How to Interview for a Band Director Position - What They Want to Hear (TBA Archives)

Are you looking for a band director job? This may make the difference between getting the interview or not and getting the job or not!

The TBA Archives refer to the Texas Bandmasters Association archives of clinic handouts from past conventions. Conventions are one of the best ways to learn new things, spark new ideas, ask questions and be inspired. The only problem is all of that new knowledge is thrown at us in about a 48 hour window and it’s hard to retain much of it.

The TBA archives are a great resource on-line that can be beneficial to use when you have time to remind you of things you learned at conventions. It can also give you some ideas you may have missed out on if you weren’t able to attend convention.

In these posts on BandDirectorsTalkShop.com we will choose a clinic handout that can give you good ideas even without the actual presentation. We’ll highlight a few great ideas and give you the link to the full handout. Clinicians spend a lot of time preparing the handouts and they can be a wonderful resource if they don’t get lost in a pile on your desk. I will try not to comment or analyze because I don’t want to misinterpret the clinician’s meaning.

Today’s Highlighted Clinic:
How to Interview for a Band Director Position – What They Want to Hear (TBA Archives)
By Dennis Hopkins, Jim VanZandt

Cover Letters – We suggest resume cover letters should be one page, with about three paragraphs total. The first paragraph of a resume cover letter should be an attention-grabber: Use an interesting face, ask a question, or mention a personal connection to someone at the school. Don’t recreate your resume. (Lots more specifics in the handout.)

Interview Attire – You wear the best clothes you have. No exceptions. You cannot afford to have a hair out of place. Full business professional attire is required and expected.

Actual Interview – Be armed with attractive copies of resume and other supportive documents. You can generally count on discussions of philosophy, classroom management, grading, curriculum, record keeping, campus teamwork, public relations, etc. Practice the interview process with a partner.

Tough Questions – “Where do you see yourself in five years?” “What is your greatest failure, and what did you learn from it?” (There are 8 other tough questions in the handout.)

Principal’s High Concerns – Statewide testing, end of course exams, what you (fine arts) can do to raise test scores, daily attendance, classroom management, parent and community relations. (more listed in handout.)

There is SO much more information in the handout. If you are even considering looking for a job for next year, you should read every word!

You can find the entire handout (12 pages of wonderful information) here.

Good luck with your job search! Be sure to check our “Band Director Jobs – Nationwide” post to find the best websites in each state for posting band director jobs.

Also, be sure to like our Facebook page. We will be providing opportunities every couple weeks to post if you are looking for a job or for a new hire.