Back in the Game

I'm finishing up my 20th year of being a band director. (Of course, I am extremely gifted and started when I was 9!) My first 5 1/2 years were spent in an inner city situation where just surviving the day was a challenge. By the end, I had built a solid program where the kids and I were having fun and scoring well at district evaluations. We never cracked the Superior ceiling, but given the situation, it didn't bother me so much.

Then I moved to a better public school for the next 5 1/2 years. Within a year, I realized that I DID have a clue and we were getting Superiors every year. The kids and I were having fun and I felt I was at the top of my game.

When I moved to my current situation, I was still there. I took the band to their first evaluation and again, Superiors. The previous director never went because he felt the association didn't understand the needs of the smaller school. Perhaps the director didn't understand the game.

In Florida, if a middle school director earns Superior ratings for 5 consecutive years, a special recognition award is earned. (Appropriately named, the "5 years Superior" plaque.) Imagine my distress when after 4 years, I got an administrator who, through bad choices and no backbone against parents, decimated my program in 2 shorts months. Subsequently, an Excellent rating. Which meant back to square one on the 5 year plague.

Luckily, he didn't last more than that year, but the damage was done and it's taken me quite some time to get things back to where I'd had them. It's been so frustrating to fall short and wonder "Do I really GET it?" I know that the ratings aren't always a true reflection of the director's ability and that an Excellent rating can still show that the director is teaching well, but still - at one time, I could earn Superiors in my SLEEP.

This year, the tide has turned. Yesterday, the band not only earned a straight Superior, but had almost straight A's on their sheets. The B's earned were areas that I knew weren't quite locked in, so I totally saw them coming. MOST importantly, the kids and I had fun and they are ready to move on to the next project. AND my retention rate for next year is high. Right now, I can only name 5 kids out of about 50 who SHOULD be returning but aren't. 90% is an A.

I need to start looking for next year's program.