Defining the Producer/Director/Principal Role
As I state right from the beginning – my mentor teacher in college was Dr. Fritz Mountford. In his book, “The Art of Entertainment” he defines the following roles for those putting on “the show”:
Performers are put in charge of moment-to-moment activity – “what do I do next?”
Directors are in charge of day-to-day problem solving – “how do we get things done?”
Producers take charge of long-range creativity – “what things should we be doing?”
(Mountford,1991)
Taking a look at the above descriptions — substitute the word “teachers” for “performers.” Now, reflect on what takes place in a school. Teachers handle the moment to moment activity in the classroom. Everything from lesson plans to needed hugs are handled by our teacher/performers. The audience (parents) view the teachers as the magic makers who diligently work with the understudies (students). As we know, teachers make or break the school day. However, when thinking about the role of the producer/director (principal) – where do we fit in?
Most importantly, producer/director principals need to get out of the way of the moment to moment activity of our teacher/performers. In my opinion – we had our moment in the spotlight – it’s time to let that part of “the show” go and let our teachers perform. We have a different role. That role is to problem solve day to day issues and take charge of long-range planning and goals. The hard part in thinking of your role as a problem solver and long-range planner is that you have to be comfortable in not micromanaging your teacher/performers.
As an example, let’s reflect back to my days performing in all different kinds of bands. I played in the horn line (saxophone). I don’t play keyboard, drums or bass and can barely sing. Therefore, I have to trust that the players in those roles are going to pull their weight and do their part. I simply cannot do it for them. I don’t possess that set of skills. If I am tasked at rehearsing the ensemble and making the whole group sound great – I can certainly do that. I can guide the musicians on style and problem solve why we may not sound the way we want to. I can book gigs, promote our ensemble, and hire/fire musicians as needed. No matter how hard I produce and direct the ensemble — I still can’t play the keys or lay down some funk on the bass.
At Ida Freeman – I can honestly say we have the most AMAZING teacher/performers around. They make magic happen in the classroom every single day. As their producer/director/principal — I help select the music (curriculum direction), book the gigs (special events), and make sure the individual ensembles (classes) are sounding great! Most importantly, I stay out of the way of the teacher/performers. They’re the real deal — I just play in the horn line.
Work Cited:
Mountford, F. (1991). The Art of Entertainment. Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation.
Producer/Director/Principal 