Napoleon Bonaparte knew every officer of his army by name.  He like to wander through his camp, meet an officer, greet him by name, and talk about a battle or maneuver he knew this officer had been involved in.  He never missed an opportunity to inquire about a soldier’s hometown, wife, and family; the men were always amazed to see how much detailed personal information about each one the emperor was able to store in his memory.  Since every officer felt Napoleon’s personal interest in him…proved by his statements and questions…it is easy to understand the devotion they felt for him.

As you are beginning the new school year with a freshman class you don’t really know and a sophomore class you know little about, I encourage you to take a page from the Napoleon Bonaparte leadership manual.  One of the most important elements of developing buy-in and unity comes in the form of adding value to your people.  Knowing that they just earned their Eagle Scout badge, had a dance recital last night, or they ran their best time of the season is a great way to open the door to a positive relationship.

Today, no every day, I encourage you to recognize that your students have a life outside of band.  Want them to show greater interest IN band?  Make it a point to show greater interest in their life OUTSIDE of band.  You are not just getting a band member.  You are getting a whole person; one whose collective life experiences will determine their level of success in your band.  Just sayin’!

Make Today a Magnificent Day!

Gary L Rupert

During the first half of my teaching career I was pretty adamant about not wanting to live in the community in which I was teaching.  I wasn’t concerned about the choices I make in my personal life.  It was just that after spending every day as Mr R, I wanted to go home and not have to be Mr R.  I needed time to just be me.  Fast forward to retirement and I am glad I spent my last years of teaching in the community in which I live.  Why?

Last evening my wife and I went to the local farmer’s market.  During our initial trip around the small area, I ran into a former student and the parents of three others.  The student was excited to tell me that her daughter goes to pre-school with my grandson.  One parent shared how her daughters were doing since graduation.  Another parent shared her frustrations with the ongoing challenges they have had with their son and the hope that they have recently turned a corner.  A set of parents excitedly shared how their son, who adamantly was not going to be a teacher and a runner (something both his Dad and I have in common), has become….you guessed it….a teacher and a runner.  If I had lived somewhere else, it is likely I would not have heard any of this.

Today, no every day, I encourage you to see the value in building relationships.  Without question, I understand needing some time to just be you.  Now in retirement, when I spend most of my time being just me, I occasionally get to be Mr R again.  And that is a pretty special feeling.  Just sayin’!

Make Today a Magnificent Day!

Gary L Rupert

I love when I hear from former students.  Interestingly, they almost never contact me to talk about a show or concert we did, or a song we played.  Typically they contact me to share how some life lesson I taught is now manifesting itself in their lives.  They also want to give me credit for how they were able to navigate the situation that required that lesson they learned.  In truth, the credit is all theirs.  I simply offered the lesson or the example.  They chose to make it their own.

Yesterday, I received a lovely message from a student I had over 20 years ago.  She shared with me the struggle she had losing the weight she gained during the birth of her daughter.  She was writing to me to thank me for being that little voice in her head that inspired her to stay committed to her goal.  She also knew I would understand what she had accomplished and would want to celebrate her success.  I am sorry she had to hear my voice in her head (they have doctors for such problems 😊) but am so pleased that I was able to inspire her.  But SHE did the work….SHE made the commitment….SHE lost the weight.

Today, no every day, I want to remind you of the impact we can have on our students.  I also want to remind you of the impact they can have on us.  When I was teaching, I made it a point to use music to teach life lessons….things that would allow my students to be successful no matter what life path they chose.  I am deeply touched and honored when I hear from them years later.  At that point, it validates everything I believed as an educator.  Just sayin’!

Make Today a Magnificent Day!

Gary L Rupert

In the Marines, “riggers”….the people who pack parachutes for other Marines….have to make at least one jump a month.  Who packed their parachute?  They did.  One of the parachutes that they packed for others to use is chosen at random, and the rigger has to “jump it.”  This system helps make sure that no one gets sloppy.  After all, “The chute you are packing may be your own.”

If you had to sign your name to your work at the end of each day, what type of work would you do?   In truth, your signature IS on everything you do.  You might not actually sign your name to it, but everyone in your program knows it is your signature on your work.  So what is your signature saying about you?  Are you hard working?  Fair? Insightful? Wise?  If you are not sure, just ask your students.  They will tell you.

Today, no every day, I encourage you to consider how well you are “packing the parachutes” of your program.  Like the Marine riggers who are held accountable for their work, having our signature on our work encourages us to give our best effort.  What method are you using to self-monitor?  Perhaps once a month, you might take the position of your students and jump in their place.  Just to make sure you are packing the chutes correctly.  Just sayin’!

Make Today a Magnificent Day!

Gary L Rupert

We are all familiar with the phrase, “today is the first day of the rest of your life.” I am not convinced, however, that most of us understand the value of this phrase.  Too often, we focus on our past.  Specifically, we focus on the negative things which have occurred, carrying them on our back until they become an overwhelming burden on our lives.  Doesn’t that result in YESTERDAYS being the first day of the rest of our life?

I understand that we must be attentive to our past and that we must learn from those experiences.  I also understand that one cannot go forward by moving backwards.  In my reality, today is the last day of my past AND the first day of my future.  While I can learn from my past, I am unable to relive it.  So I choose to focus on where I am today, where I want to be tomorrow, and how I am going to get there.

Today, no every day, I encourage you to consider that today is the first day of the rest of YOUR life.  Will you spend it carrying the burdens of your past or will you spend it looking forward to your future?  Just remember that you have already lived your past and you are unable to change it.  However, you are at this very moment living into your future.  What will your future look like?  Just wonderin’!

Make Today a Magnificent Day!

Gary L Rupert

I am a big fan of the show Bar Rescue.  Watch enough episodes and you figure out that it is simply a variation on a theme: Bar is failing….because the staff is failing….because leadership is failing.  John Taffer comes in, with a couple of other experts, and teaches the leadership and the staff the things they don’t know that they don’t know.  Quite often they are good people who simply lack the knowledge and insights they need to be successful.

In a similar way, I like to think LCL Mentors is part of a show called Band Rescue.  Bands are struggling….because the students are struggling….because leadership is struggling.  LCL Mentors offers an opportunity for band programs to elicit the support they need to learn the things they didn’t know they need to know.  Your program is not a failure.  Your students are not failures.  YOU are not a failure.  Just people who perhaps, lack the knowledge and insights necessary to reach your potential.

Today, no every day, I encourage you to recognize and acknowledge those times when you might benefit from the support of others.  Band directing is not an easy job.  You have to be a teacher, administrator, travel agent, repairman, banker, parent, friend, psychologist, and any number of others things you didn’t learn in college.  You could be embarrassed by the need for help, wise enough to ask for help, OR embarrassed that you needed help and never asked.  You get to decide.  Just sayin’!

Make Today a Magnificent Day!

Gary L Rupert

Few things are more frustrating than the kid who is in the program, but not into the program.  I call them the non-contributors.  They want all of the advantages of being in the group without putting in the work.  And if you are unfortunate enough to have several non-contributors, well, your group is in trouble of not meeting expectations.

It is easy to blame these kids when it happens, but in reality, it is our fault as leaders.  By accepting a student into the group and then not holding him responsible for his actions….or lack thereof….we are encouraging the non-contributor behavior.  Soon, we will have contributing members beginning to contribute less and less.  After all, we have shown that we are accepting of this type of behavior.  Then we will tell people that our group is demonstrating a “lack of buy-in.”  But yet they HAVE bought in.  They have bought in to not contributing.

Today, no every day, I encourage you to be unaccepting of the non-contributor.  If they are going to be IN the program, they need to be INTO the program.  All of it!  All of the time!  The most important thing for you to remember is that YOU are the person who will decide the fate of the non-contributor….and by extension….the fate of your program.  Just sayin’!

Make Today a Magnificent Day!

Gary L Rupert