One of the many hats I wear is President of the New York State Band Directors Association. I’m currently in my second year of my two year term. My participation in this organization has helped me grow so tremendously as a band director, but also as someone who supervises teachers in the arts… but more about that in another post.
One of my responsibilities as president is to provide an article in a series called “From the Podium” for our regular publication, The Band Stand. Here is the text of my most recent article. (Definitely click the link above to read the entire publication).
Welcome to the 2018-2019 school year! The beginning of a new school year is an exciting time for everyone. I hopethat over the course of the summer you all had a chance to
relax and recharge for the great work ahead of you this year. For many of you, part of your summer recharge included attending the NYSBDA Sessions at the New York State
Summer Music Conference and participating in the Directors Band. A very special thanks goes out to 3rd Vice President Andy Pease for all of his hard work in coordinating the
band sessions for the summer conference. Not only did he organize them all, but he lead a reading session as well! We also extend our gratitude to Professor Gary Hill from Arizona State University for working with our Directors Band.
The performance was wonderful, but even more wonderful was the opportunity to work with such a great director. I had a fantastic time in the band, and I know everyone else
did as well.
I’d also like to take a moment to let you know about a few changes taking place on the NYSBDA Executive Board. Last spring Melinda Smith stepped down from the position
of 1st Vice President. We thank her for her many years of service to the board, and especially for all of her work planning and implementing a very successful Symposium
last March. In accordance with our bylaws, at the summer conference the Executive Board approved the appointment of Mike Cordaro to the position of 1st Vice President. Mike has been in charge of the high school honor band and an integral part of the NYSBDA team for many years now. He has already begun planning for the upcoming Symposium this spring, and I’m sure we’ll all be in for a treat. Taking
Mike’s place chairing the High School Honor Concert Band will be Jason Rottkamp from the Riverhead Central School District. We’re grateful to Jason for stepping up to take on
this important role.
This summer I presented myself with a personal challenge. Not being a particularly prolifc reader, I set a task to read more this summer. One of the books that I read was
The Art of Communication, by Thich Nhat Hanh. For those who may be unfamiliar with Thich Nhat Hanh, he is a Zen Master who is an infuential promoter of mindfulness and
a peace activist. He has written extensively on meditation and mindfulness practices, and has built one of the largest communities of Buddhist monks in the world, Plum Village.
In his book, Hanh writes:
“We tend to think of nourishment only as what we take in through our mouths, but what we consume with our eyes, our ears, our noses, our tongues, and our bodies is
also food. The conversations going on around us, and those we participate in, are also food. Are we consuming and creating the kind of food that is healthy for us and helps us grow? When we say something that nourishes us and uplifts the people around us, we are feeding love and compassion. When we speak and act in a way that causes tension and anger, we are nourishing violence and sufering.”
There are many lessons that can be taken from this short passage and relayed into our lives at school and with our students. To begin, what is it that we consume through our
ears that is making us healthy and helps us grow? In turn, how do we share quality music with those around us; our students, to be certain, but also their parents, our non-musician colleagues and the community? In an ever-growing sea of “junk food music” how are we contributing to an aural diet that nourishes and uplifts those around us?
Further, how are our words, actions, and the music we create feeding love and compassion? What are the artistic choices that we are making in our work with our ensembles that helps students to build on these feelings of love and compassion and bring them out into the world? Can we reflect on our interactions with those with whom we work to ensure that we are not fueling tension and anger?
I encourage you all to take time out, now at the start of the school year, to reflect on how we might more mindfully use our callings as musicians and teachers to create a more compassionate and loving world through our students and our communities
Bradley Morrison 