QuadraticBeats Posted May 4, 2006 Report Share Posted May 4, 2006 At my school, I haven't had to deal with any nearly evil section leaders quite yet. However, a number of our band leaders are indeed existing at the darker ends of this spectrum. Our percussion section leader is very barely on the edge of the equivalent of an abyss for band- he has good things to say, when he feels you worthy of the wisdom- I think he just is scared or doesn't know how to communicate to people who may not understand concepts that he, as the valedictorian of our grade, does. I do give him credit for having to deal with basically being an object of great envy by many of his peers- however, he has a tendency to come off as arrogant or has his arrogance reflected in his actions. Also, my only other qualm about him is that he seems to not really do much with what he is expected to be as a section leader but attempt to be a disciplinarian at times. We still haven't gotten our percussion shirt for our 04-05 season, and probably never will- he discussed it a bit with me and some peers for a week or two back in march. I just think he's too distracted with other activities and doesn't yet possess the leadership skills to really whole-heartedly lead the percussion section. There is discipline. And then, there is discipline of wholly different kind- how many times have you had to deal with screaming harpies or crazed savages of section leaders whose "discipline" tended to prove more annoying than the offenses precipitating the action? Mutual respect makes life so much easier... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRtrumpet Posted May 4, 2006 Report Share Posted May 4, 2006 Never had any problems with my section leader. We've always had respect for eachother. If you get on her badside though... it could be heck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artishard Posted May 4, 2006 Report Share Posted May 4, 2006 i've liked all our section leaders. in fact, i've loved my section...we're all a bunch of crazy kids Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynasty Posted May 4, 2006 Report Share Posted May 4, 2006 Do you think that you would be a better leader than him? I would say, before you start bashing, put your money where your mouth is. It's not as easy as it looks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fortisimo Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 Do you think that you would be a better leader than him? I would say, before you start bashing, put your money where your mouth is. It's not as easy as it looks. Well, it sounds like all he would have to do to be better is a couple of basic jobs and not be an ***. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titancoaster Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 well i had three section leaders (go trumpets) one quit a month into the season(senior), one didnt do much(senior), and the other (the only junior trumpet section leader) i knew previously so me and him were cool, he was a good leader. I was chosen for next year (only sophmore section leader band wide) so i shall see how i do. i want to make a good impression now so that i will have a good chance of being drum major later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordGiggles Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 From what I have seen from my school, generally the people who do make leadership in a younger class generally get a lot of disrespect. It is hard for juniors and seniors who feel they deserved and should be in your spot to respect and listen to you, when their only thought is that they would be better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinHorn Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 Our student leaders give us regular beatings to keep us in line. They prefer to do it with a bag of valencia oranges so they don't leave a bruise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titancoaster Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 yeah im kind of intrested to see what the upperclassmen treat me like Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynasty Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 Well, it sounds like all he would have to do to be better is a couple of basic jobs and not be an ***. You know, half of leadership is what the followers put into it. It's easy to sit back and let things fail, and then bash your leader, or you can work with your leader to make things happen. It's really your choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xukaniz Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 I am a section leader, so *shrugs*. From what I can tell, I have made a good impact on the band, and in the end, thats what I was hoping for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinHorn Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 You know, half of leadership is what the followers put into it. It's easy to sit back and let things fail, and then bash your leader, or you can work with your leader to make things happen. It's really your choice. Absolutely true, but if your leader is a jerk or/and incompetent(yes I know the question is raised why would the band directors choose them then) it makes it hard for the section to work with their leader. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsstephenyo Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 here is a leadership fact. if kids dont like u, they won't follow u. have fun with them, let them know you're not gonna be a bossy, snot-nosed jerk, and i promise that you'll have an immensely easier time gettin the kids to follow u. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euro_euph06 Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 Or the section can do what they are suppose to do during rehearsals and the idea of incompentency wouldn't matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynasty Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 Absolutely true, but if your leader is a jerk or/and incompetent(yes I know the question is raised why would the band directors choose them then) it makes it hard for the section to work with their leader. But if they know someone is a bad leader, then they must know what the example of a good leader is... Then all they have to do is be the good leader that they know, without the official title. Let me just say, as a disclaimer, everyone sees leaders and people they dont like. But the result comes down to you. You can either get online and start bitching (please excuse my french) about it, or you can motivate yourself to make things happen. I think anyone who has agreed with the topic of this thread needs to look at themselves. Even if you are a leader, someday, not everyone will like you or the things that you do. Its a given. And what are you going to do about it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRtrumpet Posted May 7, 2006 Report Share Posted May 7, 2006 here is a leadership fact. if kids dont like u, they won't follow u. have fun with them, let them know you're not gonna be a bossy, snot-nosed jerk, and i promise that you'll have an immensely easier time gettin the kids to follow u. I agree with that.... thats what my section leader did. It worked for her... but then again there was only 6 of us, but still. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaireAnnette07 Posted May 10, 2006 Report Share Posted May 10, 2006 I had trouble with one of my section leaders when I was a freshman...I couldn't grasp the concept of marching right (i'm not the best marcher even now!) and she was impatient. I kept reminding myself of that section leader when I became section leader this year and made sure i was patient with people who weren't the best marchers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sax5warrior Posted May 10, 2006 Report Share Posted May 10, 2006 my thoughts are that they were elected/picked for leadership...if you picked them, then they deserve it. I would like to see you take their spot for a week. 9 times out of 10, you would do the same thing, and then deny it later... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRtrumpet Posted May 10, 2006 Report Share Posted May 10, 2006 Well I got elected for Band Vice President today, and trumpet section leader for next year. IM SO EXITED!!! Im gonna try to be the best one possible, and not be a dictator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesnareguy Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 It probably feels nice to be exited... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynasty Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 Well I got elected for Band Vice President today, and trumpet section leader for next year. IM SO EXITED!!! Im gonna try to be the best one possible, and not be a dictator. Aren't you moving though? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sax5warrior Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 that probably means hes staying Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRtrumpet Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 Were not moving anymore till my Junior year ... oh well. I have mixed feelings about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyboard_Countessa Posted May 13, 2006 Report Share Posted May 13, 2006 Even if you are a leader, someday, not everyone will like you or the things that you do. Its a given. And what are you going to do about it? In my case, I took it personally, got depressed and felt like a horrible section leader. Which, I admit, is definitely not what you should do. The section leader we had my first 2 years of high school, while the best player we had in the pit, was not always the best leader. She'd often be late to practice and didn't always help moving equipment. However, she was also well-liked and known for being the "percussion mom" (and bringing sweets). There's a difference between merely being popular and being an effective leader, and people sometimes have trouble finding the correct balance (I don't think I quite got the hang of it myself ). Yet watching her made me realize what kind of section leader I wanted to be: one who leads by example. As for the sweets, I let the other senior take care of that; she's better at cooking than me anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaireAnnette07 Posted May 13, 2006 Report Share Posted May 13, 2006 my thoughts are that they were elected/picked for leadership...if you picked them, then they deserve it. I would like to see you take their spot for a week. 9 times out of 10, you would do the same thing, and then deny it later... Actually, we don't pick our section leaders, the band director does. He bases it on who has the leadership to do their job, so it's not a popularity contest at my school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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