Page 6 - 2018-BMR-September

From the Board

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Reagan Brumley, 2018 19 TBA Sergeant at Arms

On behalf of my wife, Cayce, and for my students from masters of the
our daughters, Scarlett and Noelle, craft who have blazed the trail for
please accept our family’s thanks the rest of us. After lots of thought
in advance for the opportunity to about these great directors and their
serve you over the coming years as own teaching legacies, I found myself
a member of the Texas Bandmasters with feelings of not only gratitude for Give intentional thought to your
Association Board of Directors. I fell their work and willingness to share, own legacy. When you put the baton
madly in love with our profession but with a spirit of obligation and away for the last time, what will
many years ago and want nothing inspiration to do my very best to carry your students, band parents, and
more than to give something back to on the unique and exceptional legacy colleagues have taken from you? This
it, though it can be only a fraction of of Texas bands and their amazing is a daunting question with which to
what it has given to me. directors. Carrying on this legacy can grapple. There are many days that
In contemplating the many be done in many ways, with the I don’t like the answers I come up
wonderful experiences I had at the thoughts below being just a few: with when considering this about
2018 TBA convention and how they Think of the directors who myself, but the act of taking inventory
might help me be at my best for my inspired you to pursue this noble of what my legacy would be if I
students this school year, I was drawn profession often, and do your best stopped teaching today forces me to
back to the same word over and over to incorporate their best traits into hold myself to account, both as a
again; legacy. I was overwhelmed with your work with your students. This pedagogue and more importantly, as
gratitude for the legacy left by Eddie is especially useful on tough days, someone who impacts the schooling
Green and Gary Garner while sitting and has helped me work through of many children every day.
in their joint clinic hearing them talk frustration over seemingly endless I truly hope that you are as excited
about their formative years as teachers tasks that don’t really involve teaching about another school year working
and experiences that have guided them and get me back in touch with what with students as I am. We all know
through the years. I was struck with I fell in love with: great music and we’ll have some incredible highs
the same sense of reverence I’ve had imparting its wonders to students. through the year and some days you
since I was an aspiring band director Always have band director wish not to repeat, but in both cases,
every time I had the privilege of heroes, which can only be gained keep reflecting on the legacy of this
stopping to shake hands with an older by regularly listening to or viewing special profession of ours and let your
director whose work I have strived recordings of the work of the legends place in it continue to inspire you, and
to emulate with my own students. In in our field. If you have identified thus, your students. My best wishes
both the formal clinic setting and in those heroes, reach out to them. I have for a fruitful school year for you!
chance encounters in the exhibits, I invited countless heroes of mine to a
found myself learning new things— meal to just talk with them and learn,
from pedagogical methods to issues and I have yet to find one who wasn’t
I need to know and think about glad to be asked and completely
concerning literature I’m considering forthcoming with their information.

Bandmasters Review • September 2018 4 Texas Bandmasters Association