87 Drum Majors? When to Post.......The Big Question.

Some people, after the announcements last year, stated that we had 87 drum majors. I don't know why this number was chosen. Sure, 87 is a nice sounding number but 82 more than we actually had! So the drum majors and myself have joked about that 87 number on more than one occasion over the past year. Yes, last year we had 5 drum majors. Although I am a pioneer in the band director field and realized that this new trend, having more drum majors, would lead to other bands doing the same, I faced much criticism about having 5 drum majors. Like anything else, it is a new thing, and many people became upset about any change at all. In retrospect, I thought it worked out great, each drum major, in their own style and way, led the band. Not many, but some band members have told me that 5 of them made it confusing. Looking at our rehearsals objectively I did not agree at all. The 5 drum majors were utilized in different sections of the band, warming up, rehearsing, and assisting the staff throughout the season.

This year we are going with 4 drum majors. Why? Because I feel that would be a great number for the coming year. We don't make decisions lightly when running this band. Things are thought out in detail, weighing many options, ideas, as we put everything into place. Ms. Miller and I talk for hours about the changes and tweaking of the program year to year. The staff, along with the two of us meet weekly and go through all options, then Ms. Miller and I make the call. Sometimes we just don't have the time to bring everyone "up to speed" on the multitude of details that make up a decision.

Sometimes a band member, not agreeing with some of the decisions we made, comes up to me and gives me his or her opinion in a strong fashion, letting me know I am "way off base". Sometimes I explain it. Sometimes I don't have the time to explain, or it is not professional for me to go into those details for various reasons. In either case, trust me, the reasoning that brought us to decisions running the program would probably convince you that we are "spot on" or at least "in the same ballpark" as you.

When to post. Ok, there are many ways to do this. Some people in the old days put the list up, then ran to the car. Some hang it up in the morning, and the drama throughout the building shuts down the people who didn't get anything while they are in school. Hanging up a list during the day would have everyone texting each other, illegally during school hours, with most people finding out their positions via cell phone. Last year I posted it online, midweek, and many people were coming to me the very next day, very upset about not getting a position. It took up a lot of time and didn't accomplish much for anyone. The drama can upset the program, and that is exactly what happened.

I will post an entry on Thursday night about how to come to terms with the let down of not getting a position if that happens, and my advice on how to deal with not getting a position you applied for. I have an idea that I think this will work well. I will put the positions online so everyone will get the same information at the same time. Let’s then have a moratorium on calling each other on the phone for 30 minutes. Nobody answer a cell phone for 30 minutes, or call anyone for 30 minutes, just a short break time to contemplate results so that the emotion can calm down a bit. I know, of course that I cannot monitor this but a short 30 minutes will help so much. The emotions, positive or negative, about a leadership position, subside minute by minute as you realize the situation. Let's try that.

Check out the video above regarding the drum line auditions. Mark Carman made this incredible video, it is great!

See you here tomorrow on the blog for the next article "Why did we pick that person?!"