Staying Out of Trouble (Texas Bandmaster Association Archives)

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 tips we noticed 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. We will try not to comment or analyze because we don’t want to misinterpret the clinician’s meaning.

Today’s Highlighted Clinic:
Staying Out of Trouble
Jeff King, Cody Myers & Peter Warshaw

Financial Transparency

Follow all district guidelines
Maintain meticulous and up-to-date records
Redundancy is imperative
Use check # and receipt # in parallel records
Communicate to students/parents clearly re: financial obligations – avoid changes and surprises  Keep school monies and booster monies separate
Always give a receipt when accepting money
Always count money with another adult in the room
Deposit money daily
Be on good terms with financial secretary
Have deposits organized when giving to him/her
Keep a hard copy of deposit records with the signed receipt attached
Carelessness is no excuse!!

Communication

Strive for honesty and clarity
Know how to communicate differently, based on your audience
Written communication must be grammatically correct
In a face to face meeting, be aware of eye contact, voice timbre, posture, body language, etc.
Ask students to do as you say and do – model appropriate communication
Provide calendars in advance
Communicate with admin on a regular basis – about student success as well as issues
Congratulate colleagues and administrators for their accomplishments

Social Media – the real “Permanent Record”

Social media can be effective for communication, networking, and marketing
Utilize appropriate apps
Warning – social media can create and feed negative behavior
Check your Facebook settings
Post only appropriate photos – none with PDA or alcohol/drug use innuendos
No controversial status updates – positive statements only
No posting of any personal information that can be interpreted as inappropriate
“Friend” students after they graduate

Other topics covered in this handout include:
Professionalism, Organization, Rules, Cooperation, Protecting Resources, Email, Parent Conferences, Principal Conferences, Booster Clubs and Strategies for serious issues.