This is How We Do it Here: Establishing a Positive, Successful Culture in Your Music Program


The Dreaded Question “Are we playing today?” asked a trombone player as he entered the band room. “What do you mean?” answered the band director, “Yes—we are doing what we do everyday, we’re playing.” “Oh, boo”, the student responded, “I thought maybe we could take a break and watch a movie. It’s Friday and we always used to watch movies on Friday’s when Mr. (fill in the blank) was here…” “Ugh”, thought the teacher, “here we go again.” This exchange is likely familiar to many music teachers. It is not that watching the occasional movie is bad; it is that we often do not have enough time as it is to teach all of the standards and curriculum that are required during the time we have with the students. Also, we want them to want to play or sing everyday, right?


A director who recently changed schools told me he had a goal to get his students to the point where they were disappointed when they had to watch a movie. He was new to the school and wanted to know how he would be able to change the thinking of the students—thinking and behavior that had been passed on from class to class for years. I told him that he likely would have to begin the long and arduous process of changing the culture of his program. I explained that to do so would require patience from both him and his students, and be done in small, yet powerful steps.


Culture One of the definitions of culture is “the beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a particular society, group, place, or time; a particular society that has its own beliefs, ways of life, art, etc.; a way of thinking, behaving, or working that exists in a place or organization” (Merriam Webster Online, 2015). Establishing a strong culture in any program, band, chorus, orchestra, or general music, makes it easier for everyone involved to know and understand expectations. Teachers may have to ask themselves, are the ways that we do things in this program helping or hurting our success? We sometimes unknowingly and


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blindly teach without a vision of success for our students (or us.) Bob Duke, Professor of Music at the University of Texas at Austin, states that we are to have a vision of our students as successful, accomplished learners. I would add that we should also have a vision of ourselves as successful, accomplished teachers. This vision can also include the culture of our program.


Before one can establish a culture, it is best to identify what the vision actually is for the program. It is at this point when decisions can be made about the habits likely enabling the maladaptive behavior(s). When all of the behaviors are corrected and your positive culture is in place, what does it look like? Does your new culture include a lot of parent support? Does it include a lot of performances? Having a firm idea of the end result is your vision of your new and improved culture.


As far as behaviors are concerned, you will have to determine what it is you want to change. Do you want your students to enter the room in a certain way? Do you have guidelines for who is and is not allowed in the music room? Do you want your students to think of the music room as a sacred place that is a safe haven for them throughout the school day and beyond?


Teachers often tell me that they want their students to have fun and enjoy the experience in their classroom. I think it would be difficult to find anyone who disagrees. However, what exactly does that mean? Does it mean that your students enjoy the your class because they are not being corrected for their academic or social behavior? Or are they enjoying the experience because they are thrilled that the one musical passage you have all been working on finally came together beautifully? Which enjoyment do you want them to have? This is why identifying current behaviors is so important. Defining what fun and enjoyment is in your classroom is part of how you change the


Editor’s Note: This article appears as one of a series written especially for Ala Breve by experts in the field of music education. by DaLaine Chapman


culture. This is different for everybody which is why it is important to think through what you really want for your program. Having a routine helps to form a culture. Routine often involves having consistent classroom activities, consistent classroom management principles, and teaching students respect for not just the physical environment but for the program as a whole. It is a constellation of consistent behaviors that interact together to create the culture.


A culture of any program is about just that: the entire program. Not just the marching band, or the top show choir, but about all of the ensembles. It is likely that in programs that have a strong sense of culture, a high percentage of the students and parents, not just the teacher, have strong allegiances and loyalty toward having success. Perhaps we have heard all too often: “We had a great choral program for many years…then she left…” It has to be about everyone involved in the program for the culture shift to happen and be successful.


Change is Difficult, But a Few Selected Students Can Help A mentor once told me that changing the culture of any organization is like turning a ship in a harbor. It takes time, tenacity, and a lot of patience. It also takes teamwork. Changing the thinking and behavior of just one person is often difficult, but having to do so with groups of students is very challenging for one person alone. A teacher trying to do so may be better served by having a smaller subset of that group to help in the process.


Older students mentoring younger students help the culture cause tremendously. If a teacher has trained student helpers in how to act and how to mentor other students, mentoring can be a powerful tool in achieving a positive culture. Mentors can be there to show that, yes, everyone practices;


August/September 2015


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