A Band Director's First Years - Paperback

by Andrew R. Lesick (Author)

A Band Director's First Years is a guide for collegiate level students or new educators in their first jobs. Aimed primarily at Band Directors, this book can potentially help performing arts teachers in school systems nationwide. Graduates of collegiate music education studies are very well prepared to offer instruction to their charges, however, there are many different challenges that new music educators must face. Many of these challenges are non-musical and, often times, new educators struggle to adapt because they do not know what questions to ask or how to move through their days performing tasks other than teaching. For example, making logistical arrangements for performances or what accounting practices may be encountered in a public school system are just two of the many topics covered in this book. A Band Director's First Years is a book that can be read from cover to cover or as a reference guide. In either case, the reader will be able to utilize the information in a practical manner or, at the very least, develop and maintain a functional knowledge of what is taking place around him or her. Even if a school does not employ the same or similar practices described in the book, the reader will be introduced to and develop an awareness of concepts that he or she will eventually encounter. At that point, the new teacher will be able to ask appropriate questions to efficiently perform all required tasks. Program building and philosophical development surrounding musical education are also discussed. Young teachers can use this to expand and further explore their own ideas which will ultimately affect their own programs. This, in turn, will help young teachers implement policies that govern the students in their programs. These are just a sampling of the topics covered in A Band Director's First Years. There are many more discussions throughout the book that are all based on the author's experiences during his first years as a Band Director in two public school systems.

Author Biography

Andrew R. Lesick is the Director of Bands for a small school district in rural Northwest Ohio. For the past 14 years, Mr. Lesick has recruited, retained, taught and built the program as a lone band director taking students from fifth grade through graduation. Prior to that, Mr. Lesick worked in a suburban district south of Detroit, Michigan as a Director of Bands in public schools. A 1999 graduate of the University of Toledo, Mr. Lesick studied music education under Dr. Brant Karrick. In addition, Mr. Lesick toured with the Toledo Glassmen Drum and Bugle Corps from 1989 to 1993. It is his sincere hope that the information contained in this book will guide advanced collegiate level students prior to graduation or recent graduates in making the most of their first years as educators.