Texas Bandmasters Association
Bandmasters Review • September 2014
7
Having a Successful Marching Season
Through Better Communication
Randy T. Gi lmore, Owner/President , Marching Show Concepts, Inc.
Along with the prodigious task
of being a band director, there
is an enormous amount of other
responsibilities and obligations.
Some of these have to do with
creating a greatmusical performance
and many do not. All are extremely
vital to the success of any program
at every level.
In this fast-paced world of
technology, it is essential we master
the art of effective communication
—musical and otherwise. Our
musical communication consists
of strong non-verbal gestures,
expressions, body language and
movements executed with clarity
and rhythmic precision. Complete
knowledge of the music arrange-
ments we are performing is essential
and crucial to a successful perform-
ance. However, there are several
other key elements in developing
a strong communication with the
people we work with everyday.
One key dimension of
communication is
Building Trust
.
Bui lding Trust :
Being trustworthy is more
than just a character trait that is
valued; it is the foundation for
building understanding, support
and acceptance. Lack of trust
creates a barrier to connected
communication that is difficult
to overcome. Once a director
loses their students’, parents’ or
administrators’ trust, he or she will
constantly fight an uphill battle
with all communication efforts.
Here are three
critical behaviors
directors can adopt
to eliminate the
static that destroys
trust.
1. Consistently
reinforce the
acceptable stan-
dards of behavior
for your group.
People become
confused when
there are no
established per-
formance standards, when the rules
are contradictory, or when the stated
values are not being followed. For
example: we may communicate that
we respect everyone’s time, yet we
consistently begin rehearsal 10-15
minutes late...wasting everyone’s
time. Maybe we tell students that
we value excellence, yet ask more
and more from our top performer,
while tolerating mediocrity and
poor performance from others.
When people understand the rules
of the game, generally speaking,
they will do their best to play by
the rules.
2. When in the gray-zone,
choose fairness.
We often have to make decisions
about situations where things are
not exactly black and white. For
example: if a
student makes a
decision where
there is no obvious
right or wrong
answer and that
decision results
in a less-than-
perfect outcome,
stand up for the
student. Most
people do not
look at events as
isolated incidents.
Students evaluate
your decisions regarding others as
if they were personally involved
and make the assumption that you
will treat them the same way. If
they perceive that you were fair
and reasonable, they will assume
you will be fair and reasonable with
them. The opposite is also true.
3. Live up to your com-
mitments.
Everyday the ultimate test of
trust is given. YOUR WORD,
YOUR COMMITMENT, is judged
every time you say you’re going to
do something, regardless of how
insignificant it may be. Even the
We judge ourselves
based on our
intent ions . . .
but others judge us
based on our
act ions
.
I f your student has
to make a choice
to trust you based
on what you say or
what you do—
what you do
wins every t ime.