STUDENT LEADERSHIP POSITIONS
It is important to realize that every student in this program has an influence, positive or negative. The goal of an officer should be to go beyond that of the average band member. When you accomplish this, you have become a leader. Leadership goes beyond a rehearsal; it is more than a full-time job—it is a lifestyle.
The foundation of genuine leadership is maturity and a good attitude. Successful leadership only results from respecting others and having their respect. The following is a list of ways to gain the respect of your peers:
Furthermore, you must respect other leaders. If the leaders of an organization cannot communicate and work together, there is no hope. Commit to being a team player, not a hero.
Finally, lead from within the band, not from above the band; you are still a student who has to go to class with these individuals. As you seek to be an officer of this band, be sure to walk the walk before you talk the talk. If you are not selected as an officer, do not be angry. If you have predetermined that you will quit band if you do not get a position, you are not a leader. As an officer, you will now be the most important part of the group. When all members are operating under the appropriate authority, the band will improve.
Leadership Hierarchy:
The student officers will include, but are not limited to, the following positions:. All positions will report directly to the Band Directors.
Executive Leadership:
Drum Major(s)
Band President
Band Vice President
Captains (Brass, Guard, Percussion, Woodwind)
Secretary
Officers:
Section Leaders
Music Librarian
Equipment Manager
Field Crew
Truck Crew
Uniform Manager
Social Media Chief
Facility Crew
Lockers/Instrument Check-Out Committee
Party Planning Committee
Duties of the Band Student Leadership Team
(duties are not limited to the following)
The foundation of genuine leadership is maturity and a good attitude. Successful leadership only results from respecting others and having their respect. The following is a list of ways to gain the respect of your peers:
- Competency: the ability to do your job
- Lead by example and set high standards
- Be energetic and enthusiastic -- it's contagious!!
- Be responsible and stay informed
- Be consistent!!
Furthermore, you must respect other leaders. If the leaders of an organization cannot communicate and work together, there is no hope. Commit to being a team player, not a hero.
Finally, lead from within the band, not from above the band; you are still a student who has to go to class with these individuals. As you seek to be an officer of this band, be sure to walk the walk before you talk the talk. If you are not selected as an officer, do not be angry. If you have predetermined that you will quit band if you do not get a position, you are not a leader. As an officer, you will now be the most important part of the group. When all members are operating under the appropriate authority, the band will improve.
Leadership Hierarchy:
The student officers will include, but are not limited to, the following positions:. All positions will report directly to the Band Directors.
Executive Leadership:
Drum Major(s)
Band President
Band Vice President
Captains (Brass, Guard, Percussion, Woodwind)
Secretary
Officers:
Section Leaders
Music Librarian
Equipment Manager
Field Crew
Truck Crew
Uniform Manager
Social Media Chief
Facility Crew
Lockers/Instrument Check-Out Committee
Party Planning Committee
Duties of the Band Student Leadership Team
(duties are not limited to the following)
- Drum Major (s) (Strong Conductor, Charismatic, Intense, Outgoing, Organized, Calm, Service-Oriented)
As Drum Major, you will be one of the field conductors for the Marching Band show. Drum Majors will be responsible for score study, memorizing all parts, cueing, and other aspects of conducting. Drum Majors will attend two conducting/leadership camps during the summer to improve their skills. In addition to conducting, the Drum Majors will serve as the main leaders of the entire program with the President and Vice President. Because they are the leaders of Morale of the entire Marching Band, the Drum Majors will learn every member’s name by Band Camp and try to make personal connections with all members throughout the season to develop trust. As such, Drum Majors are held to a higher level of performance and conduct than the general member. Drum Majors need to arrive early to EVERY rehearsal and event, and stay late after every event to ensure all tasks are completed. Also a service position, the Drum Majors will help any and all committees as needed to ensure success for the entire band program. The Drum Majors will be responsible for following up with all section leaders in Goal Setting and Goal Completion on a weekly basis, as well as reporting to the directors on sectional rehearsals. The Drum Majors will be responsible for many service responsibilities during band camp and the season. As a character trait, the Drum Major does not complain and is not allowed to be tired or irresponsible. The Drum Major will never miss any rehearsal or event, under any circumstances. As leader of the Section Leaders, the Drum Majors are responsible for holding all section leaders accountable for lesson planning, sectional attendance, and memorization tasks. The Drum Major needs to be assertive and a strong leader. Because conflict may arise in this position, the Drum Major must be patient and be able to resolve conflicts in a positive manner that emphasizes communication and high standards. The Drum Major must be calm under pressure, and work to be consistent as a leader, conductor, and as a person. The Head Drum Major will be responsible in working with the directors to make sure they understand the rehearsal plan for every rehearsal, and be organized to ensure the rehearsal goes as planned. The Head Drum Major will also maintain the Attendance Book and take attendance with all section members at the start of each rehearsal. The Drum Majors will also be responsible for all sound equipment set-up/tear-down, charging Long Rangers and Speakers, all metronomes and other rehearsal equipment. - President: (Charismatic, Vision and Team Oriented, Outgoing, Organized)
As President, you must be a senior. You will be the face of the Band Student Leadership Team. You will be asked to lead and plan all leadership meetings in conjunction with the Vice President. In addition, you will lead the band council summer retreat and all weekly leadership meetings. You must be able to communicate with the band/percussion directors on a regular basis. You will work closely with all committee heads and section leaders in setting and meeting goals. The President will learn every name of every student in the band and percussion program (including non-marching band students). You MUST have vision, a strong work ethic, and ability to delegate with a relentlessly positive attitude. - Vice President: (Cooperative, Organized, Responsible, Strong Leader)
As Vice President, you will assist the president throughout the year. You will help to plan all weekly council meetings and help to coordinate goal-setting with all committee heads and section leaders. You will be responsible for taking attendance at all meetings and following up with any absent members on a weekly basis, as well as reporting attendance to the directors. The Vice President will learn every name of every student in the band and percussion program (including non-marching band students). The Vice President will also be assigned to fundraising tasks as needed by the directors. - Captains (Brass, Woodwind, Percussion, and Guard) (Strong Musician/Guard Member, Charismatic, Friendly, Organized, Calm)
As Caption of your area (Brass, Woodwind, Percussion, or Guard), you will lead by example and set high standards for yourself in all aspects of the band program while acting as a liaison between the students in your area and director. You must oversee that all section leaders in your area are doing their jobs and be responsible for completing all duties if a section leader is absent. You will serve on the lockers/instrument/equipment check-out committee and inventory of equipment (repair and maintenance) while assisting the facility crew to ensure that all band facilities (band room, percussion room, guard room, locker room, practice rooms, closets, and hallways are neat and organized. You will be the last student to leave after rehearsals and performances and make sure that all areas are clean with lights off and doors locked. The director(s) will dismiss you. As Captain, you, along with the other executive leaders will receive awards at competitions and festivals as the representative of your section area. In the Spring, you will assist with officer clinics and auditions for the following year. You must exhibit and demand self-discipline in the band while being a positive influence on others at all times. - Secretary & Bulletin Boards: (Organized, Communicative, Creative, Artistic, Timely)
As Secretary, you will be responsible for taking notes at all council meetings. The secretary will post weekly meeting notes on the Band Student Leadership Facebook page and/or email list. The secretary will work with all committee heads to make sure weekly goals are documented and posted, and make sure the President and Vice President are given the documentation. The secretary will also be responsible for maintaining ALL bulletin boards inside the band classrooms and hallways. The bulletin boards must include a monthly calendar that is revised at the start of each month, as well as a birthday calendar for all members of the band. There can be creativity and freedom in posting other things (photos, quotes, college posters, etc.). Boards should be colorful, artistic, and a place where students will want to check in frequently. This crew will work YEAR-ROUND (not just during marching season). - Section Leader (Strong Musician/Guard Member, Charismatic, Friendly, Outgoing, Organized, Calm)
As Section Leader, your primary responsibility will be working with the Drum Majors and Instructional Staff to develop weekly performance goals for your section. The Section Leader is responsible for writing weekly lesson plans to organize their sectional practices in conjunction with Instructional Staff/Directors, as well as leading ALL sectional rehearsals. Because this is the primary responsibility of Section Leader, attendance at EVERY sectional is required (Section Leaders will not be permitted to miss a sectional rehearsal under any circumstances). Section Leaders will also take attendance at all sectional rehearsals and then report that to the Head Drum Major at the conclusion of each sectional. Attendance concerns of members should be reported to the directors immediately. Section Leaders will start and end all sectionals ON TIME. Section Leaders will also take attendance during stretch time of any rehearsal and immediately report tardies/absences to the Head Drum Major. The section leader will maintain high standards and help struggling students one-on-one outside of sectional/rehearsal time (after school, before school, etc). The Section Leader will also be expected to be the Morale Officer for their section – being positive, building people up, being friendly and caring about their members as friends. The Section Leader will be responsible for planning summer sectionals, creating a calendar of summer sectionals with dates/times/addresses, as well as planning social activities/traditions during the season to improve morale. The Section Leader is held to a higher performance standard than the general member, and as such is expected to memorize all show music and stand tune music prior to their section, be a musical leader, and work with the directors to communicate musical details to their section. The Section Leader will take notes after each rehearsal of any changes to the printed music by the Staff to review with their section. Playing skills, private lesson instruction, and personal maturity/responsibility will be strongly considered when selecting Section Leaders. - Equipment Manager/Field Crew: (Energetic, Detail-Oriented, Cooperative, Likes Physical Work)
The Field Crew is responsible for setting up the field prior to every rehearsal and therefore should plan on arriving early to all rehearsals. The field crew will paint lines and “tics” weekly (usually arriving at 3:45pm on Tuesday afternoon and reporting directly to the field to start painting). When just simply “touching up” the field, arriving by 4:30pm and reporting directly to the field is expected. The crew will also set up all equipment (drum major stands, props, yard line markers) in conjunction with the Drum Majors. The crew will be responsible for moving all equipment/props to the Band hallway for truck loading as needed on Fridays/Saturdays. The field crew will work with our Parent group in setting up props during games/competitions. - Uniform Manager: (Precise, Organized, Helpful, Orderly)
As Uniform Manager you will oversee all uniform duties and work directly with the parent uniform volunteers. You will keep a roster of every band student and support all students with uniform needs. Uniform managers will be responsible for helping to size students for uniforms during the summer, as well as maintain and repair uniform parts as needed. Uniform managers will also help prep uniforms for cleaning as needed, and assist with uniform check-out and check-in. Uniform managers are expected to arrive 1 hour prior to Call Time for ALL events to assist, as well as stay to help check uniforms in (typically 30 minutes after returning to the Band Room). - Social Media Chief: (Knowledge of Cameras, Video Editing Skills, Assertive, Organized, Artistic)
As Social Media Chief, you will take photos of ALL aspects of the Band Program for posting on the Band Website (including during class time, Jazz Bands, Percussion Ensembles, Concert Bands, Winter Guard, Regionals, Festival performances, etc.) You will also help with any A/V production needs during the year, such as helping to create videos for Recruiting, Retention, and Social Media postings. The Social Media Chief will also help the Secretary in providing large printed photos each week to use on the bulletin boards and elsewhere. This committee will work YEAR-ROUND (not just during marching season). - Truck Crew: (Likes Physical Work, Hard Worker, Organized, Cooperative, Good Spatial Reasoning)
As part of the Truck Crew, you will be responsible for loading our various trucks and equipment trailers for ALL events (away football games, marching band competitions, etc.). Truck Crew members will work in conjunction with the directors to show up early or stay late to load the trucks. The Crew will be organized, efficient, and promote safety. The head of the truck crew will work with the directors and parent volunteers to develop systems to efficiently load the truck, and be responsible for training the whole student crew and define roles for better efficiency. - Lockers/Instrument Check-Out: (Data-driven, Organized, Detail-Oriented, Efficient)
As part of the Locker/Instrument Committee, you will work to assign lockers during the summer for all concert and marching band members. You will enter data into the computer with instrument locker numbers. The locker committee will also be responsible for keeping all locker rooms clean and free of trash/clutter on a DAILY basis (some of the committee can do before school, some during school, and some after school). The committee will immediately remove instruments not left in lockers. The committee will also be responsible for working in the summer to help check instruments out to students, collect fees, and assess instruments for repairs in conjunction with the directors. The committee head will be responsible for maintaining an accurate record book for all instruments checked out. This crew will work YEAR-ROUND (not just during marching season). - Party Planning Committee: (Creative, Outgoing, Friendly, Resourceful, Communicative)
As a Party Planner, you will help secure locations for all band parties. Parties will typically be held after all Home Football Games (and Away Games if it is a nearby school). The Party Planning Committee should also plan additional social gatherings throughout the school year to promote band unity. You will be responsible for creating flyers for each week three days prior to any event with the home address and what to bring (i.e. $5 for food, swimsuit, etc.). For non-typical social gatherings (i.e. – concert band bowling night), the committee should work in conjunction with the Secretary to create posters and social media postings to promote the event. The Party Planning Committee will also serve as a Morale Boosting Organization – and will write weekly thank you notes/friendship mail to Students and Parent Volunteers who go above and beyond (the Committee Head will coordinate with the directors each week). This crew will work YEAR-ROUND (not just during marching season). - Facility Crew: (Organized, Neat Freak, Clean, Detail-Oriented, Resourceful)
As part of the Facility Crew, you will create a schedule with other committee members to maintain ALL band facilities (band room, percussion room, guard room, locker room, practice rooms, practice room locker room, percussion closets, changing rooms, and hallways). A schedule will be implemented where all members will be responsible for cleaning part of the facility on a DAILY basis (some members before school, some during school, most after school). ALL members of the Facility Crew will be expected to clean up after ALL band events (football games, competitions, band concerts, night and Saturday rehearsals) – typically about 30 minutes after conclusion of the event. The Facility Crew will make sure all spaces are clear of trash, clutter, instruments left out, uniform parts left out, paper/music being left out, etc. The Facility Crew leader will report any ongoing trash issues to the directors. This crew will work YEARROUND (not just during marching season). - Music Librarian (Self-starter, Organized, Orderly, Adaptable, Decisive)
As Music Librarian, you will help to maintain the Music Library room and organize all sheet music. You will help distribute, copy, pass out, collect, and return music to the shelves. You will help to enter in new titles to the system, and help manage all the paper in the band room. Music Librarians will develop a weekly schedule and the Head Librarian will assign weekly tasks to its members. Librarians will be expected to work at least 30 minutes after school once a week to accomplish their tasks. The Librarians will also help organize the cabinets at the front of the Band Room to keep extra copies on hand, and disposing of copies at the conclusion of a concert cycle. This crew will work YEARROUND (not just during marching season).