Bridging the Second Year Gap

The second year of band, or the “gap” year, is as important as the first year. Since the novelty of beginner band has worn off, this year usually consists of second-year students who are no longer in the “honeymoon” stage of band. However, they are not third-year students who are looking forward to more concerts and possibly evaluation or music performance assessment. These students are the middle children of the band family! We have to pay attention to them in unique ways that encourage but also guide them as they figure out who they are and where they belong within the band program. 

A paradigm shift may be necessary. Here are some suggestions to reshape your thinking in terms of the daunting second year:

The second year is:

1. Advanced beginner band.
2. Students who are dependent on the teacher to model and teach.
3. The “new and shiny” factor has faded, so we have to keep it interesting!

The second year is not:

1. Performing band “lite”
2. Students who are independent learners – they need guidance.
3. Fancy curriculum (i.e. lots of performances)

Think of yourself as a reading teacher who teaches reading music.

As the teacher of second-year music students, you have an incredibly important job of framing their thoughts when it comes to reading music. The same skills students use when they read words are the skills they use when they read notes. They see inanimate shapes and give them meaning. What is the name of the note? What is the sound it produces? How do I need to push air, shape my mouth, or use my tongue to make this sound occur? How long does this sound last? Reading, whether it is music or words, is a complex process, but when you break it down for students and give them thinking tools, the process becomes accessible for students.

How do I create a process that ensures greater success in teaching students to read music?

The old saying, “If you fail to plan then you should plan to fail” is a correct summation when it comes to teaching music literacy. First, you must create a curriculum that you are willing to use. Having a written curriculum that is never or sparingly used is not helping your process. If you do not have a written curriculum, reach out to a mentor or a band director in your area. Ask if you can see their curriculum. If this is not possible, take a professional day near the end of a school year to plan for the next school year. Start with getting your general ideas on paper and a timeline of when you want things taught. This holds you accountable and keeps you on track for the school year. If this scares you, write the curriculum in pencil so you give yourself room to adjust throughout the school year!

Focus on the process of student learning and find resources that really work for you and your students. Do not be afraid to create resources. I love my method book, but sometimes, you have to create materials that will reinforce what you really want students to master. My current curriculum is a Frankenstein monster of several different materials, and I have created so many things to reinforce reading. Digging into different resources forces students to stay on their toes when it comes to reading music.

Keep the main things the main things! You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. During the second year, I find the following items to be of most importance for success:

1. Pitch – the vertical movement of music. Can students identify note names? Can students associate fingerings with note names? Can students use their key signatures accurately?
2. Rhythm – the horizontal movement of music. Can students identify downbeat vs. upbeat? Can students count through long notes and rests? Can students attack the notes correctly and release notes correctly in time?
3. Dynamics – the volume of music. Do students understand how to use their air as they crescendo and decrescendo? Can students maintain embouchure strength as they manipulate through different volumes? Do they understand pitch tendencies?
4. Style – usually articulation and how to manipulate the air to achieve different styles. Can a student identify and perform the difference between a staccato versus a legato note? Do they understand the difference in how the air is used?
5. Roadmaps – repeats, D.C. al Coda, D.S., first and second endings, things that make students look at you, etc.

We should never take for granted our students know the material. As teachers, we are accountable for assessing them and keeping data along with communicating with parents if there is a learning discrepancy. Listening to students individually at least once a week helps ensure that students are not trying to hide within the ensemble.

What about the social-emotional needs of a second-year student?

Keeping your students motivated and engaged in this “gap year” is the key to future success. Maya Angelou said it best, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” When we teach any child, but especially our “gap” children, we have a duty to go the extra mile to help them learn who they are and how to make positive decisions.

Social and emotional needs cannot be ignored! The following are items that students can learn in band:

1. How to make good choices.
2. Accept responsibility for their actions.
3. Develop leadership skills within the program.
4. Demonstrate empathy for peers.
5. Demonstrate the ability to set personal goals and have a choice in their performance abilities.

Remember students are struggling with hormones, and they can’t really help it. Because of crazy hormones and changes, we need to always praise students publicly and criticize privately. Hormones can amplify situations so criticizing privately helps deescalate situations in their minds.

Bridge the Gap by beginning with the end in mind.

Our end goal is to see as many students as possible graduate from our program. With this end goal in mind, we are able to focus on bridging the gap with students.

1. Develop relationships with students
2. Remember they are just kids – practice giving them grace when they make mistakes.
3. Encourage individuality and give them a reason to want to come back to your class.
4. Create an environment that makes students want to be there. Why do band kids always want to hang out in the band hall?
5. Let them always know you want to teach them or be in their life until they graduate high school.
6. Communicate with parents from day one. Send positive emails as often as possible.

Bridging the second-year gap is so important for the long-term success of any band program! As teachers, we cannot only pay attention to the beginners and then focus on the performing ensembles. Every day that we work with students must be a meaningful and positive interaction for them as well as with them. As Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson says, “Success isn’t always about greatness. It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come.”

Louise Smith, NBCT, is currently in her twenty-third year as band director for Gautier Middle School in the Pascagoula-Gautier School District. In August 2020 NEA Today featured Mrs. Smith in the cover article “Helping Students and Educators Recover from Covid-19 Trauma” and U.S. News and World Report named her one of the “Twenty Professionals Who Made a Difference During the Pandemic.” Recently, Mrs. Smith was recognized as the 2023 Mississippi Teacher of the Year and a 2024 Horace Mann Award winner by the NEA Foundation.

Jennifer Sills has been a music educator in Mississippi for 27 years at both the middle and high school levels. She is a National Board Certified Teacher and member of Phi Beta Mu, ASBDA, and MS Bandmasters Association. She is currently the band director at Singing River Academy in Gautier, MS.

Related Reading:
Beginning Band Building Blocks
The Right Music at the Right Time: Finding Music that Fits Your Beginning Band
Motivation, Innovation, and Differentiation in Your Beginning Band

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