By Aaron Noë
We live in a society that craves instant results. As we scroll through reels and shorts, we are inundated with ads for “30 days to the new you” or “replace your 9-to-5 in two weeks.”
The idea of long-term success and staying the course are considered outdated or old-fashioned.
However, every music director knows, progress doesn’t come instantly. To craft the repertoire we have chosen for performance takes time. It takes planning and it takes patience. Each concert cycle, you choose music for your performance. You study the score, and you know what it should sound like before the first rehearsal. You have the goal in mind before you start. But preparing a piece of music is a process.
Sometimes, we must think of a new strategy to get to where we are going. Sometimes, we must make a difficult choice to move in a completely different direction to accomplish what we have set out to do.
Each day, you take it measure by measure, phrase by phrase. In the beginning, it’s unfamiliar. At first, the notes feel awkward, the rhythms don’t lock in, and the ensemble doesn’t quite gel. But we start with a vision of the ensemble performing the music in concert. We hear the finished piece in our minds. And that vision of the end result is important! It shapes the techniques we use. It guides us in the direction we need to take. It gives us focus and it gives us purpose.
The process takes time.
It takes patience.
It takes persistence.
The long-term growth of your program is no different.
Whether you’re aiming for stronger musicianship, increased enrollment, better community engagement, or more administrative support, growth doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process. You may not see the results immediately, and that’s okay. Keep chipping away. Keep moving forward. Each small step, each focused rehearsal, each intentional decision moves your program forward.
Progress in music and in the growth of your program comes measure-by-measure.
Over time, those measures become phrases.
Those phrases become a musical statement.
And that statement becomes something remarkable.
