Intimidation vs. Leadership

[84BDsop]

Thanks Sam! That's the kind of insight I was hoping to find. It sounds like a lot of responsibility was placed on your vets, if I'm reading your post correctly, to make sure the rookies were up to speed on standards.

Pretty much...we were, as a group, able to light switch it....goofing when able to, but snapping to attention at a word.

In short....we acted like pros....we got treated like pros.

[CoatsContraDad]

Obviously another element in what could be considered a 'best practices' scenario: respecting corps members, and allowing veteran leadership to assert itself among the corps.

[84BDsop]

Obviously another element in what could be considered a 'best practices' scenario: respecting corps members, and allowing veteran leadership to assert itself among the corps.

True, true....but that ONLY works if the vets act with respect....thus earning the same.

It can be a lucrative cycle or a vicious one....it all depends on the parties involved.

[CoatsContraDad]

True, true....but that ONLY works if the vets act with respect....thus earning the same.

It can be a lucrative cycle or a vicious one....it all depends on the parties involved.

I agree--it has to be part of the corps' culture, a mutual understanding between the corps' staff and vets about the responsibility necessary...

I'm curious--did your BD experience have designated section leaders among the corps members? I'm familiar with titles like 'low brass/high brass captains' or 'horn sargents;' how did/does BD use that?

It'd be interesting to learn how other top corps incorporate those ranks, if they do at all.

Edited July 6, 2008 by CoatsContraDad

[The Other Mike]

Let me pose a question to you as an educator, then: When you've got a kid who's half-a##ing it, (and I assume as a band director you know these kids a LOT better than their other teachers do), how do you handle it? Do you lose it with them, or do you take the context of the kid's situation--boyfriend/girlfriend drama, family life (or lack thereof), etc.--into account?

I appreciate your kind words about my son's attitude; he came from a great high school program, and of course, he IS my son. Thank you.

Much depends on the situation and the kid. Some kids ( read most kids) will respond better to a 'pull them to the side and ask what's going on, while some kids I actually have repond better to a threat of embarassment . Of course yelling AT someone is usually second to last on the list of things to try. It's when they get put on ignore that they know I have severed any feelings for the kid and they are a day or two away from being removed from school.

My officers usually come up with great ideas like the one in which they asked me to chew them out in front of the group for something the new kid did so that later, when the kid asked why they took " that crap" from me, the officer could tell them they took "that crap" FOR them. That way the officer could guilt trip them into doing the right thing from then on.

I'm not sure that came across the way I wanted it to but the end result is that sometimes I teach my kids so well, they outsmart me and isn't that what education is all about ?. No one ever asks for a water break, but the officers will ask me if I don't need a cigarette break...............

[84BDsop]

I agree--it has to be part of the corps' culture, a mutual understanding between the corps' staff and vets about the responsibility necessary...

I'm curious--did your BD experience have designated section leaders among the corps members? I'm familiar with titles like 'low brass/high brass captains' or 'horn sargents;' how did/does BD use that?

Sadly, that's something I DON'T remember! We took our cues from any number of vets, tho...sometimes it was a vet in my own sectioj (sopranos), sometimes it was someone in the battery, etc. It didn;t really matter...leadership is leadership.

[CoatsContraDad]

you sound like an ###.

Totally uncool and uncalled for. You're not welcome on this thread, so skedaddle.

So, exactly how does one flag the juvenile delinquents like this one on DCP? Never mind, just found the 'report' button at the bottom of the window.

Edited July 6, 2008 by CoatsContraDad

[Kekkles]

Totally uncool and uncalled for. You're not welcome on this thread, so skedaddle.

So, exactly how does one flag the juvenile delinquents like this one on DCP?

are you freaking kidding me?

first of all, stow the self righteousness. seriously, this post plus the pm telling me i'm not welcome is ####### obnoxious. the last time i dealt with behavior like that i was in middle school or something. learn to operate with people you don't agree with, contra dad.

second, did you even read that guy's post? he "puts his kids on ignore," which i assume means that he stops responding to them (great teaching!) and not that he blocks their instant messages. he attempts to have his students removed from school (because that kind of action shouldn't just be for kids who beat the hell out of others on a daily basis, mirite?). he promotes his section leaders tricking and guilt tripping the newer kids instead of approaching the students himself (because manipulating your students is what a teaching degree is all about!). i can only assume he takes cigarette breaks in the middle of practice based on his last sentence.

let me know if i'm out of line here (and preferably with something more than "ya u suck gtfo of my thred nub"), but i'm not just trying to be rude. that's actually kind of appalling.

Edited July 6, 2008 by Kekkles

[CoatsContraDad]

are you freaking kidding me?

first of all, stow the self righteousness. seriously, this post plus the pm telling me i'm not welcome is ####### obnoxious. the last time i dealt with behavior like that i was in middle school or something. learn to operate with people you don't agree with, contra dad.

second, did you even read that guy's post? he "puts his kids on ignore," which i assume means that he stops responding to them (great teaching!) and not that he blocks their instant messages. he attempts to have his students removed from school (because that kind of action shouldn't just be for kids who beat the hell out of others on a daily basis, mirite?). he promotes his section leaders tricking and guilt tripping the newer kids instead of approaching the students himself (because manipulating your students is what a teaching degree is all about!). i can only assume he takes cigarette breaks in the middle of practice based on his last sentence.

let me know if i'm out of line here (and preferably with something more than "ya u suck gtfo of my thred nub"), but i'm not just trying to be rude. that's actually kind of appalling.

I'm not going to speak for the man; that's not my place. If you've got a beef with his methods, perhaps you could've expressed them exactly the way you did just now, rather than just call him out with a drive by like that.

My main concern is I don't want the thread to degenerate like so many do on here--and it's behavior like yours that contributes to that degeneration. I operate just fine with people with whom I don't agree--but I don't operate well with immaturity. You're entitled to your shots; it's one of the pitiable things about online behavior. Sad that folks feel a license to say things or behave in ways they wouldn't in person. Bad manners, is what that is.

I sent you the PM cause I wanted to let you know, IN PRIVATE, that I didn't appreciate your methods. Also reported your post, by the way. Whatever your thinking is, I DON'T feel like personal attacks are appropriate.

Call me old fashioned.

Edited July 6, 2008 by CoatsContraDad

[Kekkles]

I sent you the PM cause I wanted to let you know, IN PRIVATE, that I didn't appreciate your methods. Also reported your post, by the way. Whatever your thinking is, I DON'T feel like personal attacks are appropriate.

lol

you wanted to let me know, IN PRIVATE, that you didn't appreciate my methods... but then posted the same thing you pm'ed me? bwahahaha

anyway, you're right, i shouldn't have attacked him without laying out my reasoning in the same post. but now i have layed out my reasoning, so i won't be personally removing the post. seems kind of pointless to make the distinction, to me.

attacks are ok if you explain why you're making the attack? or are attacks never ok? what about the name calling and bullying you've done to me? should i report you? or is it justified based on the reaction that you had? is my attack justified because that's how i truly felt and not because i was simply stirring the pot?

either some attacks are ok because they are an individual's honest response and my post doesn't warrant deletion (and mine wasn't particularly aggressive... it was actually fairly understated). or, as you seem to believe, attacks are never ok, and my first post as well as most of your last two should be deleted, and you could safely be called a hypocrite, and i don't think you'd be very comfortable with that given the overstated idealism you've expressed so far.

EDIT:

The's MISTER ### to you .

aaaaaaand the poster i was "attacking" appears to be completely unphased by my immaturity and childishness and whatever else you want to use to describe my post. hooray for self-righteous people blowing things way out of proportion like usual!

Edited July 6, 2008 by Kekkles