Just a quick word. I've recently started having an older director come and spend a lot of time in my band hall. I'm about 20 years in now and I've had a lot of success. Consequently I've had a lot less older directors volunteer to come by and help the last few years I'm guessing because my bands are doing fine or maybe I gave out some arrogance, hope it's not the later. Anyways, =) I just want to say how refreshing it is to have an older/wiser director in the room who isn't afraid to disagree with you about musical things. It's nice to get a new perspective of what you're doing from an actual musical person. We all get comments from parents/admin/etc about what we should be doing with our groups. I love getting comments from people with music degrees. Older directors, keep coming around. I apologize in advance for those who might have shunned your existence in the band hall in the past. There's always room for good ears in my band hall. Best of luck everyone as you work towards your next contest and performance.
Re: Mentoring
Posted by Middle of Road on 2/25/2023, 9:45 am, in reply to "Mentoring"
There's a lot of good points in here. I think part of it as we get older though too is that there's some weird transition point where suddenly we're not the 'kid' in the room. Sounds like we're about the same place in our careers, and I know that I get plenty of calls and go help with others myself too. A lot of my mentors are retiring and have been dealing with health issues that made me nervous to bring them in during COVID for their sakes. Hoping this year lets me bring them back in more though!
I agree, if you're retired, please feel free to drop by old stomping grounds in your region! Love seeing people who have forgotten more about teaching than I'll ever learn!
Re: Mentoring
Posted by Good for you on 2/25/2023, 7:22 am, in reply to "Mentoring"
I never stopped asking my mentor for help whether it was for advice over the phone, listening to recordings, or attending rehearsals in person.
I worked with him early in my career (second and third year) and still sought out his expertise to the end of my career (40 years).
He taught me lessons in life as well as how to prepare and rehearse a band, including valuable child psychology to convince them to strive for their very best in everything they did.
He truly changed my life for the better.
Keep seeking those who are willing to help, since we really never stop learning.
