BEACONS, BOUNCERS, & BARRIERS
Understanding the Cultural Dynamics That Impact Your Band’s Success
written by Dr. John Franklin, Leadership Coach & Cultural Strategist for||:Leaders Creating:||
Hannah struggles as she wakes up at 5:30 AM today to be on campus by 7:00 for her 1st period jazz band. This is her first year as the band director at Fracti Somnia High School, having just graduated with her Bachelor of Music Education degree from Splendor University only a couple months ago. She has lost count of how many mornings she has woken up dreading the thought of having to go to her job.
Hannah catches her reflection in the chrome of the coffee pot as she groggily starts the coffee. Aghast at how worn-down she looks, she feels her eyes start to well with tears. Her thoughts begin to drift back to the end of her college years. She had a GREAT time in college. Her applied clarinet professor helped her thrive as an outstanding musician which propelled her to becoming the section leader in the top wind ensemble at SU. She did very well academically and developed great relationships with her music education professors and band directors. This opened up many doors such as a coveted student worker job in the band office, marching band drum major, and an award for “Most Outstanding Music Education Student” her senior year.
Hannah was excited to be placed in Exemplar High School for her student teaching experience. Exemplar was by far the strongest and most successful band program in the region. Their band director, Dr. Asom Brosa, has been at Exemplar for twenty-eight years where she built the band program from fourteen members in her first year to over 280 members and multiple concert bands by her seventh year. Hannah loved her student teaching experience as she learned so many things about “doing band” that she had not learned in her methods classes. There wasn’t a day that she didn’t wake up excited about arriving early at Exemplar to work with several clarinetists who were preparing for Solo & Ensemble festival. Hannah loved the students at Exemplar and they loved her back. In fact, they saw so many similarities between Hannah and Dr. Brosa that they started calling her “Mini Me”. On her last day of student teaching, they gave her a Nike hoodie (her favorite brand and article of clothing to wear) with “Mini Me” and a silhouette of Hannah conducting at the winter concert emblazoned on the front.
Hannah cried that last day, not just because of the gift, or that it was her last day, but because she was frustrated that she had not yet found a job for the spring semester. She knew that graduating in the fall would make finding a full-time teaching job a challenge, but she felt like she had a great chance at an opening at nearby El Camino High School, as their band director had announced his retirement effective at the end of the fall semester. Hannah was brought in to interview for the position, but it ultimately went to one of her former classmates from Splendor University. He had graduated two years before her and had been an Assistant Director of Bands at Generico High School in the same district. She didn’t dare say it out loud, but Hannah was flabbergasted that he was offered the position over her. Sure, he had a couple of years of experience, but he was no more than average as a music education student while at Splendor U.
Hannah’s thoughts begin to blur like the image of her reflection in the coffee pot. She smiles ruefully as she recalls the day when Dr. Brosa texted her the news literally three weeks after she accepted her diploma on a wonderful late spring afternoon on the quad of Splendor University. There was an opening just announced for the Director of Bands position at Fracti Somnia High School. The principal had reached out to Dr. Brosa to ask her recommendation for the position. Dr. Brosa told Hannah that the principal was excited to meet with her and encouraged her to quickly get her application completed.
The Fracti Somnia program was only about twelve years old. The school was built as the suburb it was in started to rapidly expand about twenty years ago. Most of the students came from solidly middle class and the band had about 90 members in it. On paper, it looked like the band program should be thriving. It was well funded with start-up money from the district when the school was being built and it had the second best facilities in the district after Exemplar. The first band director came from a school two districts over after being there for many years. Unfortunately, he developed some health issues that forced him to retire after his second year. The next year, a new principal came to Fracti Somnia who hired the first of four different band directors over the course of the next ten years. It wasn’t long after this principal took over before it became clear that the band program was never going to be a high priority for him. Financial and moral support rapidly declined and a general sense of apathy took hold within the band membership. The director he hired became so jaded that he left the profession and went back to school to get his MBA. Several other directors followed, lured by the glitz and glamour of the facilities and the fact that Fracti Somnia was generally considered to be a “good school”. But, each one of them left after a year or two to seek better opportunities elsewhere.
The most recent director, Mr. Lustig, had been the longest-tenured director at Fracti Somnia. He served there for three years before he stepped down to move with his husband who was offered a dream job in California. Mr. Lustig had started to make some strides with the program during those three years, much of it due to the support of the new principal who was a former band director. Hannah became excited after meeting this principal and quickly accepted the job when he offered it to her that same day. She was a bit apprehensive about the “rebuild” job she was stepping into but felt that the positive momentum under her predecessor and the support of her new principal was a good indicator that things were moving in the right direction. Besides, she was going to be relatively close by to Dr. Brosa and Exemplar High School as well as her mentors at SU.
Hannah’s thoughts swirl like the steam coming from her coffee cup as she recalls the excitement in the two months between accepting her new position and her first day on the job. A kaleidoscope of memories run through her mind as she slowly sips her morning brew. Images of shopping for new professional clothes with her mom and the day she decided to get a new more “grown up” haircut. She purses her lips as she recalls the conversations she had with Dr. Brosa about literature selection, meeting with band boosters, and how to win the trust of her new students. Her brow furrows a little as she remembers the first meeting she had with her new student leaders. It isn’t that it was a “bad” meeting per se, but it wasn’t the group of optimistic, motivated, and excited leaders that she had worked with at Exemplar. She remembers the small ball of tightness she felt in her stomach during that meeting as the student leaders maintained blank expressions in response to every idea she shared. At the time, Hannah was pretty sure she caught her head drum major roll his eyes when she told the student leaders that she was planning to be at Fracti Somnia for a long time. Hannah slowly shakes her head and purses her lips as she realizes this was the first of several escalating moments of tension between the two of them in the few months she has been there.
Hannah sips the last few dregs of her cooling coffee before starting the rest of her morning ritual of showering, dressing, and gathering her score bag and baton case before making the 15-minute drive to campus. Her thoughts during the drive drift back to a more recent memory of the student leadership meeting from a few days ago. She had been waiting for a while to address the need for the student leaders to step up their personal preparation for rehearsal. Per usual, she received very little verbal or non-verbal feedback from her leadership team until she exasperatedly asked them to share their thoughts. No one said a word until the head drum major muttered “What’s the point…this band will always suck.” No one, including Hannah, spoke after that and everyone just awkwardly drifted out of the band room. This wasn’t the first time that Hannah locked the door to her office and cried at her desk.
This last memory roots itself in Hannah’s mind as she turns into the parking lot at Fracti Somnia High School. Her chest tightens along with her grip on the steering wheel as she sees her head drum major laughing with some of his friends outside the band door. Grateful that he doesn’t see her, Hannah’s last thought before exiting the car is “It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”
Chances are, dear colleague, is that there is some familiarity between this story and your own experiences, or at least you know someone who has a similar story. The truth is that for every Exemplar High School, there are far more Fracti Somnias. It is this reality which causes many band directors to experience extreme culture shock when facing similar situations at their first jobs. Almost every one of these new directors finds themselves questioning their career choice and some — too many — eventually leave the profession altogether.
My colleague Gary Rupert discusses the nexus of leadership and culture in his recent article Which Comes First, Leadership or Culture? One of the biggest takeaways from his article has to do with the relationship between good and bad leadership with good and bad culture. The question that comes to mind in a scenario like Hannah’s story is:
How can I lead in a way that improves the culture of the band?
This conundrum is the genesis of how ||: Leaders Creating :|| and this blog came to be. Our coaches will be providing a wealth of information in the weeks and months to come to assist band directors who are working to create a culture of excellence and positivity. To begin the conversation, it is helpful to take some time to look at band culture under a microscope so that we understand how the dynamics of culture affects our bands’ success. I break this down into the following 10 Truths:
TRUTH #1 — Every band consists of THREE groups
- BEACONS: This group represents about 20% of your band and usually includes student leaders, seniors, and/or committed performers. The most obvious characteristics of this group include a deep commitment to the program, a desire for excellence that is manifest in their words AND actions, and strong emotional ties to the traditions and community that exists within the band. For BEACONS, band is one of the most important, if not the most important parts of their lives. What they value most are the experiences, the relationships, and, for some, the opportunity to make meaningful performances. Most, if not all of the BEACONS are intrinsically motivated to achieve the band’s vision.
- BARRIERS: This group is the foil to the BEACONS and represents about the same percentage of 20% of membership. Some of the most common traits found in the BARRIERS include apathy or even antipathy to the band’s values, vision, and/or leadership. Usually when conflict arises within the band culture, it is between the BARRIERS and the BEACONS. The commitment level from BARRIERS is only as much as helps them avoid negative consequences either from the band leadership, academically, and/or their parent(s)/guardian(s). BARRIERS have strong emotional feelings regarding band, mostly negative and/or disruptive. Band is not an important part of their lives which often causes great friction with those (such as the BEACONS) to whom it is. What BARRIERS value most is flexibility, individualism, ease, and how band might serve them. There are some relationships that are valued, often between other BARRIERS. Like BEACONS, BARRIERS are intrinsically motivated, but to disrupt more than to achieve. Some of them truly do want the band program to be successful. They just don’t believe it can happen. Others are more or less apathetic and some, the jaded, openly hope for the program to fail.
- BOUNCERS: This group is the largest percentage of your band at approximately 60% of membership. This group’s commitment level varies based on the quality of their experiences and the influence caused by the tension between the BEACONS and BARRIERS. BOUNCERS desire excellence most of the time but their achievement of it is based on their feelings “in the moment.” As such, there are often times when words and deeds do not align. For BOUNCERS, the performance aspects of “doing band” are usually of secondary performance to the relationships and non-performance related activities. Band is an important part of BOUNCER lives when it is convenient and/or provides a desirable experience, but they can be easily distracted by other aspects of their lives. BOUNCERS tend to be more motivated by extrinsic rewards to achieve the band’s vision.
TRUTH #2 — The BEACONS set the STANDARD of achievement and expectation in the band
The standard of excellence and achievement for your band will be established and best articulated by the BEACONS who comprise the band leadership. This is the group who will be most aligned with the band director in terms of values, behaviors, and expected or desired outcomes. In a healthy band culture, the BEACONS are constantly evaluating how actions, words, and beliefs are aligned and make adjustments as needed. The relationship between band director and BARRIERS is mostly positive, unified, and honest. The strongest bonds are between each other and between directors and other staff.
TRUTH #3 — The BARRIERS set the LEVEL of achievement in their band
On the other end of the spectrum, the BARRIERS are the greatest influence on how close the band comes to achieving the standards set by the BEACONS. This is achieved via either passive or active resistance. The values and behaviors of the BARRIERS most often reflect self-serving desires, apathy or antipathy, fractured or strained relationships with other band members or leaders, mental or emotional health issues, challenges both external and internal to their band experience, unmet expectations, and/or any other number of negative influences in their lives. The values of this group are sometimes, but not always, aligned with each other but are frequently at odds with the values of the BEACONS and band director. In an unhealthy band culture, the BARRIERS have more influence than and will often actively work to undermine the actions of the BEACONS. The relationship between BARRIERS and the band director and BEACONS is mostly negative and confrontational. The strongest bonds are sometimes, but not always, with each other and with members of the BOUNCERS. Occasionally, you might find a strong relationship between a BEACON and a BARRIER which could result in one exerting more influence on the other.
TRUTH #4 — The BOUNCERS are a mobile group and gravitate towards the strongest of the other two groups
As discussed earlier, the BOUNCERS are a malleable and fickle group of students who comprise the majority of the band membership, and whom “bounce” back and forth between thinking and acting like BEACONS and BARRIERS. Their attitudes and efforts are greatly affected by external circumstances and stimuli. These include weather, time of year, outside stressors, and the influence of the BEACONS and BARRIERS. A healthy band culture is one where the BEACONS have the loudest voices, set the best examples, and exert a stronger influence over the attitudes and day-to-day actions of the band. Conversely, an unhealthy band culture is one where the most prominent influence is that of the BARRIERS. This typically happens when the BEACONS are outnumbered or when the BARRIERS include the most dynamic personalities in the band. It also happens when the BEACONS abdicate their leadership roles out of neglect, frustration, or exhaustion.
TRUTH #5 — The BARRIERS have greater pull because of their gravitational POSITIONING
It makes sense to think of the BARRIERS at the bottom if you stack these three groups into a hierarchy. Unfortunately, this POSITIONING gives them greater attraction than they would have if they were on the top of the pile. This means that these band members do not have to work hard or exert much force to pull the rest of the band down, much like how gravity causes objects to fall with no other necessary force.
TRUTH #6 — To work against gravity, the BEACONS have to work continuously and twice as hard to keep the BOUNCERS trending up
On the other hand, it takes a lot more work for the BEACONS to not only counteract against BARRIER gravity but to move and keep things in a positive direction within the band. This is one of the biggest challenges for many student leaders when they first take on a leadership role in the band. The quicker they understand and commit to how much energy and effort they have to expend, not only to be effective band members themselves, but be effective PEER LEADERS of band members, the healthier the band culture will become. No one explains this better than the late George N. Parks who directed the University of Massachusetts Minuteman Marching Band and his own leadership academy until his untimely death in 2010 in his story about the three stages of (band) life:
Chances are that if your band culture is suffering, one of the biggest reasons is because your student leaders do not understand this truth.
TRUTH #7 — The BARRIERS gain their power from their PRESENCE and PROCLIVITY
This is another hard truth as it recognizes that it doesn’t take much for the most negative portion of your band membership to have significant detrimental impact on the entire program. Just as their pull comes from their gravitational positioning (metaphorically speaking), their strength and power comes from just the mere fact that they exist and are part of the group. Most of us are familiar with the proverb that says that one bad apple spoils the bunch. This is no truer anywhere than it is in a group like a band. Likewise, their PROCLIVITY, or in other words, their nature gives them great power much in the same way that nothing, including light, is able to resist the strength of the black holes found in various parts of our galaxy.
TRUTH #8 — The BEACONS gain their power from their PERSEVERANCE and PERSISTENCE
It is imperative that the BEACONS remain PERSISTENT and PERSEVERE through hardships in order to combat the power and pull of the BARRIERS. This, perhaps, is the greatest challenge of the student leader in band. They must have the ability to “stay the course” no matter what circumstances they endure. Some of the most effective ways to empower your student leaders to be successful in this endeavor is to lead by example, frequently engage and check in with your student leaders, teach them how to manage conflict, place them in roles that maximize their strengths and negate their weaknesses, and help them develop strong relationships with each other. As I tell my student leaders all the time, the most important section in the band is the “student leadership section”.
TRUTH #9 — The BEACONS bring both the BOUNCERS AND the BARRIERS higher through POSITIVITY and PREPARATION
One of the aspects of leadership that Hannah’s drum major did not understand was how his own PREPARATION and POSITIVE approach affect the mood of the moment, which affects the atmosphere of the day, which impacts the ongoing culture. Peer leaders who understand that their actions are the most potent leadership tool at their disposal and who lead by example are critical to a healthy band culture. Likewise, their attitude and demeanor while engaged in their actions are just as important in establishing an aura of joy and positivity when the band is together as well as apart. When student leaders do this well, not only will the BOUNCERS gravitate towards the BEACONS but the large mass of people moving in this direction will eventually bring the BARRIERS up as well. It is entirely possible for BEACONS who are persistent, positive, and prepared on a continual basis to have such influence that the entire bar of the band rises to an even higher standard. It is even possible that over time, the BARRIERS low bar ends up where the BEACON high bar once was.
TRUTH #10 — All groups are static and will constantly move towards whichever is stronger between the BEACONS and BARRIERS
The exhausting truth is that there is no such thing as a static status quo when it comes to band culture. As soon as the BEACONS stop working, the entire culture will crash with the force of gravity, much the way a helicopter will plunge to earth if its rotors stopped turning. I plan to share some strategies and values in future posts to help you empower your BEACONS to remain strong, radiant, and present.
There are a couple more things to pull from this truth, one an encouragement and the other a warning. First the encouragement — band programs which have had persistent healthy cultural practices over a period of time not only see the bar raised for all three groups, but over time the gap between the BEACONS and BARRIERS begins to close. Eventually, the margin can become so thin that the difference between the two groups becomes nearly imperceptible. This is a characteristic found in elite programs such as Dr. Brosa’s band program at Exemplar High School.
Now the warning — The greatest threat to the health of a band program, besides mediocrity, is when negativity, neglect, and naysaying weaves its way into the BEACONS group. When this happens, the BEACONS will turn into BARRIERS and eventually flip the entire culture on its head. The Great Band Room is littered with programs which died because of this. I will have more to say about how to combat this in future posts, but it is important to remind all leaders that even you are dynamic, not static.
Final Thoughts
I hope you found these 10 Truths to be insightful and informative. More importantly, I hope that I have been able to help reveal some areas that need to be worked on to improve your band’s culture. I am happy to help in any way I am able so feel free to reach out at johnf@leaderscreating.com or leave a comment in the comments section below.
Finally, here are some self-reflection questions you might use to determine your own band’s current cultural climate:
1. What are some of the characteristics of your band’s BARRIERS?
2. What are some of the characteristics of your band’s BEACONS?
3. What are the TOP 3 attitudes, values, goals, and/or practices that your band SAYS it believes in?
4. Based purely on actions and behaviors, which group (BEACONS or BARRIERS) is establishing the direction towards or away from the TOP 3 attitudes, values, goals, and/or practices that your band SAYS it believes in?
EDITOR’S NOTE: We at ||:Leaders Creating:|| value the opportunity to engage with our readers, clients, colleagues, and friends. Please share your thoughts and questions in the comments section!
John is an educator in music and leadership who also happens to be a band director, a role that he has served for 22 years in a variety of settings including middle school, high school, small college, large state university, and both private and public institutions. His diverse experiences in developing and growing band programs have provided opportunities for John to learn from his students how to help them become effective peer leaders in order to create positive, intentional, and goal-driven band cultures. John’s work as a leadership clinician ranges from self-development and improvement, effective communication and pedagogical skills, and the application of servant leadership in the music ensemble setting. His materials are adaptable for a variety of settings including large and small groups, one-on-one coaching, virtual and in-person clinics, and for both students and educators of all levels.
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