“A band conductor can achieve a higher quality of musicianship in a music ensemble by acting more like a coach of his or her ‘team’ than like a teacher,” says MENC member Ellen Criss. She encourages teachers to think of their musicians as players who work to develop a team in which each member is critical. Among her ideas are the following:

“In both performing ensembles and athletic teams,

• Cohesion among players results in synergy. In a band, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The connection between players and the opportunity for them to rely on each other creates a special performance. A team is more than a group of individuals.
   
• Peer pressure from teammates is positive and powerful. Camaraderie, social support, and team identity are important components of any performing organization. This is created, in part, by encouraging personal bonds between players. Team identity involves outward displays such as slogans, uniforms, traditions, and rituals.
   
• Self-discipline, cooperation, communication, and leadership are positive outcomes.
  Members of the group are given roles as leaders, assistants, or coaches to develop these attributes, which are transferable skills that make students better learners and more employable as adults.
   
• Teachers and coaches work toward developing goals, encouraging commitment, constructing role identification, and building self-esteem to enhance performance outcomes.
   
• Players identify themselves by position and compete within the team for recognition and status.
   
• Rehearsal and social interaction take up the majority of group time spent together.  In educational settings, performance, although part of the end result, is not the primary reason for being together.
   
• Evaluation is public and immediate. Spectators judge immediately whether the team is successful.”
   

Criss concludes: “Instead of experiencing the cohesion of teamwork as an end result, teachers of performing arts can benefit from making teamwork a central objective, thereby realizing the full potential of a synergized ensemble.”

Ideas in this article are derived from Ellen Criss’s master’s project, which she completed in 2006 at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, under the direction of Tom Dust, associate professor of secondary music education. Criss is a music specialist at Roland Michener Secondary School in Slave Lake, Alberta, Canada.

Resource:  The book Spotlight on Teaching Band contains a number of tips for band directors. Check it out at Rowman & Littlefield Education.  MENC members receive a 25 percent discount on the purchase. Ask how by contacting MENC Member Services at mbrserv@menc.org.

--Ella Wilcox, August 6, 2008; © MENC: The National Association for Music Education (www.menc.org)