What works?

[iEradicated]

Okay, so I'm currently a sophomore in band, lined up to be captain of the trumpets/drum major next year. And I need some help.

First of all, I want to create a close trumpet section. I want us to feel like family. But this can be a problem considering our trumpet section is one of the biggest in the band.

I don't want to just be a close section, I also want us to be kick-butt. I want us to have pride in being trumpets. Which I feel is lacking. I feel like the whole band is lacking pride.

Here's the thing,

Our band is a consistent excellence band. We strive for superior each year, but it seems our director is a little too outdated and we're all a little do dysfunctional to really pull off the teamwork needed to have a superior show.

Then there is the drumline.

They practice separately, which is understandable. We certainly can't have people beating on drums as we try to tune. But they seem to do everything separately. At football games, the student section chants, "we want drumline." So they go down in front of the student section, leaving the band in the stands. Before we perform, they get in a huddle and put their hands on each others shoulders and they have their own little chant that hypes them up.

The band is always told by other students how "great" the drumline is. And honestly, it makes us feel inferior. Why even try?

There is no pride.

So my goal this next season is to create pride.

So I need some help.

First of all, can anyone help me with leadership ideas and techniques to help bring the trumpet section together?

Secondly, does anyone have any ideas to create a pride in the band? A chant? Something to hype us up?

Third, Do you think it would be too forward if I expressed some new ideas to my director? I mean, I'm not in a leadership role yet, so I don't want him to feel like I'm trying to control everything.

Any input that you think would help is appreciated.

Thank you

Edited November 19, 2012 by iEradicated

[Marcato]

A good first step in bringing a section together is to have a way to communicate with each other easily. The most common and successful way I have seen this done is by means of a Facebook group. Make the title "(band's name) trumpet section 2012" or something like that. The group can be a place where people can post information, questions, and what not. Then invite as many of the people in the section as you can to the group, making section leaders the admins.

A good next step is to have section parties. Invite all members of the section (not just your favorites). Inviting members can be done through word of mouth and through the mentioned Facebook group. These parties are a good place for members of the section to bond with each other. Try to create traditions that are unique to your section. And make sure incoming freshman feel at home and accepted during the first few days/weeks of summer band.

 

hope this helps.

[Drummantx]

As soon as you start, have your section meet, introduce eachother, maybe tell something unique about themeselves or something along those lines to get everyone familiar with eachother.

 

I'd suggest something along the lines of starting off the year with a party or get together, and making everyone feel welcome, especailly the freshman! NOT AN INITIATION! What we did, we (drumline seniors), called each of the kids parents, and asked if it would be fine to take everyone out to one of our houses, which happened to be out in the country, and had really fun games and bonding activites, ordered pizza, ect. We blind folded them after rehersal, made them think they were in trouble, and took them out there. We had a blast. We were done at 9, so it doesn't have to be a super late sketchy type thing.

 

After this just have regular meetings, make sure there's nothing bad going on, have a cool section shirt, and just be involved. One of the most benefical things was just making sure we didn't have any issues with eachother, and if we did, we solved them.

 

 

 

One of the most fun things we did was bowling night.

[clarineticorn]

A good first step in bringing a section together is to have a way to communicate with each other easily. The most common and successful way I have seen this done is by means of a Facebook group. Make the title "(band's name) trumpet section 2012" or something like that. The group can be a place where people can post information, questions, and what not. Then invite as many of the people in the section as you can to the group, making section leaders the admins.

A good next step is to have section parties. Invite all members of the section (not just your favorites). Inviting members can be done through word of mouth and through the mentioned Facebook group. These parties are a good place for members of the section to bond with each other. Try to create traditions that are unique to your section. And make sure incoming freshman feel at home and accepted during the first few days/weeks of summer band.

 

hope this helps.

 

I totally agree with the band facebook group. I spend so much time checking my band and section FB pages. What I really love about my college band group is the director posts rehearsal info -- where we're practicing, what time, any new gigs coming up...in addition to a bajillion emails covering the same things. Heh. And yes, section parties are a great idea. Just make sure that EVERYONE is invited. I would always be left out for some reason...my section leaders didn't seem to like me much (it was mutual) so I was never invited. Luckily, now that I'm in college I get invited...I just don't go because I'm always tired and there's alcohol involved and that's not something I'm particularly interested in.

 

My 2nd high school started holding a few single-section practices during the summer, where we'd get together and go over marching technique and a little bit of playing the music. I got a lot closer to my section my senior year. We also did 'fitness days' throughout the summer where we'd get together and work out, play games, and just generally stay active so that by the time band camp rolled around we wouldn't be dying after the first run block of the year.

 

Also, encourage upperclassmen to "adopt" underclassmen buddies. I ended up with 12(!) by the time I graduated. I was closer to some than I was to others, but they all knew I was always good for a hug and some kind words to cheer them up when they needed them. I got pretty motherly around some of them, and it really brought the whole "band is a family" saying some truth. My boyfriend's high school assigns seniors to freshmen as big/little siblings. I'm currently rushing KKY (a service fraternity for band) and the brothers talk about their 'big' or their 'little' -- when you cross you get a 'big' who's like your mentor in the fraternity. We also have a lot of social get-togethers after practice (which is made easier by virtue of the fact that we're all in college and either driving or living on campus) and it's a really good way for us rushees to bond with the brothers. You might want to talk to some people and organize a games night or a movie night as a way for the band to bond.

 

As for pride... My first high school usually had spirit bags done by one person in the section (it rotated week to week) and it was SO much fun to do. Yeah, some people mooched and didn't do anything, but it was still a lot of fun just making the spirit bags. We'd dump in some junk food, sometimes a small toy or three, CONFETTI...decorate the bag with stickers and things like GO ROOSEVELT BEAT CHURCHILL and #1 BAND. At my second high school, it was "band buddies" which was really cool in theory (you only have one person to buy band buddy gifts for) but sucky in practice if you got someone who didn't want to put in the effort/money to get you anything like I had my senior year. It was a good way to get to know people and to get some school spirit flowing.

 

You've gotta start building traditions if you don't really have any to speak of. My 2nd school was 4 years old and we already had traditions of section time before competition warmups and the low brass and flutes singing their songs during that time. Our director would read a book to us before our final competition of the year and seniors get their own copies signed. My boyfriend's band sings Precious Lord and they have the seniors try to march their freshman show at the last home practice of the year. They march into football games really formally with a drum cadence, and they leave the same way. My college marching band does a Patterns in Motion style show every year where we bring back the style the band marched back in the 70s under Bill Moffit. We sing the alma mater after every rehearsal and football game.

 

Find something that you can make uniquely yours as a school and start doing it. Keep doing it every year. It's up to YOU the students to make traditions happen...you can't just wait for them to magically come about. And it's up to YOU to have pride in your band. Lead by example. People are probably apathetic. Start changing attitudes with the younger people coming in. It's easier to get them excited and proud, and get them to care about band. "Why do you care?" "Because this band is my family," you say. "My section is my brothers and sisters and the people I go to when things get tough." And you have to create this mentality of the band is my family. My first high school, people were apathetic, but we had that family bond. My second high school has the family thing going strong, and people care about the band. It's hard to get people to care once they've stopped. You have to figure out how to get people to care again. I don't know if there's any magic formula to make that happen, but starting traditions is a good way to begin.

[iEradicated]

Thank you for all these good suggestions, I will definitely be using them.

But I was also wondering what we could do to unify the drumline and the band. Because there is an obvious separation, and it causes much dysfunction. Any ideas for this?

But thank you for the amazing suggestions thus far♥

[SomethingSomething84]

Thank you for all these good suggestions, I will definitely be using them.

But I was also wondering what we could do to unify the drumline and the band. Because there is an obvious separation, and it causes much dysfunction. Any ideas for this?

But thank you for the amazing suggestions thus far♥

 

Here's a suggestion that might work for your section, at the very least:

 

Don't give anybody the chance to be less than what they can be. Meet with the returning trumpets and tell them what you're going to expect this year, and tell them why you expect that from them, and overall just tell them your reasoning for your decision - because it will help you to be as good as the drumline. If they're reasonable, and enthusiastic about band, they should have no problem complying. Then, when your freshmen get to you, don't even let them know that there was a time where expectations weren't this high. They shouldn't have any trouble complying, either.

 

When you hold your section to a higher standard, they will rise up to meet the challenge, or at least in my experience. Keep holding them to higher standards (don't tell them they're not good enough, tell them that they're better than what they're already doing; show them that you expect more because they can give more), and they will eventually be at the same level as the drumline. It's really your choice as to what to do to raise standards. A couple of examples might be tucking in shirts during rehearsals, or student led sectionals once a week. My fellow trombone section leaders and I actually did both of those this past season to great effect.

 

Once your section/band are at the level of the drumline, make contact with the leaders and directors of the drumline. Get them to rehearse with you more, if possible, and make connections between the drumline and the band. Over time, hopefully, the two groups will end up closer together.

 

It's unlikely that your crowds will stop chanting to see the drumline in the near future, but if you raise your band to their level, maybe they'll start asking for other sections as well. It will be difficult to get the rest of the band to the level that you want. It will take time. Don't be put off by that; excellence doesn't just happen, it's bred. It's up to you to start breeding excellence throughout your band in any way that you can and as soon as you can.

[iEradicated]

Here's a suggestion that might work for your section, at the very least:

 

Don't give anybody the chance to be less than what they can be. Meet with the returning trumpets and tell them what you're going to expect this year, and tell them why you expect that from them, and overall just tell them your reasoning for your decision - because it will help you to be as good as the drumline. If they're reasonable, and enthusiastic about band, they should have no problem complying. Then, when your freshmen get to you, don't even let them know that there was a time where expectations weren't this high. They shouldn't have any trouble complying, either.

 

When you hold your section to a higher standard, they will rise up to meet the challenge, or at least in my experience. Keep holding them to higher standards (don't tell them they're not good enough, tell them that they're better than what they're already doing; show them that you expect more because they can give more), and they will eventually be at the same level as the drumline. It's really your choice as to what to do to raise standards. A couple of examples might be tucking in shirts during rehearsals, or student led sectionals once a week. My fellow trombone section leaders and I actually did both of those this past season to great effect.

 

Once your section/band are at the level of the drumline, make contact with the leaders and directors of the drumline. Get them to rehearse with you more, if possible, and make connections between the drumline and the band. Over time, hopefully, the two groups will end up closer together.

 

It's unlikely that your crowds will stop chanting to see the drumline in the near future, but if you raise your band to their level, maybe they'll start asking for other sections as well. It will be difficult to get the rest of the band to the level that you want. It will take time. Don't be put off by that; excellence doesn't just happen, it's bred. It's up to you to start breeding excellence throughout your band in any way that you can and as soon as you can.

Thank you sooo much. You're right, instead of bringing the drumline to us, we'll go to the drumline c:

I will do my best to do so, thank you for helping me.