New Band Director

[mike1234]

Well, my current band director's contract was not renewed, and this is a very hard blow to every member of our band. We all loved her very much and she brought our band from an embarrassment to well respected in only two years with us, and I think everyone was really looking forward to her making us truly amazing, and actually competitive. Our school has a problem keeping band directors, and because of this, before her, our band had been really below average for a very long time. She brought in a great staff who really helped us and made us good.

So, with this, we'll be getting a new band director, and I'm really nervously anticipating who it will be. I'm really worried that they won't be as competitive as the current BD, and it's really depressing because I figured that competitive was the new normal for our band, instead of really bad, but I guess not.

So any experiences with new band directors coming in, and how did it go?

[fluttietuttie41493]

i know just how you feel. our school is the same way. we're really small and i'm pretty sure it's because we switch directors every few years. my first director was pretty new when i started, then three years after i had her she was fired/quit. we're not to sure why she left, she said she had to quit because of her health but others say she was fired. lots of people liked her and they weren't sure if they'd like the new guy. when we got our current director he pushed us until we started to be good. some people didn't like that so they quit but those of us who stayed relized how great he really is. so hopefully you get a great director, i think it's a "luck of the draw". if your director isn't that competive, then hopefully your drum major will be so will still be amazing. good luck

[fruple]

I know the feeling right now, a bit too well.

We're on our third band director for the school THIS YEAR, and there was a big thing with our marching director (our director of like 10 years left/got fired, a new guy came, quit, came back the next week, quit the winter season because he didn't get the school job, his tech took over winter, and his tech guy almost left).

The big thing is respect. No matter how mad you are your old director is gone or any of that, be respectful. It's really hard for the directors to pick up a new band, let alone one that hates them. If you really want your season to go well, be kind, don't get mad if things change, help them along. Making it hard for them will make your group go down in the end.

Also, if there's something that they do that bugs you, talk to them. Again, be respectful, present what is bugging you or the band or whatever, tell them how it was before and how it's a change, try and work it out with them. Ask why their doing it that way, try it for a few weeks, and just nicely bring it up then if it still isn't working.

And if they aren't as competitive, take it upon yourselves. Fire up your section or the band, push learning style and everything, do whatever you need to (within the limits) to keep your band at the level you want it to be at. Remember, as they don't know you, they may underestimate you at the beginning. Don't be upset, just show them how good of a group you are. If you slack off and complain about how "bad" they are, they'll think that's your full potential as that's what your showing. You only get out of the program what you put in.

Best of luck! We're in the same boat right now because they decided to just fire our third BD after this year and hire again, along with the marching director. I hope you have the luck to get a great director.

(PS, don't send them an angry email. Baaaad things happen, like a threat by the school to cut all band programs. No matter what, talk in person and be respectful, EVEN IF THEY ARE NOT. It's really hard, but keep the anger in until you have a productive way to release it. Kids will get kicked from the program for being rude to some directors. It's not worth it.)

[clarinetchick96]

we got a new director this year.
i absolutely love him, and they were going to send him away during the middle of the year,but we did stuff to keep him.
now he won't be coming back next year,and i think I'm gonna cry becuase he has made me love band this year,and has made it a fun experience.
of course we have another guy that helps him but he isn't as fun.

my director from last year got fired and went to jail for sexually molesting minors.
i didn't really like him though,he was mean and me cry in front of everyone,and was a crepper.
=[

[mike1234]

Your band director that you got this year sounds like mine... loved by the students for being an excellent teacher, hated by the administration for being difficult and controversial. And that upsets me, because there are those teachers who are lazy and terrible, yet nothing can be done about them because they have tenure, while at the same time we have lost a really great band director due to administrative issues that have nothing to do with what we experience in band.

[KUguardgrl13]

yeah, we just got a new new orchestra director that we all really like. our old director had been there for 10+ years and was the one that started the orchestra program for the district, but he got his masters to be a principal and left us late last summer. we'd been expecting him to leave for a while because he really stopped caring about the program. our new director was hired at the absolute last minute, but she came in and basically revamped the entire program. our sectionals under the old director had basically been going in a practice room and complaining. now, she supervises us and makes sure that we actually get stuff done. we're really hoping that she can come back next year, but because she won't reach tenure until she's been here 3 years, her job is up for grabs.