How Do You Measure Greatness?
written by Gary Rupert, Leadership Coach & Cultural Strategist for ||:Leaders Creating:||
Take a marching band to a competitive festival and perform a show that does not check off the boxes on the judging sheet and no matter how well they perform, they will not be successful. Take a concert band to a State Adjudication Festival and play repertoire that is not on the “approved” list and your band will be penalized for “not meeting the standard.” Greatness is a relative term. It is only relevant, however, when measured against a set of pre-determined standards. The question is, who determines those standards and what makes these people the leading authority on the subject?
I wonder how the educational landscape would change if all students were measured based on their ability in the trades or the arts, as opposed to college readiness? Seem like a silly question? Then why is it not equally silly that we currently measure all students on their ability to demonstrate college readiness? Why do some people measure a band program’s success based on its size, and not on its ability to play? Better yet, why do some people measure our success based on trophies won, and not on our ability to teach our kids important life lessons through our programs. Education after all, is about learning. All that other stuff is….well….stuff!
So what do we do when society expects us to measure everything and everyone against some standard of greatness? I have always believed there is greatness in each of us. The trick is to make sure that we are using the most appropriate measuring stick. You have students in your band who are great players, while others are great marchers. Some are great leaders, while others are great followers. Some are great working with their hands and can fix the carts for the percussion front, while others are great at making sure the water containers are filled and in place for each rehearsal. But if we only measure our students based on how well they play their instruments, we will miss the greatness that all the others bring to the program. And I dare say, it is all these others who truly make our programs successful.
Experience taught me that when I learned to find the greatness that each of my students possessed, I was more successful….and more importantly, so were they. Seeing their strengths gave me the insights I needed to empower them to do the things they enjoyed and were good at doing. Because they now felt valued, they were more willing to do even the things they did not enjoy or were not good at doing. Experience also taught me about the importance of separating individual from organizational greatness. There was a time, early in my career, that I was focused on organizational greatness; often at the expense of the individuals in the program. As I matured both as a person and an educator, I began to realize that if I helped my students develop individual greatness, organizational achievement became a natural by-product. I marveled as I watched struggling students, whose greatest gift to the band was resetting the chairs in the band room or setting up the drum major podium, suddenly begin to grow as musicians because they felt like they were contributing. I also marveled as I watched the great player, who often showed little inclination for such things, take the time to help reset the room or do other things that needed to be done. And what was once an achievement gap within the program, became the very thing that allowed us to achieve.
So how do you measure greatness? It is completely dependent upon the measuring stick you choose to use. What I do know is that organizational greatness is entirely dependent upon individual greatness. Everyone in the band has something positive to offer. When we learn to identify, encourage, and develop the greatness of each individual, not only do they blossom into better band members, but the band gets better by extension. How do I measure greatness? With multiple measuring sticks!
Gary L. Rupert was a music educator for 40 years and was most recently the Band Director at Smithsburg High School in Smithsburg, Maryland where his bands consistently achieved Superior ratings at local, state and national levels. He is a sought-after conductor and adjudicator in the areas of symphonic bands and jazz ensembles. An avid blogger whose daily entries are followed by people in over 57 countries, Mr. Rupert is the author of a daily inspirational book for students and teachers, “Today, No Every Day.” He is also a sought after speaker on leadership, motivation and creating a positive learning environment.
Gary Rupert has been named an Outstanding Maryland Music Educator, a Teacher of Excellence in both the Frederick and Washington County public schools, and has been twice nominated as a Disney Teacher of Excellence.
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