Notes from the Cougar Band Room

Like so many other teachers anticipating an new year, this week has been filled with Professional Development. Although setting the alarm clock for the first time can be an anxiety filled experience, I do appreciate the opportunity to re-connect with my colleagues and my craft for a few days before the first day of school. After the time for reflection that summer grants us, it's nice to revisit and determine our goals as a staff, as a department, and as a district... but what about individual goals? I know any time I'm usually given to work independently during our kick-off week is usually spent doing very practical, preparation tasks: printing copying paperwork, updating websites and calendars, preparing for the first day, etc. But this time, I've decided to make a little time for myself to focus on my own New (School) Resolutions for this year (and maybe see if there are any other directors/educators who are also interested in these topics...??):  Streamline...

I might be dating myself a bit here, but when I was in high school, one of our halftime shows was the music of Blood, Sweat, and Tears. I don't remember all the details, but I do remember one of the featured songs was "Spinning Wheel". Ride a painted pony, Let the spinnin' wheel spin... In high school, I learned the lyrics referenced being stuck on a carousel; going around and around without ever actually moving forward. However, now a days, all I can think of is the spinning wheel on my computer... waiting for a program to boot up... waiting for an Apple Music file to load... waiting for the video to stop buffering... waiting. All too often lately, I have noticed my wheels spinning. If I'm not careful, I spend all my free time spinning between e-mail and social media apps on my phone...Waiting for something new to pop up. Waiting for an e-mail that demands my attention. Technology is no longer the tool-- it is the governing force. Instead of connecting with...

A new school year is upon us! Here I am, like so many other band directors in the middle of August, sitting amidst an ever-building tsumani of tweets, e-mails, social media updates, and to-do lists for my to-do list, and it is at this particular moment that I decide. It's gotta be NOW. Now is the time. Today is the day I start my teaching blog! Yes, I know I'm crazy. But hear...er, read... me out.  This past year, I made it a goal to start a Student Leadership program for my students. Those students interested in leadership positions for the next school year were encouraged to attend, but any and all students interested in coming were welcome to come as well. So once the marching season completed, our Leadership Seminars began to read Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.  We met about once a month for an hour or so to discuss a new chapter, new habit, and visualize what it would look like in our lives; whether it be band, personal, academic, or...