Blog

I’ve Got a Barn – Let’s Put on a Show!

Referring to myself as a producer/director/principal makes it easy to imagine that most of the events we host at school are a production to say the least.  Some might say it’s a throwback to my own performing days.  However, I feel like if something is worth doing at all – you might as well make a show out of it. We already have a “barn” – the school – so why not go for it?   I suppose this keeps the audience (students and teachers) guessing as to what crazy antics we’ll come up with next.

To pull off these amazing event/shows certainly takes a knowledge of the strengths of the cast of performers (teachers).  As a producer/director – I’ve always thought it was my job to know what my teacher/performers are really good at and try my best to highlight that aspect of their lives.  This could literally be anything – singing, classroom management, the fact that someone rides a motorcycle – anything.  As an example – we currently host a Veterans day celebration at our school – which most schools do.  In an attempt to put some spice into the event and highlight or engage one of our  teacher/performers who rides in a motorcycle ministry – we decided we would host a motorcycle parade of Veterans and supporters prior to the event.  Through this teacher and her passion – we’ve been able to highlight many Veterans and organizations through the years.  As a matter of fact – I actually tried to get our parade sanctioned by Guinness World Records as the “World’s Shortest Veterans Day Parade” since we only parade through our school parking lot.  I filled out the paperwork and everything.  Guinness responded – telling us that they don’t have a category for Veterans parades — sooooo — since no person has come forward saying it isn’t – we now bill the parade as such.  Point being – this major activity for our school community takes place because we recognized the unique gift of one teacher and use that gift to put on a “show”…

It certainly takes time to develop an understanding of what natural gifts your teacher/performers possess.  As a “get to know you” activity with a new faculty and staff – find a way to figure out what outside passions are among your cast.  Who runs? Who sells Essential Oils? Who played HS/college sports? Etc…  The better your understanding of your cast – the better your ability to put on the show.  As a not of caution when it comes to putting on a show – start your major events small and build them slowly through the years.  The unfortunate byproduct of any show is that the audience leaves with a set of expectations.  It can become increasingly difficult to meet those audience expectations for every event.  You certainly don’t want to wear yourself or the cast members out.   Trust me – I’ve been to the burn point and it’s not a good place to be.

Remember – life is short and education is difficult.  Making it fun and exciting is the job of a producer/director.  You already have a barn — now go put on a show!!

Make it Cool –  People Will Do It

I started teaching in 1998 and by the summer of 2000 I was working as a HS/MS band director in Indiana.  The band program I inherited had certainly seen better days and the enrollment for summer band was only around 30 kids or so.  It became immediately evident that the students remaining in the program were AMAZING kids – they just needed a sense of purpose.  We actually had a great summer that year and soon the school year began.

I suppose it was at that time in my life that I really started to self reflect and use the reflection process as an actual tool for improvement.  Knowing that the program in current form wasn’t appealing to kids – how could we break through the norms and make this band fun again?  I literally made two decisions — 1) we weren’t going to do anything that made us look stupid and 2) I would promote, bill, book, talk to, and treat the kids like they were the coolest cats on the block.  The idea being that if they (the kid musicians) began to believe they were cool – they would in essence become super cool.  Let me tell you — not only did they become cool – but they’re still cool after all these years.

Here’s an example of the process.  The predictable norm for a HS band during football season is to go out on the field and perform some sort of show for the fans.  Some may call that cool – but it wasn’t working for our kids.  Instead – we built a platform for the drum kit – hauled out the guitars and rocked out from the stands.  Not only did we musically take a different path – but the seniors made weekly decisions as to what our costumed attire would be for the Friday night game.  We were dressed crazy every week. Toga, Pirate, and Superhero – you never knew what was going to show up on Friday night.  Dressed in a toga blasting out funk tunes is always going to seem more appealing in comparison to a band uniform.  During basketball season we “auditioned” a group and set up right underneath the basketball goal on the floor.  We had rhythm section, horns, and vocalists performing some serious R&B tunes.  Those were some really great times and I truly do miss them!  That accomplished decision #1 – make band cool and not look stupid.  Step #2 occurred on a daily basis in the classroom and in the halls.

If you tell someone they’re awesome – just enough – they will truly believe it.  The self-fulfilling prophecy rings true for sure.  Every day (well – most days) I would remind the band kids how awesome they truly were.  I tried my best to treat the students like the young men and women they were.   You have to remember that kids are kids and every once and awhile you’re going to have to get a little “jiggy” and “coach” students on life, behavior, etc…  In all reality, I didn’t have to make up the fact that these kids were cool – they really were.  We had students who – once they figured it out and became comfortable with themselves – had more musical talent in their pinky finger then I ever will.

As time went on – the enrollment in the band program skyrocketed and we were literally out of space in our room.  What an AMAZING problem to have.  Many of these kids are still playing music today.  Some for fun – some for money — but they’re still playing and appreciating music!  That’s the ultimate cool.

Keep Playing Kids – Keep Appreciating Music Kids – You will always be cool!

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.