Starting over
I always loved going back to school. I loved the excitement of getting my school supplies, fresh clean notebooks in bright colors, finding out my teacher and where my classroom was, and getting back to band classes!
Of course, I also loved summer as a kid. Everyone does. When I think of summer as a child I remember riding my bike all over town with my friends, going swimming in the local pool, and best of all: reading lots of books. I loved going to the library, checking out a stack of books, and spending long hours soaking up exciting stories.
It’s that time of year where we’re starting over, starting the new school year and new seasons with our bands. Although it’s exciting to pull a new group of students together and learn a new show, we need to be careful about one trap it’s easy to fall into.
When we think of LAST year’s marching band, we remember how great they were at the END of the season, at that last big performance. So when we stand in front of our students again at band camp, we can make the mistake of expecting them to sound and move like last year’s band we remember.
This is not fair, of course, and we need to constantly remind ourselves that last year’s band started a bit rough also. It’s always the same. We start and struggle and grow. If you are someone who catches yourself being frustrated with the band because you’re comparing it to the end of last season, I recommend that you assign some staff members to be reminders. Tell them to casually mention to you and the staff “Yeah, I remember us struggling with slides last year also.” OR…”The band always sounds like this after a summer off, but let’s stay positive and trust our staff and students to grow.”
Relish the fun of starting over, of a new season, and of giving our students that great experience of growing into something wonderful. Keep that perspective and enjoy every moment!
Tim Hinton
August 19, 2023
Photo: Centerville HS Band, from The Dynamic Marching Band
