Leadership in Beginning Band
This article is from guest author, Nicole Brocke. Building leadership in young band students has morphed drastically during my 21 years of teaching but has become a central focus of my curriculum. I have learned that building leadership skills is just as important (if not MORE important) than teaching instrument pedagogy and the love of music. My leadership building program began for purely selfish and personal reasons. But after a while, I realized the positive results it has for young students; leadership skills build maturity, confidence, passion, and pride. I LOVE beginning band. I LOVE teaching beginners. I LOVE helping them build the leadership skills that will stay with them their entire life. Before I give examples and details about what my student leadership program entails, I think it is important for you to understand how it came to be. Background and Development Let me describe a frequent picture of my band class during my first few years of teaching beginning band. I