - they're not being paid a living wage.

If you don't like the state of marching arts, go someplace where you don't have to "keep up" - try a smaller school, try a less competitive situation, or work middle school. If people want to have these "unreasonable" expectations let them. Me? I quit band and teach elementary now. I get to get off at 3:30 and go home with my kids - every single day.

Re: The Scary Future of Band Directing

Posted by Amen on 6/6/2022, 3:38 pm, in reply to "Re: The Scary Future of Band Directing "

The cost on the community and district for such competitive marching programs is absurd. The money would be better spent on the total needs of all bands in the district, beginner through 12th grade. I'm sure with the $500 fees the parents are picking up, there are excluded families out there whose kids would like to be in the marching band if they could afford it. It is an elitist game of the haves and have nots. Business as usual.

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