In this Back-to-School issue of SBO+ we put a special focus on leadership. Early August provides a moment between the summer professional development activities and the start of band camp to think about how you can propel your program and teaching to a new level.
Assuming your school hasn’t hired you an assistant, how are you going to make that leap?
For years, there have been countless camps, seminars and other activities centered on student leadership and most of that focus has been on the role of student leaders in the marching band. But energizing musician leadership in all our ensembles and classes is just as important as on the drill field. This issue’s leadership section includes contributions by Servant Leadership Association for Music (SLAM) and talks about student leadership in all its forms. How about the vital role parents play as leaders in our programs and role models for students? We asked the parent leaders in a highly successful music program to tell us their story. How about teachers? Do they not have an obligation to be leaders not just in their school but for their region, state, and nation? NAfME, the parent organization of the state music ed associations brings testimonials from teacher-leaders across the country highlighting the important roles teachers play outside of their classroom. A middle school music teacher shares how he has become a leader in his school. We also look at how the U.S. Army defines the qualities that make a good leader. They’ve been doing it since 1775 so that’s a pretty long track record. Additionally, as we do every month, we offer Leadership Tips from Matthew Arau. So, if you are looking for a “silver bullet” to help take your program to the next level, look at the ways others can help as part of a team.
SBO+ in its digital and print versions, is free to you because we are advertiser supported. This issue of SBO+ is larger and has more articles from a wide variety of sources and covering multiple genres, something unique to SBO+. Where else can you get detailed information on selecting clarinet reeds, read about a Hip-Hop Roundtable, and learn about a great book on rehearsing the marching band? How were we able to send you a bigger magazine this month? It takes advertisers and here’s how you can help us to better serve you. When making purchases with vendors large and small, tell them you’re an SBO+ reader. If they’re one of our advertisers or their product was in one of our features or the New Products section, tell them where you saw it. The only way advertisers know if their ads are working is if you tell them!
Col. (Ret.) Thomas Palmatier
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