Let's communicate our communicating

When applying for a job in the teaching profession, I believe we talk a lot about qualifications: schools attended, teaching experience, marching experience, performing experience, professional development etc. Although this makes sense given the competitive nature of teaching positions available, I believe it is extremely important to mention the relationship that an educator should have with his/her fellow educators, and with his students, respectively.

In order to be an effective educator, one must be a tremendous communicator, have tremendous patience, and possess personality traits that are attractive to others. Quite often in education we talk about the ability to be proactive within our programs and with our students. Although this very is true, every single day is different in the teaching profession, and we must have the ability to react to situations appropriately and professionally. What will the percussion director do when the speakers stop working in the opener at the first show, or what happens if another director provides conflicting information to the percussion section?

The solution to the first question (in a nutshell), is to have a responsible temperament. Don’t act like the Super Bowl is being won because a successful rehearsal is taking place, and similarly, don’t spend too much time dwelling on things that may not be going exactly as planned. That being said, it is important to recognize what is going right or wrong with colleagues and students, and to address these scenarios in a timely, responsible manner. If every student in a percussion section is capable of reacting responsibly to the (fortunate and unfortunate), events that take place daily, it goes a long way in the personal development of an individual, and the maturity of any music program.

Secondly, I mentioned the relationship between colleagues. I believe there is nothing more damaging to a music program than for students to witness their instructors arguing about something. That being said, I believe this can and should be avoided by the directors implementing a game plan. I believe it is important for all parties involved to be on the same page before every event, whether it be a team teaching sectional, a marching rehearsal, or even a football game - Who is running rehearsal, who has the final say for visual/music/percussion/guard/front to back issues/design, etc. I have found that the overwhelming majority of staff conflicts I have witnessed or been apart of have been a result of lack of communication, and I am certain communication could quite possibly be the central most important element in developing and maintaining a healthy relationship between educators.