Warning!
Don’t try to change everything when you are new to the position. Listen to the “why things are done this way” of your community. There may even be a reason to keep a “bad” tradition for a time.
When I started at my 2nd school, I noticed that there were absolutely no traditions to speak of – except one which I detested. I was informed by the older students that “the band director brings a bunch of candy for the pep band when we play at the football games.” This tore my heart out! But it was their only tradition, so I reluctantly continued it, even though it went against everything I believed in about kids eating while they are playing.
I immediately worked at creating new traditions. My second year, I told them we were discontinuing the candy tradition, I told them why (and why I had kept it) and explained to them now we have these other traditions. They groaned about it at first, but then bought into it.
Sometimes you have to put up with a tradition that just doesn’t jive with you because it is tradition. Creating a great culture means loving and caring about PEOPLE and creating your own TRADITIONS that reflect your personality and the group as it is today, not what it was ten years ago. And it’s okay to get rid of traditions that have outlasted their time.
Reinstitute awards (or create awards)
I noticed at this same school that there had been a longstanding tradition of awarding the major recognition awards, like the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award, the John Phillip Sousa award, and more. I noticed there had been a gap of about 8 years in awarding these (I was the 8th new director in 7 years). I created a written criteria to be eligible for the awards and then began issuing them out at our yearly pot-luck awards banquet (which was a new tradition I had started). Many groups have an awards banquet that costs too much with terrible food. I decided to make mine a potluck so it would allow everyone to attend.
I also taught an orchestra class and created an award specifically for an orchestra student.
Many of these awards had names that went back into the 1980s. I started teaching there in 2005. When I ran out of space on the plaque, I took off one of the names to add the new name and thought nobody would notice. It turned out someone did – our head custodian had graduated from that school and his cousin’s name was the one I removed. I added it back and sent profuse apologies his way. I had a local engraving shop create an inexpensive “add-on” to the plaque. It was just a square piece of wood that he attached to the bottom of the wall plaque with an attractive chain that added an additional 20 spaces for names.
A few more traditions we created…
- Pizza at every home game: The students paid for this themselves. At first I collected the money, I ordered the pizza, I picked up the pizza. Eventually I assigned this to one of my student leaders.
- Water balloon fight the last day of marching band camp: Loads of fun! We set the expectation from the start that if you participate, you also help clean up all the broken balloons. Half the balloons were aimed at me!
- Head shave challenge: I told the students if marching band made it to state or if the concert band made all Superior ratings at festival, they could shave my head. They made the goal twice in 13 years.
- Brownies: In beginning band, I have a karate system in place for achievement. When every single person completes the requirements for a belt, I make brownies. I have become an expert at making brownies. I’ve used this tradition for 7 years now and have 100% achievement, and my standards for passing are high. Students help each other and the students who still can’t pass see me for help.
- A snack every day: During the pandemic, I had one class that met in the afternoon. It only had 3-4 students and they all worked hard every day. I ended up bringing them a snack every day. It was our tradition. I’ll probably never do that again, but it was all boys, several hours after lunch, a 90 minute class, and they were hungry.
- Jazzy Sax Man Live: I often perform at my school. At one location, that looked like playing short ditties in the hall during passing period. At my current school, it involves playing 3 songs at every lunch (K-5 each have their own lunch and then middle school) once a month. I’m exhausted by the end, but the kids appreciate it and it actually helps with recruiting.
James Divine is a retired band teacher. He still teaches half time at a charter school, spending the other half leading Professional Development and creating curriculum like Jazz From The Start to teach jazz and improv to young students. Get an early edition of his book Almost Everything I’ve Learned About Teaching Band.