Present time...


Because the field of education deals with the cycles of time--start of the year, winter breaks, spring breaks, end of the year--I find many people in this field are overly aware of the calendar. Our daily routine is governed by bells, exams, grading periods etc..and numerous people I know in this field begin countdowns this time of the year. We all know the students do this  type of behavior all of the time and, maybe, because teachers are really students at heart, we never lose this habit. There are even apps that do the countdowns for us, making the habit even easier to continue. Regardless, I have always resisted this habit, mostly because, as a band director, the end of grading periods, semesters, school years are so busy for our field. I have always used the analogy of a marathon runner saying, "Only 22.4 more miles!" When a band director starts to say only 20 more school days, while having 12 concerts, 8 after school rehearsals, 5 recruiting events, 3 award ceremonies, inventory, auditions, etc...over those 20 days, it is almost the same thing as the marathon runner.


My job aside, I think countdowns, in general, are not healthy for us. We are not serving a prison sentence. We are living life! No one knows when the final clock will strike zero. Too much focus on the future also causes unnecessary anxiety of what may, or may not, happen at a time and place we have no control over--the future. I also I believe that the more we focus on the future, and less on the present, we are less able to give our complete focus and effort to the tasks that are in our immediate control--the present. With all of that being said, I think we should be aware of the season/cycle we may be currently experiencing, and being aware of the finish line is an important attribute of a great performer. I tell my students if you want the time between now and the end of the year to go slowly, watch the clock tick away. If you want time to go by quickly, live in the moment and give it everything you have. You will be surprised at how fast life moves. 

Here is to a great last month of school! I plan to give everyday all I have and the end will be here soon enough. 

Learn from the Past
Live in the Present
Plan for the Future


PS: I only have 5 concerts, 6 after school rehearsals, 2 award ceremonies, 1 recruiting event, 5 days of auditions, instrument inventory. I may have exaggerated a bit for effect.
Location: Suwanee, GA, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jump Start Part 2: Helping your beginning students succeed in the first few weeks (Brass Edition)

Image
Introduction Here is an overview of some concepts I have found to be helpful when starting beginning brass players. During the first year of study, I start students on all five primary brass instruments--trumpet, horn, trombone, euphonium, and tuba--and we start on these instruments from the beginning of the year. Currently, our classes at South Forsyth Middle School are in homogeneous groups by instrument family; brass in one class, woodwinds in the other and percussion evenly divided between the two classes. NOTE:  I have used these same techniques in heterogeneously grouped classes, but the instructional pace is much slower in this grouping.  Helping the Students Select the Correct Instrument Helping your students select an instrument that matches both their interests and aptitudes is an essential prerequisite to their future success in music. This process may be even more important for students selecting an instrument from the brass family of instrumen...
Read more

This one time in drum corps... a reflection on teaching the Spirit of Atlanta in 2017 (Part 1)

Image
A reflection on teaching the Spirit of Atlanta in 2017 2017 Spirit Brass Staff at DCI World Championships 1. I really do not like doing drum corps in Louisiana, but we found a way to get better anyway I think one of the things drum corps teaches us is how to push through barriers or walls. During the summer, you are constantly challenged to push yourself mentally and physically harder than most people have pushed themselves in their regular lives. Lousiana presents many challenges that test the strength of your will, including, extreme heat, high humidity, terrible facilities, and fields which resemble mud pits or fire ant city. These were some of the toughest days of the summer, but the drum corps got better and was an important turning point for the corps during the summer. The Nacy SEALs have 40% rule: you are only at your 40% physical capacity when your mind wants to give up. You have more strength and capacity then you realize and drum corps help remind us of t...
Read more

Hard work is fun! The Universal Law of the "Fun" Cycle!

Image
"Hard work is fun!"-Jim Luce WARNING : some may find this cheesy or simplistic--remember I teach middle school--and I am sure someone can write a more sophisticated version of this concept. Regardless, I believe that this is an important message to instill in my students, and one I feel compelled to share.  The  Universal Law of the Fun Cycle  goes like this:  learn something new  then you work hard at truly learning this skill,  you start to have fun, so you work harder, then  you have even more fun, and  the cycle repeats even faster. However, when you stop working, you stop having fun.  Have you ever found yourself starting something and then wanting to quit shortly thereafter?  from  moenormangolf.com Have you ever picked up a book, with a deep meaning, and you found yourself not finishing the book?  www.petersons.com Have you ever started a hobby, only to later stop? guitarlessons....
Read more