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Ten Guidelines for First Year

Ensemble Directors

Dr. Brad Meyer

1. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF: 3. SCHEDULE WISELY: 5. LEARN TO DELEGATE:
Eat healthily, sleep at least 6-8 hours, Use calendars (and calendar In the beginning of your job/
and exercise. Taking care of yourself apps) constantly, consistently, and career, you will need to do a lot of
takes time, but the time you put into effectively. Your iCal/Google Calendar/ things yourself, but the more you
keeping yourself healthy will allow Fantastical 2/Calendars 5/Outlook/ can delegate small tasks (restringing
you to stay more mentally focused Timepage should look like a piece marimbas, loading cases, setting up
and physically energized throughout of art. Schedule in travel time, color chairs and stands, etc.), the more
your day. Make time for yourself. Also, coordinate your calendars (personal attention and energy you can give
plan free time and vacations the way vs. professional vs. school-related, to big-picture items. Establish easy-
you schedule your rehearsals. Free etc.), and put in deadlines (TMEA to-follow systems for how you want
time helps you recharge/re-energize submissions, TSSEC deadlines, your program to work. Also, having
yourself and will help you avoid burn grant/funding deadlines, etc.). Many student leaders can be an effective
out at your job. calendar apps can be shared with way of getting tons of small tasks
students/parents/administrators/ accomplished while also giving
2. COMMUNICATE SAFELY AND colleagues to help avoid rehearsal/ students a hierarchy that allows them
EFFECTIVELY: performance conflicts. to advance among their peers.

Learn which way students/
parents receive communication best 4. MAKE LISTS, LOTS OF LISTS: 6. DON’T LET A BAD LESSON/
(GroupMe, Remind, etc.) and use it. Use Wunderlist/Notes and make REHEARSAL/CONCERT RUIN YOUR
Take the time to become proficient in different categories: current concert DAY:
whatever method of parent/student repertoire, future concert repertoire, Learn what you could have done
communication your program uses, future chamber ensemble repertoire, better from negative situations, but
and use it consistently – whether conference clinic topics, article bringing home your work (especially
it is weekly Charms emails, regular topics, possible future clinicians, the negative aspects) will only cause
Google Classroom announcements, potential students (with all their you and your relationships to suffer.
or nightly Remind101s. Always contact information and family Everyone needs to vent, and doing
remember: group-oriented names), instrument needs, to-do lists, so in small amounts infrequently can
communicating is much safer for ensemble goals (1-year, 3-year, 5-year, be healthy; however, consistently
you as an instructor than one-on-one and 10-year), etc. Having your lists discussing only the negative aspects
communication, which can lead to organized and easily available at all of your job will result in a negative
inappropriate communication (or at times will allow you to have more outlook on your job, be it you
least the appearance of inappropriate “ah-ha” moments that you can record, personally disliking your job or others
communication). A good rule-of- which will help you and your ensemble believing that you do not like your
thumb for any written communication progress more quickly. The more you job. Use friends, loved-ones, and
is to never write anything you would can plan ahead for your ensembles family as a healthy sounding board,
not feel comfortable discussing in a and yourself, the more direction and but then move forward. Focusing on
deposition. focus you and your program will have the negative can easily become a living
towards your goals. feedback loop of self-pity.

Bandmasters Review • December 2018 21 Texas Bandmasters Association