This is How We Do it Here: Establishing a Positive, Successful Culture in Your Music Program

The Dreaded Question

“Are we playing today?” asked a trombone player as he entered the band room. “What do you mean?” answered the band director, “Yes—we are doing what we do everyday, we’re playing.” “Oh, boo”,the student responded, “I thought maybe we could take a break and watch a movie. It’s Friday and we always used to watch movies on Friday’s when Mr. (fill in the blank) was here…” “Ugh”,thought the teacher, “here we go again.” This exchange is likely familiar to many music teachers. It is not that watching the occasional movie is bad;it is that we often do not have enough time as it is to teach all of the standards and curriculum that are required during the time we have with the students. Also, we want them to want to play or sing everyday, right?

A director who recently changed schools told me he had a goal to get his students to the point where they were disappointed when they had to watch a movie. He was new to the school and wanted to know how he would be able to change the thinking of the students—thinking and behavior that had been passed on from class to class for years. I told him that he likely would have to begin the long and arduous process of changing the culture of his program. I explained that to do so would require patience from both him and his students, and be done in small, yet powerful steps.

Culture

One of the definitions of cultureis “the beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a particular society, group, place, or time; a particular society that has its own beliefs, ways of life, art, etc.; a way of thinking, behaving, or working that exists in a place or organization” (Merriam Webster Online, 2015).Establishing a strong culture in any program, band, chorus, orchestra, or general music, makes it easier for everyone involved to know and understand expectations. Teachers may have to ask themselves, are the ways that we do things in this program helping or hurting our success? We sometimes unknowingly and blindly teach without a vision of success for our students (or us.) Bob Duke, Professor of Music at the University of Texas at Austin,states that we are to have a vision of our students as successful, accomplished learners. I would add that we should also have a vision of ourselves as successful, accomplished teachers. This vision can also include the culture of our program.

Before one can establish a culture, it is best to identify what the vision actually is for the program. It is at this point whendecisions can be made about the habits likely enabling the maladaptive behavior(s). When all of the behaviors are corrected and your positive culture is in place, what does it look like? Does your new culture include a lot of parent support? Does it include a lot of performances? Having a firm idea of the end result is your vision of your new and improved culture.

As far as behaviors are concerned, you will have to determine what it is you want to change. Do you want your students to enter the room in a certain way? Do you have guidelines for who is and is not allowed in the music room? Do you want your students to think of the music room as a sacred place that is a safe haven for them throughout the school day and beyond?

Teachers often tell me that they want their students to have fun and enjoy the experience in their classroom. I think it would be difficult to find anyone who disagrees. However, what exactly does that mean? Does it mean that your students enjoy the your classbecause they are not being corrected fortheir academic or social behavior? Or are they enjoying the experience because they are thrilled that the one musical passage you have all been working on finally came together beautifully?Which enjoyment do you want them to have? This is why identifying current behaviors is so important. Defining what fun and enjoyment is in your classroom is part of how you change the

by DaLaine Chapman

culture. This is different for everybody which is why it is important to think through what you really want for your program.

Having a routine helps to form a culture. Routine often involves having consistent classroom activities, consistent classroom management principles, and teaching students respect for not just the physical environment but for the program as a whole. It is a constellation of consistent behaviors that interact together to create the culture.

A culture of any program is about just that: the entire program. Not just the marching band, or the top show choir, but about all of the ensembles. It is likely that in programsthat have a strong sense of culture, a high percentage of the students and parents, not just the teacher, have strong allegiances and loyalty toward having success. Perhaps we have heard all too often: “We had a great choral program for many years…then she left…” It has to be about everyone involved in the program for the culture shift to happen and be successful.

Change is Difficult, But a Few Selected Students Can Help

A mentor once told me that changing the culture of any organization is like turning a ship in a harbor. It takes time, tenacity, and a lot of patience. It also takes teamwork. Changing the thinking and behavior of just one person is often difficult, but having to do so with groups of students is very challenging for one person alone. A teacher trying to do so may be better served by having a smaller subset of that group to help in the process.

Older students mentoring younger students help the culture cause tremendously. If a teacher has trained student helpers in how to act and how to mentor other students, mentoring can be a powerful tool in achieving a positive culture. Mentors can be there to show that, yes, everyone practices; yes, everyone obeys the rules; yes, everyone not only gets to rehearsal, but also arrives on time; and yes, we have fun, but we have fun doing the right things. The students respect each other for their similarities and differences. Older students show younger ones how to act by modeling the expected behavior. Often, when younger students see an audience react positively to a well-done musical performance by the older students, the culture of the program starts to change. Former students have told me that they were glad they had older students to look up to and help navigate their first year in the program—they acknowledged that there was a certain comfort in knowing someone was looking out for them.

Respect

The endgame of course is gaining respect for the program, and not just from administration,parents,and the general public, but also from the students themselves. Students who are proud of their music programs typically are a part of programs of excellence. They practice, they work hard, and they reap the benefits of the hard work by becoming excellent musicians. They are proud to wear the jacket associated with the ensemble, and they are happy to have a room on campus where they can go to just ‘hang out.’

I am sure many who are reading this would agree that when we walk into music rooms we have developed a sense of knowing quite quickly the culture of the program. There are often students in the room before and after school. Are the students respectful and helpful? Are they nice to each other? Do they adhere to the guidelines of the school?

Students have to have a healthy respect for the room in which they are making music. It does not matter if it is the band room, choir room, or general music classroom. Students can be taught how to respect their environment. How do they treat the physical room? Is there trash on the floor? Are there instrument parts lying around? Are choral risers unhooked from one another and spread around the room? Are there stacks of books and papers on the piano? Are there broken music stands everywhere? You might say, well, perhaps that is the job of the parent to instill such values in their own children. Yes, but…we have all had students who act much better in our music room than they do in their own home, or in other teachers’ classrooms. It is no secret that we are often mother, father, sister, or brother to our students,teaching them not only music, but also how to behave in a public place.

Finally, there has to be a strong respect for the music itself: for rehearsing it, for understanding it, and for performing it. After all, producing an exquisite sounding group with your students is likely a large part of why you were hired. It would be equally terrific if the students were well mannered and respectful as well as good musicians.Ultimately, the probability is high that the culture will change in the right direction if it is about the music. Incidentally, the music portion of this article was not placed near the end to signify its place in a successful culture. Remember, all of these points interact with one another on a daily basis toward a successful culture in any program.

You have the good fortune to establish the culture of your choice. So,look around. Are you happy with the culture of your program? Is it self-sustaining where you do not have to tell students every Friday that “yes, we are playing today”? If so, then congratulations! I am sure you enjoy going to schooland reaping the rewards of your patience and hard work. If not, you are in the perfect position to make lasting changes that will benefit both you and your students.

Culture. [Def. 5]. (n.d.) In Merriam-Webster.com Retrieved January 3, 2015, from http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/culture

DaLaine Chapman is currently an Assistant Professor of Music Education at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. Her research interests include music teacher evaluation and assessment as well as the supervision of student teachers. Dr. Chapman is an active conductor/clinician who has presented at numerous clinics and conferences nationwide. Her professional affiliations include Florida Music Educators Association, Florida Bandmasters Association, Texas Music Educators Association, and the National Association for Music Education. She is also a member, by invitation, of the Omega chapter of Phi Beta Mu, the prestigious International Band Fraternity. She holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees from The Florida State University and a Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin.