Texas Bandmasters Association
Bandmasters Review • April 2013
5
As I find myself in my 29
th
year
as a Texas band director, I sometimes
look back and think “what if…” and
wonder what the future holds for my
students and me? Besides getting to sit
in the front seat of a car
when going out with my
younger colleagues and
buying a senior discounted
ticket to hear the Chicago
Symphony, getting older
has its advantages. Allow
me to explain.
Whether you are in
your 1
st
year to teach or
your 40
th
, everyone has a past, present
and future. If we can learn from our past,
both the positive and negative things—
and not live in the past—we will enjoy
teaching more. Let’s face it; teaching has
its ups and downs. Over the years, I have
found that how we deal with these ups
and downs is vital to our overall success
and happiness. Students must see their
teachers as an adult in their lives that is
caring, nurturing and not a person who
lives in the past. Our students deserve
an adult teacher who is stable and able
to deal with the ups and downs that life
sometimes brings.
At our recent Area Band Competition
I had to console and explain to some
very talented and extremely hard
working students that this was not their
time to make one of the TMEA All-
State Organizations. We all have had to
comfort and explain to our students the
disappointments that sometimes go along
with competition. On this particular day,
along with the consoling, a senior boy
who just found out that he made the 5A
All-State Band came up to me and gave
me a hug so hard I think I might have
broken a rib. He proceeded
to jump up and down in a
very presto tempo.
We must remember the
Sir Walter Davies quote
that is on the bottom
of every honor band
competition program.
“Competition… Not to
defeat an opponent or to
win a prize, but to pace one another
on the road to excellence.”
As the adult
in our young people’s lives, we must help
our students keep things in perspective.
Unfortunately, it sometimes takes a much
bigger tragedy or event for us to realize
what really is “important” in our lives.
Early in my career I was getting my band
ready for contest, worrying about every
possible detail. I received a call from
my very good band director friend that
his son had fallen off his shoulders and
landed on his head. He was taken to
the pediatric trauma center at Parkland
Hospital in Dallas for care. After several
hours of testing, my godson was released
with just a big nasty bump on his head.
Needless to say, I left that hospital not
worrying about any band-related things.
By the time you are reading this article,
we will all be deep into our concert
competition season. I would encourage
everyone (myself included) to keep
From the Board
Jeff King, 2012 - 13 TBA Secretary
The purpose of the
Texas Bandmasters
Association, Inc. is to:
Continually assist its
membership in achieving
the highest standards
of instrumental
music education.
u u u
Promote the place
and value of music
education in our society
and the important role
instrumental music plays
in our cultural, intellectual,
and social lives.
u u u
Foster goodwill,
fellowship and a collegial,
fraternal spirit
among its members.
u u u
Provide its membership
with an annual
Convention/Clinic which
introduces new music,
tried and proven teaching
methods and materials
as well as instruments
and equipment.
u u u
Provide Educational
Publications of instructional
methods and materials
for TBA members and
aid them with their
personal development
and leadership.
uuu
Provide information for
the university music student
preparing to become
a band director.
Mission
Statement