Texas Bandmasters Association
Bandmasters Review • September 2015
22
• Think “adding alongside” current schedule vs.
“adding to” current schedule.
• Don’t limit the project to just Tri-M
®
chapter
members or band members. Open it up to any student
in your music program and in your school.
• Consider opening it up to alumni from your
program too.
• Enable non-musicians to “be a part” of it. (i.e.
Sing-a-long, play-a-long, you conduct us, bucket
drumming.)
• Intentionally create synergy collaborating with
other groups outside your school and/or inside your
school. Imagine organizations working
together? (i.e. Caroling at a Boy Scout
Christmas tree lot, U.S. Marine’s Toys-for-
Tots donation containers at your concert,
local Symphony Orchestra instrument
donation drive, district-wide bucket drum
line battles at basketball games.)
• Use locations that will naturally make
the music sound better. (Think big hall
acoustics, surround-sound set up, position
younger performers within and in-between
more experienced performers, all to ensure
a better-sounding singing-in-the-shower
success!)
• Combine experienced players with
younger players. (i.e. High School +
Elementary or bring college music majors
into the mix with your kids.)
• Raising money for others is much better
than just raising money for yourself.
• Organize project-based roles NOT
standing-committee roles. (i.e. Let projects
drive positions of responsibility vs. positions
drive projects: Project Lead, Project PR,
Project Equipment Logistics, President, VP,
Secretary, Treasurer.)
• Avoid having standing meetings (i.e. Every
Monday after school 3:30-5:00 PM. Only meet as
project requires with clear deadlines and follow up.)
• Mix it up: once-every-four-years type projects vs.
every year projects.
• Video capture and record as much detail on video,
on paper or on-line—what you did, how you did it,
who did what, how you’d improve, etc. Document
how many people, how many hours, how many times,
how much money, etc. so that you have a way to share
the substantial impact you made.
Making a Bigger Impact with Music In Your Community
