Bandmasters Review - December 2019

Texas Bandmasters Association Bandmasters Review • December 2019 5 until your students “know all of their notes and rhythms” to invite a guest. Bad habits form early in the learning process and take quite a while to correct. • Don’t forget to work on sight-reading. Count rhythms out loud often. Use previous years’ UIL sight reading pieces to hone your skills at delivering instructions and to hone the students’ skills at actively participating in the process. • Plan for each rehearsal by writing down what you would like to work on ahead of time. To quote Benjamin Franklin, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” • Make sure that you are listening to your students individually. Having students pass music off one at a time for a band director or going down the row during sectionals is very important. Through all the preparation and expectations, remember that students are human beings with needs and feelings. We all have bad days and we all need encouragement. We all mess up (band directors included) and we all need reminders. Try not to let the process affect the relationships that so many of our students need far worse than they need a trophy. Enjoy the upcoming break and good luck with your spring semester! Perspective Makes a Difference!