Procedures

& Systems
In order for any program to run smoothly, it is important to have procedures and systems for everything you
do. Having these in place will set a certain expectation for your program and will help manage decision
fatigue. These procedures and systems are also part of establishing a culture of excellence for your program.

Handbook
• Outlines every aspect of the program that you think is important, and will, therefore, be important to
your students and their parents.
• Include contact information, program philosophy, equipment requirements, course objectives, grades,
daily procedures, social media etiquette, and parent guidelines as a start.
• Forms that need to be filled out
o Student and parent contact information
o Receipt and understanding of the handbook
o Trip guidelines
• It is also a good idea to have a special handbook for your private lesson staff who may be visitors on
your campus. There are rules and guidelines for every campus and things run smoother if your regular
visitors know what to expect. You can include any forms that might need to be filled out by the private
instructor or the student who will be taking the lessons.

Procedures

Entering the Room
• This sets the climate for the entire class period.
o If students come in rowdy, the class time will not be as productive.
§ You will spend a lot of your teaching time correcting behavior
§ Students will get the impression that it is ok to behave in an uncontrolled manner and
when they are in a performing ensemble, the discipline problems with multiply
exponentially.
§ There will be no time for bell work to prepare them for class.
§ Students will be less focused and less likely to retain the information you are teaching.
§ Students will have little respect for their classroom, peers, organization, and teacher
because they are not being held accountable.
o If students enter the room quietly and with a sense of urgency, they will be more productive
and you will be able to make the most of the class time.
§ Students should understand the need for moving quickly and efficiently in any band
class (hopefully this will bleed over into their other classes as well).
§ Students will have time prior to the bell to do bell work to get them in the frame of
mind for learning music.
§ Students will develop a respect for the organization, peers, and teacher because they
are being held accountable.
§ You will be establishing a culture of excellence in everything they do, not just in their
playing. This attitude will bleed over into other areas of their lives.
o Are they allowed to ask questions, or should they wait
§ Emergencies, yes
 § Everything else, no
• The question might be one that everyone needs to hear and to have answered
• If everyone has a question or the same question, this can take up a lot of time
• Have the daily agenda written on the board
o Include announcements, upcoming events, etc.
o Students know what to expect and get into the right frame of mind
o Students can make sure to have all of the right equipment/supplies
• How to enter the band office
o If the door is closed, knock first
o If the door is open and no one is with the director, ask to enter
o If the door is open and there is someone with the director, wait until they are done
Procedures before and after school
• How to enter the room if there is a sectional or rehearsal going on
• How to treat the facilities when picking up or putting away instruments and supplies before or after
school
• The use of the school phone
• Is it ok for students to ‘hang out’ in the band hall
Having a place for Backpacks, etc.
• Many schools have done away with lockers and have the students carry their stuff in backpacks.
o Those backpacks can take up a lot of room and create clutter.
§ You want to have teaching space between, behind, and in front of the students’ chairs.
§ You need to be able to move around the room freely to maximize instruction.
• You want students to learn to have only what they need at their stands
o They will need to develop the habit of making sure they have everything from their backpacks
when they come to their seats.
Expectations When Seated
• Programs that have established a culture of excellence have set activities and expectations for the
students when they are at their seats.
o Get to the chair quietly, quickly, and with all equipment
o Assemble instrument (unless it is at the beginning of the year and they don’t know how to do
this yet)
o Begin individual practice on bell work (usually the musical alphabet, rhythm rockers, tetra-
chords, scales, arpeggio’s, etc.)
§ The metronome is usually on when the students come into the classroom, set at the
designated tempo for the activity)
§ This is a good time to pass off lines (get stickers)
• Students get to their chairs quickly so they have more time to practice and pass
off lines
• Works towards self-guided practice
• Everyone is moving at his or her own pace. Faster learners don’t get bored and
slower learners don’t feel left behind.
• Positions while sitting
o Relaxed position – announcements, etc..
§ Bottom all the way back in the chair
§ Hands in home position on the instrument
§ Instrument laid across the lap
o Ready position – ready to play/learn
§ Bottom to the front of the chair
 § Back straight, feet flat on the floor, head erect
§ Hands in home position on the instrument
§ Instrument upright on left or right knee (except saxes & bassoon – keep these
instruments to the left side of the chair)
o Fingering position – while fingering through an exercise, scale, music, etc.
§ Bottom to the front of the chair
§ Back straight, feet flat on the floor, head erect
§ Hands in home position on the instrument
§ Flute, oboe, & clarinet – instrument on left shoulder so the student can see his or her
fingers on the instrument while fingering
§ Trumpet, horn, tuba – instrument on knee/lap at ready position
§ Sax & bassoon – instrument on the left side of the chair
o Playing position – proper posture for playing the instrument
§ Bottom to the front of the chair
§ Back straight, feet flat on the floor, head erect
§ Hands in home position
§ Instrument held in the proper position for playing
• Foot pat
o Helps to internalize pulse
o Be consistent
o Hold them accountable
Music Theory
• Have a system that starts in beginning band class and continues through high school
• Needs to be relevant to the music they will be playing including scales
o Musical Alphabet
o Staff
o Clef
o Bar Lines
o Double Bar Lines
o Whole, half, quarter, eighth notes and corresponding rests
o Beat
o Rhythm (Rhythm Rockers!)
o Terminology
Musical Alphabet
• Students will need to learn the musical alphabet, so have a system for this, Alphabet All-Stars
o A handout that starts with A B C D E F G F E D C B A, then, B C D E F G A G F E D C B A, etc.
throughout the sequence.
o Students need to know the musical alphabet forwards and backwards to help understand how
the lines and spaces work on the staff.
o Use a metronome and have students say them in time, one letter per beat
Breathing
• Have a system, routine, or exercises that you use on a daily basis to make sure that everyone is
breathing the same way; Breathing Chant.
o Insures that students take a relaxed, full breath
o Insures that students start and end sound together
o Begins to instill internal pulse while working on good breathing technique
• Each instrument has a specific way to breathe depending on the nature of the instrument
o Make sure you are aware of this and make sure like instruments are all doing it the same way
Counting
• Have a counting system that is consistent from elementary, middle, and high school.
o Eastman
o Modified Eastman
o 1 e & a system
• Use this system daily
o Music students play
o Rhythmic reading
o Sight Reading
Instrument Assembly
§ Students should know the names and functions of every part of his/her instrument
o Students should use the proper terminology when referring to the parts of the instrument
§ Have a specific system that you use with every class
o Be specific about where students should open the case and how they should open the case
o Be specific about which hand to use to assemble each part of the instrument
Embouchure Formation
§ Use mirrors with every class
§ Have a specific way that you teach every instrument
§ Use the same generic terminology with every class
§ Use analogies to which students can relate
Holding the Instrument
§ Be consistent
§ Hold them accountable for each position; remember, you are keeping them from dropping the
instrument
§ Insist on correct posture for each instrument
Articulation
§ Each instrument should be assigned a basic articulations syllable
o Anatomy should be consonant-vowel-H
o You have to monitor this and insist that everyone on like instruments articulates the same way
with the same syllable
§ This will matter a LOT when they are in a performing ensemble
Equipment and Supplies
§ Instrument
§ Book
§ Supplies such as reeds, cork grease, valve oil, slide grease, etc.
§ Maintenance supplies (cleaning cloth, drop cloth, swab, etc.)
§ Metronome/tuner or app
§ Mirror

Systems
Systems are procedures put in place, often not related to music, to make an organization run smoothly.
Creating systems early on eliminates decision fatigue and everyone involved in the program should become
system architects. Most systems require participation from many to make the jobs less for everyone and are
great for time management and organizations. Systems can include rehearsal structure, loading, set-up, and
teardown of equipment, copying music, etc. Most non-teaching jobs can be handled by student leaders and
should be. Students need to have ownership in their program and this is a great way to do that.


Chain of Command
• To keep things from getting chaotic
• Do the things only you can do; delegate other jobs
• Establish clearly defined routines and procedures
o Have other staff members do what they do best
o Student leaders can be responsible for many non- teaching jobs
§ Taking attendance
§ Making copies
§ Setting up rehearsal space
§ Most routine operations of running a band program
• Allows teachers more teaching time and gives students responsibility and ownership of their program
Instrument Storage
• Have storage bins numbered to make it easy to assign
o Have combination locks on each bin that you have a key to open
§ You purchase these for the district
§ Make a list of the combinations for assigning
o Storage bins are various sizes
§ Larger bins for the larger instruments, etc.
• Most bins are made for specific instruments
§ Bins are for instrument, band supplies, and band binder only; not personal belongings
• Use a spreadsheet
o List the bin numbers
o List the combination of the lock assigned to each bin
o List bin size
• Assign instrument bins
o Assign by instrument or instrument size
o List student name on spreadsheet next to bin assignment
o List student instrument serial number for easy access; both personal and school owned
instruments
o Have name tags on the outside of the bin to make it easy to see who is assigned to each bin
Instrument Inventory
• Generally delegated to an assistant
o Have procedures to check out instruments
§ Charms
§ Bar Codes
§ Spreadsheet
o Check in instruments
§ End of year
§ Check maintenance needs
o Send out and receive instruments for repair
§ Maintain a spreadsheet of what goes out and comes back in
• Use name tags on both personal and student owned instruments to quickly identify who is assigned to
the instrument, or who owns it.
Uniform Inventory
• Generally delegated to an assistant or parents
• Procedures
o List of inventory
o Fittings
 o Ordering uniforms
o Cleaning
o Alterations
Band Aides
• Students who use an elective credit to help in the band hall
• Maintain the band library
o Make storage boxes/envelopes for new music
o Keep the filing system up to date
o Make copies as needed
• Set-up rehearsal space
• Run errands
Student Assistants
• Students who assist during band classes
o In middle school - generally an 8th grader
§ Assists in beginner class of the instrument the student plays
§ Takes attendance
§ Assists with pass-off’s
• Rhythm Rockers
• Musical Alphabet
• Tetra-chords
§ Peer tutoring
o In high school – usually an upper classman, strong musician
§ Assists in band classes
§ Takes attendance
§ Peer tutor
§ Assist with sectionals
Booster Organizations
• Make sure there are bylaws and make sure you are aware of what they state
o Includes election of officers
o The purpose statement
o How the organization will be run
o Job descriptions for each office and sub-committee
o Whether or not the director has a say in how money should be spent
o Checks and balances
• Budget
o Make sure you know and participate in the making of the budget
o Have a trusted parent as treasurer
o Make sure that every check written or money withdrawn by the boosters requires two
signatures
• A supportive organization
o Provide resources
o Raise funds
§ Concession stands
§ Spirit wear
§ Raffles
• You, as the director, need to have ultimate authority
o Don’t let the boosters be the tail that wags the dog
o You give the boosters a budget including items or services that you will need help in funding
 o You decide where the funds go, not the boosters
§ You are the expert
§ Your priorities and their priorities are sometimes different
§ Ultimately, booster organizations work under the auspices of the school district and as
such are bound by district policies and guidelines
• Can offer scholarships
o Private lessons
o Band camps
o Drum major camps
o Student leadership camps
o College expenses
• Help with logistics
o Driving vehicles
o Organizing social activities
o Organizing parents
§ Props
§ Pit
§ Equipment
§ Water
§ Food
§ Uniforms
Collecting Monies
• This is best done by you if it is district or activity money
o There are usually three types of funds
§ District funds
• Money that is collected for district use
o UIL Fee
o Instrument use fee
o Uniform cleaning fee
o Instrument repair fee
§ Activity funds
• Any fundraiser money received directly from student fundraising
o Selling of items
o Donations
o March-a-thon’s and Play-a-thon’s
• Organizations are only allow 2 tax free fundraisers per year in which students are
involved (IRS rules)
§ Booster funds
• Money collected for booster activities/costs
o Spirit wear
o Uniform parts (show shirt, shoes, socks, etc)
o Food that will be consumed by students at football games and contests
o Usually trip funds (like spring trip)
• Booster fundraisers
o Boosters are not limited to how many fundraisers they do; however, sales
tax must be collected and reported.
o District funds are managed by the head director
o Booster funds can be managed by the booster treasurer
 § Keep accurate records
§ Checks and balances - keep accurate records
• Write everything down
• Count twice
• Have witnesses
• Store money including checks in a safe
• Have a locked an mound box where students and parents can deposit cash/checks
o Have envelopes in which to place cash/checks and to indicate what the money is for

Most band programs are well-oiled machines with everyone working together to benefit all students within
the program. This takes strong leadership from the top with someone who has the ability to contribute to,
delegate, and oversee all aspects of the program. It is a big task, should you desire to have in place all support
mechanisms at your disposal. It is also important to be organized when working with the children of others,
the money of others, and the future of the organization.

In most instances teaching band is not just about teaching music, it encompasses the culture of the band and
band family. Consequently, what a student takes from band is not only about music, although it is the main
priority. If procedures are in place regarding the teaching of music and there is a strong teacher, strong
musicians will be the result. If systems are in place regarding the workings of the organization, those strong
musicians will have a more enhanced musical experience.