5-Minute Read: New Year's Resolutions!
Happy New Year, everyone! Hopefully you've had a fun and relaxing holiday, leaving you recharged for the coming semester with your school band. So, now that you're just about to get back to the task of educating young musicians, let's take stock for a moment and try to accomplish a few New Year's Resolutions!
Get Your Inventory Up to Date
There's no doubt that your fall semester saw some purchases of new equipment. If any of those purchases were durable (capital) goods (instruments and other equipment that will stay in your inventory for multiple years), it's important that you record their value, make, model, and serial number. Not only does your district require it, but this also protects you if anything is damaged or stolen!
Get Your Percussion in Order
We all know that the percussion cabinet can become a bit of a disaster area. It's equipment that belongs to everyone and no one, so it can be neglected. Take time to organize your percussion cabinet and storage areas! The biggest advantage here is that you can find where there are unmatched and broken sticks, missing cymbal felts, and triangles being held up by strands of carpet your students have ripped up (the struggle is real!). Not only can you repair and replace these items, but you can organize the storage to exactly the configuration you want. Pro Tip: Take a picture of this new equipment layout, print it out, and tape it around the percussion area. That way your students know exactly what the equipment should look like at the end of class.
Schedule a Repair Party
Now is the perfect time to take stock of any repairs your students have let slide on their instruments. First of all, contact your music store repair representative, and see how soon you can schedule them to visit your campus. Before they arrive, set aside a few minutes on each of several class days in your first week of classes to examine your students' instruments, reeds, heads, and sticks. Things to look for include:
- Broken reeds
- Chipped mouthpieces
- Missing pads and springs
- Stuck brass mouthpieces and slides
- Dented and/or poorly-lubricated piston valves and trombone slides
- Broken or unmatched sticks
- Really dirty and gross instruments that need a bath!
Most of these issues can be repaired or solved with little to no money. Just make sure to write down the student's name, instrument, and the needed repair to make it easy for your repair person. They'll appreciate your assistance here! Don't forget to also find and fix your broken music stands while you're at it!
These three items will help you start your new semester on the right foot. A classroom that is well-ordered can help you have a well-ordered rehearsal, and your band will certainly sound better with the right equipment functioning properly. Happy New Year!