Last weekend my wife and I attended Steeler training camp.  It was quite an experience to be among the 17,000 people there wanting to watch, or perhaps get the autographs of, the likes of TJ Watt, Cam Heyward, and Coach Tomlin.  For me, the best part of the experience was watching how practice was scripted.  It was a lesson on how to effectively run a practice with players moving seamlessly through multiple skill drills laid out across three fields and timed down to the minute.

I have long believed in the importance of “doing fundamental things on an ongoing basis.”  I cringe when I watch coaches who spend the bulk of their time scrimmaging or band directors who spend most of rehearsal doing run-throughs.  There is, of course, a time for those things, but at the beginning of training (or band) camp, it is a time to make sure that our students are developing the necessary skills sets to allow them to be successful.

Today, no every day, I encourage you to teach your students the importance of working on fundamental skills.  We know from experience that young people would prefer to “just play the music.”  We also know that while in using that approach they will improve….slowly and only a little.  We need to get them to buy-in to the idea that through spending adequate time on the fundamentals they will also improve….a lot faster and a lot more.  Just sayin’!

Make Today a Magnificent Day!

Gary L Rupert

Lead Mentor/COO

II:Leaders Creating:II Leaders

LCL Marching Arts Education