Ask Mike Roundtable: Your Program and Your Music Store

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All right, we're gonna do ourselves up another Ask Mike podcast.
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And uh welcome to our podcast.
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My name is Mike Lenny, and uh generally I'm the one who's being asked all these questions, but today I've got this crew of individuals with me that I'm gonna be asking some questions and they're gonna be telling us some things.
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I've known all these gentlemen long enough that we have stories that will not be aired on this podcast.
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And we probably have records in sheriff's offices across parts of Texas.
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Um, but I'm gonna start with Mr.
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Wes Sutton on the end.
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And Wes, tell us a little bit about yourself, and then we'll go to Mr.
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Perkins and Mr.
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Bode.
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Well, I'm uh GM for Tarpley Music Company.
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I've been with the company for uh 20 years now.
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Uh with uh King Music prior to this, uh, with an ed rep.
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Uh that's how I met most of these guys uh originally.
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Uh did that for about 15 years and kind of went through the chains of uh the music industry.
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And and here I am today uh with these fine guys and going to answer a few of Mike's questions.
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Mr.
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Perkins.
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I'm Tommy Perkins.
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I'm the band director at Bangs High School.
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This is year number 31 is starting all this, and known these guys forever.
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You know, they're days that I think Wes and I are kind of related, you know.
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You do look a lot like that.
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Yeah, yeah.
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We spend a lot of time together, and I pick up some of his terminology to get to me in trouble sometimes.
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Mr.
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Bodie?
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Oh, it's my turn.
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Okay, well, if we have to go there.
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Now, my name's Jim Bodie.
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I'm a retired director since 16 years ago or something like that.
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I live in San Angelo and Mason County and a few other places, I'm pretty sure.
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But anyhow, I work with a lot of these guys, have worked with, like I say, Wes and I met when I was at Eriean County, I think.
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Yes, sir.
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You know, that's where I met him and Tommy, somewhere way back there when he was with Mike Brady.
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And you, who knows where I met you.
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I'm not sure I remembered that.
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But anyhow, you were traumatized at the moment.
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Not a bit.
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Anyhow.
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So, what I mean, what else you want to know about?
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Yeah, I'll tell you what, I these guys have done a great job in all the respective fields.
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Um, our goal today is to kind of have a podcast based on uh I guess the best way to say it is the our band director community, how we uh operate and communicate with other directors in our field and operate and communicate with the people that are in the music industry that uh are very influential in what we're doing on a day-to-day basis.
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And things have changed over the years.
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You know, we've gone through social media, the these guys are all of age, and I might be the oldest one here.
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I don't know.
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I think Bodie's probably 10 years ago.
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Okay.
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Yeah.
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But you do act immature.
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Well, yes.
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It's called the second childhood.
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But but no, we kind of came in an age where I remember doing uh, you know, entries on an IBM Selectric typewriter, and I remember seeing my first Apple IIe computer on my desk, and we were so excited with this new technology.
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And now it's so much easier in a way to communicate on social media and uh to find videos and things of that nature than it is to communicate with actual people face to face.
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So we thought we'd talk about some things that we do within our programs.
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Um I want to start with uh Wes because you know you'd think from the outside looking in that uh we don't have opposite goals by any means, but you wouldn't think that the music, local music store uh that services your uh band program would have different goals, would have you would have different goals than what you have as a band director.
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But Wes, would you kind of speak to that a little bit for us?
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Well, first off, um from the music industry side of it, um, you know, we're all in this to make better musicians start off with.
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Yeah.
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And uh from our side standpoint, way way we see ourselves as a music store or music company or as uh as a head rep back when I was doing that particular job was I'm an extension of your program.
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So it takes our instruments uh for your program to go, but I'm also a connection between all the band halls.
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So I know I've got a I'm connected to a lot of people, a lot of resources.
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Uh, you know, we were talking earlier about kind of like the job board, you know.
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I'm also connected to a lot of superintendents across the state.
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So uh because we visit those people in the business offices where a lot of people don't.
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Uh so we if you use those resources for the way that we do business, uh we're a great resource for you.
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Don't look at it at the music store as that's just the guy that sells me instruments.
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That can be the guy that's gonna uh talk go be the liaison for that business deal that you need to get done at your school.
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Uh we deal with business people all the time.
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So uh going to the a school board meeting to represent uh bid for you is not a problem.
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That's stuff that we do.
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And uh, but we look at us as an extension to your program to help your program grow and be successful because in the end game, we want to get these students uh at a higher level of education and playing music so music lasts for the rest of our lives because everybody's connected to music somewhere.
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Yeah, great points, great points.
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And yeah, we want to make sure that uh, you know, those kids grow up to be adults and parents that have kids that are also in band.
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And we want this thing to keep cycling over as we go through it.
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So, Tommy, I guarantee you you got some things you can tell us about this.
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Um back when you first started teaching, what were some common ways that you met up with directors or exchanged ideas how to teach?
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You know, we didn't quite just get on a computer and kind of look for things.
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Well when I started, there was no internet back then.
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There's still none banks.
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Yeah, yeah.
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At least not in my office.
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Okay.
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You learned everything word of mouth.
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Used to come down back then, it was call or music.
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You come down here and there'd be directors down here that retired, you know.
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I don't know how many times I heard Bill Woods say, Mr.
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Perkins, do we need to have a conversation about the clarinet again?
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You know, you learn a lot down here.
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This is where you found out about what job was open.
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And at one time, even the music store here, we used to have music in the store.
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Yeah, you could buy music store.
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You could buy music in the music store and you could come and look and see what you needed.
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Sold ensemble, music, concert, site, reading music.
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And somebody in the music store would tell you, yeah, that's a good piece to play.
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Uh, you may not want to play that one.
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And you know, a lot of information was given at the music store.
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And down at the convention, we'd sit at the snack bar.
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And if you were a young director, your job was just to keep your mouth shut and you just sit there and listen, and they would talk for two, three hours, but you would leave with so much information, you know, and the phone.
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And this, well, cell phones still weren't a big thing then.
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We just called each other on the office phone.
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But if you wanted to know how to play something or how the articulation goes and misprints back then, remember some of those tunes had misprints in that the only way you knew about them is if an older director told you.
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Right.
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Remember Moda Song and Dance?
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Yeah, it had misprints in it.
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And if you didn't know an older director or someone didn't tell you, everything was word of mouth back then.
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And a lot of those misprints actually fit the music.
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But the judge has a score, so I just can't do that.
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Yeah, but yeah, that's that's an excellent point.
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Yeah, because uh, you know, those misprints lived forever because they printed the music off of brass plates.
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You know what I mean?
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So they couldn't just go on the computer and change that to an F sharp, you know, kind of thing.
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Um but yeah, there's a a lot of things that go into this.
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It's it's hard to, I think, you know, in today's society to uh to have more communication face to face because and we've done this to ourselves, so I'm not blaming anybody, but we've made it busier.
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You know, you've got WGI, you've got indoor wins, you've got DCI, you've got, you know, Jazz Band competition competition, Mariachi, you've got all this, you know.
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It's uh so it does make it harder, and it doesn't mean that you have to give up any of the social media because I think it's a great resource.
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But you need to find some time somewhere along the way to kind of meet someone face to face.
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If it's an older director that you can get some ideas from, that's perfectly fine.
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But there's certainly nothing wrong with a whole table full of young directors that have taught for one year or two years exchanging ideas on that.
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Some things that we do that we still do to this day, because uh Mr.
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Jim Bode he he loves doing this, is uh he has a uh we'll just call it a social gathering.
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Uh but he's gonna tell us a little bit about this social gathering.
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Well, uh, you know, here you go.
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You know, now get your edit ready.
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Remember, there's gonna be uh attorneys viewing this.
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Yeah, I know that.
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Okay, sorry, just be careful.
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My name's Mike Lenny, I'm from Havelink Attention.
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No, uh you know what these two guys said already uh is something we've been discussing all morning and all at you know, through lunch and everything, is the fact that, you know, and I'm not gonna say young directors, new directors.
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Yeah.
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Or inexperienced directors are kind of shy about approaching somebody they don't know that may have more experience.
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Or somebody, say, from the music industry that they don't really know what they do, so that they're not gonna ask them.
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Man, that's a good point.
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And the number one thing, and I always tell the people this that I work with or work, you know, help their bands or whatever if you're a new director or any kind of director, period.
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You need to find somebody.
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Don't be afraid to ask somebody a question.
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You know, it's it's so important.
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We all started the same way.
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I mean, I was a little shy about asking somebody when I first started teaching, and then of course I met up with a guy that taught me a whole lot, Jim Childers, that you know, kind of just put it in my face, said you will ask this guy that, you will ask this.
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But the there wasn't a whole lot of negotiation.
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No, the point is get on the phone, go to somebody, some you know, can I come watch a rehearsal?
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Yeah.
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You know, can I come in the store and talk to talk to your manager?
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Tell me how you how you guys work.
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Because I'm new at this, you know, something like that.
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Can I go watch Perkins?
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Can I come watch your band?
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You know, you got your student teacher out here in the hallway.
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She's gonna do that very thing.
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Watch your band.
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Can I go watch you do another band?
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You know, there are no dumb questions from a new teacher.
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Let's put it that way.
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Don't be afraid to come up to Mr.
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Lunny and say, Hey, can you help me?
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Can I ask you something and you give me some answers?
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You know, that's the whole point of this conversation.
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But yeah, okay, now I told you I was gonna get off script.
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But can I throw in one thing before you get to the stuff?
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Just don't hit me with it.
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I won't hit you with it, okay.
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Um, the idea of asking someone else for advice, it's actually kind of flattering.
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Oh, well, yeah.
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You you think you're like imposing upon them, but there's something and I this sounds real self-centered in a way, but it is kind of flattering when someone says, Hey, how does your band make that happen?
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So, but I just want to throw that in there.
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Well, and you'll find out, you know, that you just got me off track again.
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Okay, well, you got an edit button.
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But we can cut you out later.
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You'll find out that the most famous band directors out there who've got it.
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Everybody in the world knows who they are.
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You know, whether it's a Ralph Zemmerup, it may be a Harris Brinson, it may be a Francis Macbeth.
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They love it when somebody asks the questions.
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Yeah, even if it's somebody who's just starting at some school somewhere and never taught anywhere, these big guys love it.
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They would love to help you.
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There are no egos because if they had an ego, they wouldn't be that well that that well versed in their profession.
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Yeah, and it is shocking.
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You could call you know Jerry Junk at the end and leave a message.
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And Jerry Junk.
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He he won't get back to you within 30 minutes.
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He's a busy man, but he will get back to you.
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You know, it's he it's amazing.
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So don't think that you're unimportant.
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Exactly.
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The people will not respond to it.
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Don't be shy.
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But anyhow, getting back to the point the thing, okay, the farm.
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That's what we call it.
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That's what we call it.
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We own the farm, yeah.
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Well, or the ranch, what are you gonna call it?
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That's where I'm gonna retire to to go with it.
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Exactly.
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But uh years and years ago, uh great director Butch Credgington was retiring from Brady, and so we decided to decide, Butch, you want to have a retirement party, which of course that's just an excuse for a party.
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So we met in my front yard down there, and kind of an all-star cast.
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We had Wendell Gideon, James Mallow.
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Some of you guys, the old folks can remember, these are legends.
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You know, Jim Childers, Ralph Zamaripa, Forster Halimacek, and just the list went on and on, and then a few young folks.
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Brian Owen, all these guys.
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Well, what happens if one of these things?
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They're starting to ask each other questions about the profession.
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Yeah, shop talk kicks in.
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Yes, you got to be hall of famer six months.
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Exactly.
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So we we've kept that going.
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We do about four or five a year, and the young ones have learned, and I don't say just young ones, because there's some older ones there who are very successful, but they're still gonna pick somebody like Mike's brain or Barry Earn or somebody who comes to these things, they're gonna pick the brain.
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You know, so it's extremely important to come get with those folks, learn those folks, learn to come up to them and ask him, Mike, my band's doing this.
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What would I do?
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What would you do if I was doing this?
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Yeah, yeah.
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We created listening sessions about 18 years ago for the same thing.
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Yeah, yeah, yeah.
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He created and I stole it.
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I stole it.
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Well, you stole it.
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That's all right.
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My lawyers will be in touch.
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But anyhow, but yeah, but this whole thing, and you know, okay, I'm a teacher and everything, I'm a band director.
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Here comes Wes, and I'm learning real fast.
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Oh, this guy can help me in a lot of ways.
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Not necessarily, okay, how to play in tune or something like that.
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Although there's a lot of guys that work with you guys that are musicians and everything, they they may throw something in from a different direction.
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Whoa, that actually works with the band.
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So we learned like that.
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But one of the best connections in the world is your music store guy.
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Because they're everywhere, they know what's going on.
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I know about Wes, he's helped people get jobs, he's helped superintendents find good band directors.
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That's there's a that's the that's the community we're talking about, the comet, you know, comment uh communication we're talking about.
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Yeah.
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You know, it's it's it's huge.
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And it's very, it's very helpful.
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And again, like I say, the very, you know, Mike, you're more famous than I am, but uh I'm I've got other fans.
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But you know, you look to a Jerry Juncans or a mer uh Jim Childers or even Francis Macbeth.
00:14:34.320 --> 00:14:42.000
I mean, I was fortunate enough that he came and hung out in the Fredericksburg band hall because Jim Childers, the guy that taught me, was kind of his protege.
00:14:42.320 --> 00:14:47.279
So he'd just come down and sit every two years, every convention, he'd hang out, him and his wife had hang out in Fredericksburg.
00:14:47.519 --> 00:14:52.080
But we learned so much, and he was so willing to tell us how to do things or how he did things.
00:14:52.240 --> 00:14:52.480
Yes.
00:14:52.879 --> 00:14:54.639
And I tell you what, valuable.
00:14:55.039 --> 00:14:56.000
You're exactly right.
00:14:56.159 --> 00:15:15.120
And with Wes, with uh something you can uh utilize the services of your music store is how to communicate with your uh your school boards and how to communicate properly with your admin and your special ex superintendents because they deal with those folks a lot, you know, and so that's a very intimidating thing.
00:15:15.279 --> 00:15:16.960
I don't care how young or old you are.
00:15:17.039 --> 00:15:20.799
That's intimidating to see all these people that they're the ones that sign your check.
00:15:21.039 --> 00:15:21.840
And think about this.
00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:27.279
I'm gonna interrupt a little bit, but somebody like Wes, because he's done, I mean, he's the you're the president of the school board out at where you are, right?
00:15:27.519 --> 00:15:28.000
Yes, sir.
00:15:28.240 --> 00:15:36.879
Uh people like that can also tell you how to communicate with administrators, community members, parents, school boards, because they're on the other side of it.
00:15:37.039 --> 00:15:37.440
You know.
00:15:37.759 --> 00:15:42.159
The greatest the greatest trick of all is okay, you're a band director and you need something for your administration.
00:15:42.320 --> 00:15:46.320
The oldest trick in the world is if you're good at it, you make it make them think it's their idea.
00:15:46.559 --> 00:15:46.879
Yes.
00:15:47.039 --> 00:15:47.600
That's exactly right.
00:15:47.840 --> 00:15:52.799
But we were talking guys like you know, if you're talking to somebody in a different industry, okay, music, well, they're on the other side of this.
00:15:52.879 --> 00:15:53.600
They are parents.
00:15:53.759 --> 00:15:56.960
Yeah, they are school board members, they are administrators or whatever.
00:15:57.200 --> 00:16:00.399
They can kind of help you learn how to talk to some people.
00:16:00.879 --> 00:16:02.240
A lot of us don't know how to do that.
00:16:02.320 --> 00:16:07.440
There's a lot of band directors that do not know how to talk successfully to the community.
00:16:07.840 --> 00:16:12.559
And and to add to that, uh, and you are correct, a lot of people don't know how to do that.
00:16:12.639 --> 00:16:15.200
They feel intimidated to go uh representing the colour.
00:16:15.360 --> 00:16:16.240
It's a different school board.
00:16:16.559 --> 00:16:19.279
It is, and it is for the school board as well.
00:16:19.519 --> 00:16:27.279
If they don't know what your needs are and they don't hear what your needs are and why, they don't understand it no more than you do.
00:16:27.600 --> 00:16:36.080
So they need to hear it from you to vote with uh uh educated mind uh so they know what they're voting for.
00:16:36.240 --> 00:16:40.799
So uh Scooter Miller was a gentleman um that I learned this from.
00:16:40.879 --> 00:16:42.960
He's one of my band directors I called on.
00:16:43.120 --> 00:16:46.480
Uh he went to every school board meeting.
00:16:46.720 --> 00:16:49.679
And uh and I asked him, I said, why do you go to all the meetings?
00:16:49.840 --> 00:16:53.039
He said, first off, it's harder for them to say no if I'm in the room.
00:16:53.440 --> 00:16:58.720
So, but I'm there to explain what I need and what my program needs.
00:16:58.960 --> 00:17:03.919
And uh I'll I'll just tell y'all, coaches do this better than we do.
00:17:04.240 --> 00:17:04.880
They do.
00:17:05.119 --> 00:17:07.200
They they do a lot of things better than us.
00:17:07.680 --> 00:17:11.599
We don't want to admit they'll go to their administrators and they'll ask for what they need.
00:17:11.759 --> 00:17:15.599
Uh and they'll go to that board and press for what they need.
00:17:15.759 --> 00:17:18.640
They do this better than than we do.
00:17:18.960 --> 00:17:24.079
Um, so that's something that uh I feel like we can all help each other with.
00:17:24.240 --> 00:17:44.559
You know, if uh anybody listen to this podcast cast, uh if if you got a question about that, you you want to know some ins and ins and outs to getting to the school board and uh how to talk to them, how to communicate with them, please reach out to me because uh I think that's a very important tool, and I think it's something that all educators should be doing.
00:17:44.640 --> 00:17:49.920
Yeah, is it real easy to gripe about what the school board has done?
00:17:51.519 --> 00:17:57.440
But if you're not there and you don't know exactly what they did, is it it's hearsay?
00:17:57.519 --> 00:17:58.000
It's your fault.
00:17:58.240 --> 00:17:59.279
Yeah, it's all hearsay.
00:17:59.599 --> 00:18:02.799
Well, the main thing, of course, we're talking about face-to-face communication here.
00:18:02.960 --> 00:18:03.200
Yes.
00:18:03.440 --> 00:18:09.119
Telephone, okay, but text and email, okay, that's real nice, but that really doesn't tell anybody anything.
00:18:09.440 --> 00:18:14.720
You know, if you want to talk to somebody and see if they trust you or if you want you need to be face-to-face with them.
00:18:15.039 --> 00:18:16.880
And that there's that's all honesty there.
00:18:17.039 --> 00:18:18.799
And I'm not gonna say the word I used a while ago.
00:18:18.880 --> 00:18:21.119
Yeah, you know, but it's all honesty.
00:18:21.200 --> 00:18:22.720
That's that's the way you really communicate.
00:18:22.880 --> 00:18:28.559
And a lot of us, and I've done this when I was younger, although I didn't have, I mean, I'm I'm before your Commodore, by the way.
00:18:29.119 --> 00:18:29.759
Computer.
00:18:30.079 --> 00:18:40.160
But anyhow, it took a while for some of us young ones to either get the brave, you know, get the courage or whatever, just get the incentive to, okay, I really need to go do this.
00:18:40.240 --> 00:18:41.519
I need to go meet these people.
00:18:41.759 --> 00:18:45.039
Now, we couldn't email back then or we couldn't text because they didn't exist.
00:18:45.359 --> 00:18:47.359
I'm not that old, but I'm pretty old.
00:18:47.680 --> 00:18:50.480
But anyhow, so uh this face-to-face thing is huge.
00:18:50.559 --> 00:18:55.359
And again, you talk to somebody, they help you, and all of a sudden you're learning more about how to communicate.
00:18:55.599 --> 00:19:02.640
If I'm talking to Macbeth or I'm talking to Zevarep or somebody like that about band, I'm learning more how to communicate, not just with a band, with anybody.
00:19:02.880 --> 00:19:07.599
So we have to do a lot of that, and you need to get out and do it again face to face.
00:19:07.680 --> 00:19:12.079
I mean, text them courtesy, say, hey, what's a good time for me to call you, or something like that.
00:19:12.160 --> 00:19:14.880
That's okay, but do don't do everything by text and email.
00:19:15.200 --> 00:19:15.599
Good lord.
00:19:17.039 --> 00:19:24.799
And if you talk to the road guys, like for instance, anyone that has dealt with Wes back when Wes was a road guy.
00:19:25.039 --> 00:19:35.519
Um if you're gonna go talk to your board or talk to your administrator, the road guy can help you to talk to them where they understand what you're talking about.
00:19:36.000 --> 00:19:44.000
Because when music people get together, we use musical terms and big words, and administrators are gonna turn that off like that.
00:19:44.559 --> 00:19:45.599
Real simple.
00:19:45.920 --> 00:19:56.480
But Wes, when he comes in, if he's gonna sell you a trombone, he's not gonna give you a history on the trombone for the you know, where it was invented and it's been around, blah.
00:19:56.640 --> 00:20:00.640
He's just gonna tell you this is a good trombone, this is this works, it's not much it works.
00:20:00.720 --> 00:20:10.079
And same when we go to speak to the sport or we want to ask for something or whatever, just plain speech will get you across.
00:20:10.240 --> 00:20:11.599
Not how impressive I am.
00:20:11.759 --> 00:20:14.799
Look, I have a college degree, have a master's degree.
00:20:15.119 --> 00:20:18.000
And for God's sake, don't make the mistake I made.
00:20:18.079 --> 00:20:20.480
Jim Childers had to fix this one on me.
00:20:21.039 --> 00:20:25.359
I didn't really want to ask for help because I was embarrassed.
00:20:25.599 --> 00:20:29.759
I didn't want him to come out and think, boy, you're stupid.
00:20:29.839 --> 00:20:30.960
You don't know what you're doing.
00:20:31.119 --> 00:20:37.279
He was coming to clinic by band on Saturday, and I started calling Monday, making excuses.
00:20:37.839 --> 00:20:39.599
Well, I don't know if you should come this week.
00:20:39.839 --> 00:20:40.559
It may rain.
00:20:40.640 --> 00:20:41.839
You know, I call him Tuesday.
00:20:41.920 --> 00:20:43.200
Well, you may not want to come.
00:20:43.279 --> 00:20:44.799
Uh, we have a late night game.
00:20:44.960 --> 00:20:51.839
Any excuse I could come up with, finally he called me and he said, Look, I don't care what excuse you make, I'm still coming.
00:20:52.079 --> 00:20:56.799
I was terrified because I just knew he was gonna leave there thinking I was an idiot.
00:20:57.200 --> 00:21:02.160
And that's I think why a lot of people you don't want to say it face to face.
00:21:02.319 --> 00:21:02.559
Right.
00:21:02.720 --> 00:21:04.240
You know, I don't want to ask Mr.
00:21:04.400 --> 00:21:08.480
Linny how do I do this because he's gonna look at me like, son, are you stupid?
00:21:09.119 --> 00:21:10.880
And but I'm one of these people.
00:21:10.960 --> 00:21:18.720
I've done it for 31 years, and at lunch, I'm in there as saying, okay, now you do marching this way and you do this this way.
00:21:18.960 --> 00:21:22.720
When we're out at the farm, I'm one of those people asking questions.
00:21:23.200 --> 00:21:27.920
And this is year number 31, and I'm still asking questions.
00:21:28.079 --> 00:21:34.880
And I don't care if you've been doing it 50 years or you've been doing it for a year, or you're a college student.
00:21:35.039 --> 00:21:39.119
If you saw something, hey, I was at a clinic and I saw Mr.
00:21:39.279 --> 00:21:41.680
Bodie teach the percussion how to do this.
00:21:41.839 --> 00:21:42.799
Well, I want to know.
00:21:42.960 --> 00:21:43.599
Tell me.
00:21:44.000 --> 00:21:45.920
My ego's not big.
00:21:46.079 --> 00:21:57.519
Of course, mine was humbled when I first started teaching when I had Kelly Glaze come and clinic my band, and he said, You just start them, and as soon as I hear something, I'll tell you to stop.
00:21:57.759 --> 00:21:59.680
I played one note and he stopped my.
00:22:01.920 --> 00:22:03.920
So don't be afraid to ask for help.
00:22:04.000 --> 00:22:05.680
They're not going to laugh at you.
00:22:05.920 --> 00:22:09.200
Well, they'll laugh at you, but they won't think you're stupid.
00:22:09.680 --> 00:22:14.559
Yeah, and sometimes I think the syndrome is uh the old uh I'm too sick to go see the doctor.
00:22:14.799 --> 00:22:15.119
Yes.
00:22:15.519 --> 00:22:17.839
You know, it's like I'm gonna wait till I'm healthy.
00:22:17.920 --> 00:22:19.680
And once I'm healthy, then it's okay.
00:22:19.759 --> 00:22:25.359
I want the doctor to see me after I lose 40 pounds and my blood pressure's under control, then I'll go see the doctor.
00:22:25.519 --> 00:22:28.079
Um, so we've got to kind of keep keep that in check.
00:22:28.240 --> 00:22:38.079
But I really think uh just a sign of how we do things nowadays, that uh communication is a skill, just like learning how to play your instrument was a skill.
00:22:38.240 --> 00:22:52.240
Um, so if you feel uncomfortable, which is normal, especially the more inexperienced you are as a band director, the less you actually generally are sure about communication, you know, because we didn't have any choice, you know.
00:22:52.720 --> 00:22:58.799
It's like there's no other way to communicate other than to find someone else and talk to them face to face and ask questions.
00:22:59.039 --> 00:23:00.480
And so we didn't have any choice.
00:23:00.559 --> 00:23:04.559
So we kind of acquired those skills because there was no other way to do it.
00:23:04.720 --> 00:23:13.039
But so find one person to that you can kind of attach to in that way that you feel comfortable with and then kind of expand it from there.
00:23:13.279 --> 00:23:17.359
One idea I've seen, I know I've several groups that do this, and I think this is so cool.
00:23:17.440 --> 00:23:26.799
I'm not a video game person at all, but a lot of folks do uh video games very interactive where they use the the headphones and the mics and they can talk while they do like Call of Duty or whatever.
00:23:26.960 --> 00:23:35.519
And so, but it'll be band director groups, it'll be like band directors in their late 20s, early 30s, and they do shop talk while they're playing their video game.
00:23:35.680 --> 00:23:45.680
You know, said, Hey, you know, how are you dealing with that with this this person who is an alternate now in your band and their parents are upset and oh yeah, pick up that M16 and we're in Call of Duty.
00:23:45.759 --> 00:23:46.640
Okay, yeah, all right, yeah.
00:23:46.720 --> 00:23:49.359
Now with that alternate, yeah.
00:23:49.519 --> 00:23:50.720
So it's really interesting.
00:23:50.880 --> 00:23:53.440
So it does it, it's better to be face to face.
00:23:53.599 --> 00:23:55.920
I agree a hundred percent with Jim Bode on that.
00:23:56.000 --> 00:23:59.519
Um, but if you know, try start to develop those skills in that way.
00:23:59.680 --> 00:24:01.920
You can do there, you can find a way to do it, you know.
00:24:02.240 --> 00:24:11.759
One other thing to look for on that too, and this is something I learned a long time ago about my mistakes, and then when I started doing a lot of clinics and things like that, I'd watch other people do this.
00:24:12.480 --> 00:24:16.079
Listen to how when you talk to somebody, and we're talking about communication.
00:24:16.160 --> 00:24:18.240
Well, how do they speak to a certain type of person?
00:24:18.319 --> 00:24:19.839
How do they speak to an administrator?
00:24:20.480 --> 00:24:22.319
Another thing is how do you speak to students?
00:24:22.480 --> 00:24:26.799
A lot of band directors who are having a hard time with their quality.
00:24:27.039 --> 00:24:28.400
Okay, they can't get that one.
00:24:28.640 --> 00:24:30.240
Sometimes they can't get that two.
00:24:31.839 --> 00:24:42.480
If you talk to somebody like Mike or Tommy or somebody like this, listen to how they speak, listen to how they describe something, watch how they teach their band.
00:24:43.279 --> 00:24:44.640
That's an important word.
00:24:45.279 --> 00:24:58.960
Because one of my biggest successes on say cross-tuning, cross-listening across a band is talking to those kids like the rednecks because they are, bless their little hearts.
00:24:59.440 --> 00:25:06.160
You know, my best way to balance a band, one of the best ways is okay, have you ever heard, you know, it's it's the the listening thing.
00:25:06.400 --> 00:25:11.279
How many of y'all have ever been out there and your dad pointed out a deer and you couldn't see it?
00:25:11.680 --> 00:25:13.279
Well, the deer was camouflaged.
00:25:13.599 --> 00:25:14.000
All right?
00:25:14.079 --> 00:25:16.640
And after a while you could see that deer every time, couldn't you?
00:25:17.279 --> 00:25:17.759
Guess what?
00:25:17.839 --> 00:25:20.319
Okay, trumpet player, you can't hear that French horn player.
00:25:20.559 --> 00:25:26.240
So we'd do something, we'd isolate the French horn, and now the kids, you've talked to them in their own uh dialect.
00:25:26.720 --> 00:25:29.759
I haven't said a thing up that I learned in music school.
00:25:30.240 --> 00:25:32.480
So I'm I'm going sideways with my conversation here.
00:25:32.720 --> 00:25:36.079
But the idea is there's different ways of talking to kids that are in your band.
00:25:36.240 --> 00:25:38.400
They haven't been through what we've been through.
00:25:38.720 --> 00:25:39.200
All right?
00:25:39.440 --> 00:25:48.559
If I talk to a successful director here and watch to them watch them teach, they're not using musical terms, they're using terms that these kids can understand.
00:25:49.039 --> 00:25:56.720
We can over talk over talk our band real easy, and that's where a lot of very good musicians can't succeed in the band directing.
00:25:57.119 --> 00:25:58.319
They don't know how to communicate to them.
00:25:58.559 --> 00:26:09.839
But if I talk to somebody like this or like this or like this that's been there, I start realizing this guy's speaking to his band in a different way that these kids that are unexperienced, they understand what he wants them to do, so they do it.
00:26:09.920 --> 00:26:10.240
Yeah.
00:26:10.400 --> 00:26:12.160
We don't use big words, let's put it that way.
00:26:12.480 --> 00:26:13.039
No doubt.
00:26:13.279 --> 00:26:20.240
And I think a really good test to that is uh, you know, if you get a chance, which try to make a chance to do this, to go watch a successful band director.
00:26:20.400 --> 00:26:20.799
Absolutely.
00:26:20.960 --> 00:26:25.920
Bring bring just like a little stopwatch with you and figure out how much time are they actually talking during the rehearsal.
00:26:26.079 --> 00:26:26.640
There's another one.
00:26:26.799 --> 00:26:34.720
And uh the most successful directors have the least amount of talk, which is easy for us to say here is we're in a podcast where all we do is talk.
00:26:35.039 --> 00:26:37.839
You know, we choose to stop talking in here, but we can get away with it.
00:26:37.920 --> 00:26:38.000
Go ahead.
00:26:38.160 --> 00:26:39.039
Yeah, so we can get away with it.
00:26:39.119 --> 00:26:41.680
We've got free license you know to talk in a podcast.
00:26:41.839 --> 00:26:51.680
But I've found that the you know, if you go watch Andy Seeley with the Hebron Band, you know, he'll have a two-hour rehearsal and it'll be about you know 10 minutes of actual him talking in a two-hour rehearsal.
00:26:51.839 --> 00:26:53.359
It'll be like, let's do that again.
00:26:53.519 --> 00:26:54.480
Yep, let's do that again.
00:26:54.559 --> 00:26:55.680
That needs to be more articulate.
00:26:55.759 --> 00:26:56.400
Do that again, please.
00:26:56.640 --> 00:27:02.559
But that's what we find out from talking to experienced directors, yes, or experienced in whatever field we're thinking about.
00:27:02.799 --> 00:27:04.640
How do they just discuss things?
00:27:04.720 --> 00:27:06.480
How do they describe something to the kids?
00:27:06.640 --> 00:27:08.799
How do they just describe something to their school board?
00:27:08.960 --> 00:27:09.519
You know.
00:27:10.000 --> 00:27:11.759
So that's again, that's the important thing.
00:27:11.839 --> 00:27:14.240
And we call keep coming back to the same thing.
00:27:14.480 --> 00:27:22.160
If you're new at this, if you're old at this, the best, greatest band directors in the world followed somebody around like a lost puppy when they started out.
00:27:22.240 --> 00:27:23.440
And some of them still do.
00:27:23.920 --> 00:27:25.680
Fabulous bands are saying, Hey, Mr.
00:27:25.759 --> 00:27:27.680
Lenny, will you come hear my band?
00:27:27.839 --> 00:27:30.799
And this is like the 6A otter band that wins it every year, or something like that.
00:27:30.880 --> 00:27:31.839
Would you come hear my band?
00:27:32.160 --> 00:27:33.039
Let me know what you think.
00:27:33.599 --> 00:27:34.960
It's a different set of ears.
00:27:35.359 --> 00:27:38.480
So you learn how to do that, but again, find somebody.
00:27:38.640 --> 00:27:39.920
Do not hide in your shell.
00:27:40.240 --> 00:27:41.200
Yes, that's the number one.
00:27:41.279 --> 00:27:42.160
Just don't find your shell.
00:27:42.240 --> 00:27:44.640
Yeah, it's about the tone of a conversation.
00:27:44.880 --> 00:27:45.279
Yeah, yeah.
00:27:45.839 --> 00:27:47.200
Be brave, find somebody.
00:27:47.440 --> 00:27:52.000
And it is hard to communicate because our field's so much different than other fields.
00:27:52.559 --> 00:27:58.240
Because if you critique my band, that's my baby and my personality.
00:27:58.640 --> 00:28:03.680
But if I was an accountant, you could probably critique my spreadsheet and I wouldn't take as much offense to it.
00:28:04.079 --> 00:28:06.079
It'd be like, yeah, I would still be offended, maybe.
00:28:06.240 --> 00:28:13.839
I don't know, if I thought you were incorrect, but it'd be like, well, that's my spreadsheet, you know, or if I fixed a diesel engine, well, I you did that wrong.
00:28:14.000 --> 00:28:15.519
Well, show me how I'm supposed to do it.
00:28:15.759 --> 00:28:20.000
But there's something about all of us have come from a background where we actually play musical instruments.
00:28:20.160 --> 00:28:22.160
Oh, well, unless you're a percussionist.
00:28:22.960 --> 00:28:25.519
Sorry, I had to give Jim Bodie that stab.
00:28:25.680 --> 00:28:26.640
Sorry, Jim.
00:28:26.960 --> 00:28:28.559
Percussioner musicians, too.
00:28:28.640 --> 00:28:34.640
Please please don't fill up my box with uh nasty emails about percussionists.
00:28:34.880 --> 00:28:37.200
At two o'clock in the morning, there's gonna be a snare drum solo on your porch.
00:28:37.440 --> 00:28:37.759
There will be.
00:28:37.920 --> 00:28:38.799
That's where I will be.
00:28:39.039 --> 00:28:40.799
But you know, but that's part of our life.
00:28:40.880 --> 00:28:43.920
You know, when we go do a recital, that we're it's vulnerable.
00:28:44.079 --> 00:28:44.720
You know what I mean?
00:28:44.799 --> 00:28:45.839
We're up there doing our thing.
00:28:45.920 --> 00:28:47.279
So it's the same with our bands.
00:28:47.359 --> 00:28:54.000
And that's to me, that's the hardest hurdle in communication to get over, is the fact that it's it's part of our heart, part of our soul.
00:28:54.160 --> 00:28:58.000
It's not just this is my diesel engine that's knocking, how do I fix this?
00:28:58.160 --> 00:28:59.599
You know, kind of thing.
00:28:59.920 --> 00:29:01.839
But you've got to get through that.
00:29:02.000 --> 00:29:11.359
You've got to tell yourself that I know this is part of me, this is my baby, but I've if I want it to get better, I've got to have people tell me what to do.
00:29:11.519 --> 00:29:15.279
And I love what you said about speaking to different clientele, because you're exactly right.
00:29:15.440 --> 00:29:28.079
If you watch Me Clinic, uh a band that maybe a 1A band that's a very rural uh farming community, it'll be a different approach than it would be if I was doing the uh top wind ensemble at uh Odessa High School.
00:29:28.240 --> 00:29:28.559
Exactly.
00:29:28.720 --> 00:29:29.279
You know what I mean?
00:29:29.359 --> 00:29:30.799
It's just it's just a different approach.
00:29:30.960 --> 00:29:34.559
It's it and it's not that one kid's better than the other by any means.
00:29:34.720 --> 00:29:36.160
They just live in a different world.
00:29:36.400 --> 00:29:38.880
You know, so you have to approach people in what world they're in.
00:29:39.039 --> 00:29:40.400
Same way in music stores.
00:29:40.559 --> 00:29:55.759
You know, to me, I did my college time uh working in a music store and I enjoyed it, and I spent a lot of time in music stores, but you approach that person you're selling to or providing a service to with some context of what world they come from.
00:29:56.000 --> 00:29:56.880
You know what I mean?
00:29:56.960 --> 00:30:02.640
You you you figure out real quick are you orchestra, band, you are you a vocalist, are you a sound tech guy?
00:30:02.799 --> 00:30:05.440
Are you you you real quickly figure out what it is?
00:30:05.519 --> 00:30:12.480
And if it's not within your ability level, like for me, technology and sound is far out of my technique, my level.
00:30:12.559 --> 00:30:13.839
But you find someone who can.
00:30:13.920 --> 00:30:24.799
You you go to the other guy and go, hey Wes, get that guy over here that does all the tech stuff, you know, because I I can tell him about a flute or a clarinet, but I can't tell them about gain on a mixing board to save my life.
00:30:25.119 --> 00:30:28.400
You might not even approach them from a band standpoint.
00:30:28.640 --> 00:30:36.400
If you're going into a Travis Hobson's band hall, you're gonna approach him from a hunting standpoint, and then we'll talk about band later.
00:30:36.480 --> 00:30:40.880
Yeah, you know, and that's part of having a conversation with a person and getting to know that person.
00:30:41.119 --> 00:30:46.160
I like that you you know more about the person that you're dealing with, you know.
00:30:46.400 --> 00:30:48.559
So that's that's a little deeper.
00:30:48.720 --> 00:30:59.599
Uh you'll get around to that conversation that you really want to talk about, yeah, but you you you know the person, and that's where that I think that face-to-face is so valuable.
00:30:59.759 --> 00:31:07.359
Uh I was pre uh iPhone when I was on the road, so messaging wasn't a deal.
00:31:07.519 --> 00:31:16.559
So when I when I pulled up to a band hall, the band director was excited to see me because I was a social media today pulling up to his band hall.
00:31:16.720 --> 00:31:19.279
I had all the news that I was bringing to town.
00:31:19.519 --> 00:31:22.000
And plus, I was the first person that they hadn't seen his own.
00:31:22.160 --> 00:31:26.400
First to talk to, and the outside guy that I'm I'm somebody they can talk to.
00:31:26.559 --> 00:31:26.960
That's right.
00:31:27.279 --> 00:31:28.960
That they haven't seen all week, you know.
00:31:29.200 --> 00:31:38.720
So it was it was good times, but you know, today with uh the text messages, the emails, you got Team calls, you got, you know, Zoom, you name it.
00:31:38.799 --> 00:31:40.960
There's tons of communication tools.
00:31:41.200 --> 00:31:50.480
Uh that in-person uh well, one thing, when you're doing a text message, you cannot hear the tone of the conversation.
00:31:50.720 --> 00:31:51.440
Exactly.
00:31:51.920 --> 00:31:57.759
And uh Mike likes this one, but if there's anybody that should understand tone, is band directors.
00:31:57.839 --> 00:31:58.880
Yeah, yeah.
00:31:59.200 --> 00:32:03.200
So uh, you know, you might uh I'll give an example.
00:32:03.279 --> 00:32:11.680
I had a band director way back when he texted me a message and he left a it was either a comma or a period, I can't remember, but he left it out of the sentence.
00:32:11.839 --> 00:32:13.119
It sounded totally different.
00:32:13.200 --> 00:32:15.039
And I called him up, I was mad, you know.
00:32:15.200 --> 00:32:17.359
I was like, hey, what in the heck are you thinking about?
00:32:17.839 --> 00:32:23.599
You know, and when I finally got to his band hall and I pulled up and he's like, Man, what I'm not sure why you're mad at me.
00:32:23.759 --> 00:32:28.160
And he got to reading the text message, and he goes, Oh, he said, Yeah, I'm stupid.
00:32:28.240 --> 00:32:30.319
I I should have put a period right in.
00:32:31.359 --> 00:32:34.559
I said, Well, it sounds totally different without that period, don't it?
00:32:34.720 --> 00:32:35.440
He said, Yeah.
00:32:35.920 --> 00:32:40.559
So, you know, that in-person conversation just makes a difference because you can hear the tone.
00:32:40.799 --> 00:32:41.200
Exactly.
00:32:41.279 --> 00:32:45.519
And you know, again, of course, we're uh we seem to be on communication here for most of this thing, but that's you might want to be a good one.
00:32:45.680 --> 00:32:46.240
That's what we're talking about.
00:32:47.519 --> 00:32:48.319
Yeah, that's what it is.
00:32:48.480 --> 00:32:52.559
Communication between band directors and you know, we're talking against uh face-to-face and everything.
00:32:52.640 --> 00:32:58.880
You know, you can compose a text, you can compose an email, but you're not gonna compose when you're talking to somebody.
00:32:59.200 --> 00:33:04.160
You know, you're not preparing anything, it's coming straight from the brain to your mouth out, sometimes not in that order.
00:33:04.480 --> 00:33:06.000
But uh that's the thing.
00:33:06.079 --> 00:33:07.359
I mean, you're honest.
00:33:07.680 --> 00:33:09.519
Texts are not, they're composed.
00:33:09.759 --> 00:33:12.720
And a lot of it is, you know, social environment.
00:33:12.960 --> 00:33:20.559
When we say communicate, it's I don't, it's not the same if we're sitting in the band hall and we're just okay, well, how do you do this?
00:33:20.640 --> 00:33:21.279
How do you do that?
00:33:21.440 --> 00:33:24.319
As opposed to let's all go to lunch and sit around and talk.
00:33:24.400 --> 00:33:32.480
We all went to lunch before, and we talked about all kinds of stuff, and you could talk about all how do you handle this, how do you handle that?
00:33:32.720 --> 00:33:40.799
Remember, we did the baseball, we all went to the baseball game one year, and you put a bunch of band people together at a baseball game, they're still gonna talk band.
00:33:41.759 --> 00:33:47.839
You know, and the road guy was your friend, the band director down the road is my friend.
00:33:48.000 --> 00:33:57.359
So not only when you communicate, you know, you call up, and I remember when Wes's kids were born, and uh, and you know, you call, hey, how's the wife?
00:33:57.440 --> 00:33:58.240
How's the family?
00:33:58.400 --> 00:34:03.519
And you talk human, and then you know, it it eventually comes around the band.
00:34:04.160 --> 00:34:11.599
But it's it's just being human with each other, going to dinner or a bunch of directors getting together out at the farm.
00:34:11.920 --> 00:34:16.800
It's social, but you're gonna learn so much more in a social environment.
00:34:17.039 --> 00:34:19.519
And I'm gonna interrupt real quick.
00:34:19.760 --> 00:34:32.159
If this camera was here during lunch today over at the Away list, we actually said more intelligent things that are more helpful to other directors sitting there at lunch or sitting in my yard at the farm or something like that.
00:34:32.400 --> 00:34:34.079
Now we're in here, we're trying to do the right thing.
00:34:34.239 --> 00:34:35.119
So try not to.
00:34:37.119 --> 00:34:41.920
We're not doing it as well as we could have, as informative we could have, if we were in some other environment.
00:34:42.159 --> 00:34:47.280
Then the everything comes out because we're not even we're not trying to, we don't have a camera here, we don't have a microphone here.
00:34:47.599 --> 00:34:52.880
So the information that we gave each other at lunch or down at the farm or something is invaluable.
00:34:53.199 --> 00:34:53.440
Yes.
00:34:53.840 --> 00:34:56.639
That happened with me, that happened with me at TMA this year.
00:34:56.800 --> 00:35:08.800
I'm sitting at the Marriott, Mike comes along, he sits, we talk three, four hours that night, and he says, Tommy, you really need to do away with those white shoes and do away with those white bands.
00:35:08.960 --> 00:35:10.079
You got to fix that.
00:35:10.320 --> 00:35:14.000
And I'm just like, and everybody thinks we've just done lots of opinions.
00:35:14.400 --> 00:35:16.159
We're just joking and laughing.
00:35:16.320 --> 00:35:21.519
I get back home, and as you'll see, the bang's banned this year, black shoes and black bands.
00:35:22.400 --> 00:35:24.480
Yeah, I always laugh and tell other directors.
00:35:25.119 --> 00:35:30.880
Um we learn a whole lot more when we have a an adult drink in our hand and a cigarette than we do.
00:35:31.280 --> 00:35:32.079
Let that part out.
00:35:33.119 --> 00:35:34.639
You know, but it's it is what it is.
00:35:34.960 --> 00:35:35.599
He's got the edit button.
00:35:35.679 --> 00:35:36.079
So we can't.
00:35:36.320 --> 00:35:36.960
There we go, there we go.
00:35:37.280 --> 00:35:38.000
We can probably over.
00:35:38.320 --> 00:35:38.800
We can take things.
00:35:39.119 --> 00:35:41.039
He doesn't have ISD next to his name.
00:35:42.559 --> 00:35:45.280
He's got that nice retired name over there.
00:35:45.519 --> 00:35:46.000
That's right.
00:35:46.239 --> 00:35:55.519
But you know, according to that with doing face-to-face communication, the one real cool thing about it is you can tell if people are listening to you when you're talking face to face.
00:35:55.679 --> 00:35:57.760
If you're texting, you don't know if they've ever seen the text.
00:35:57.920 --> 00:35:58.000
Right.
00:35:58.159 --> 00:36:00.079
And then you feel awkward trying to text again.
00:36:00.239 --> 00:36:13.679
But kind of going back to the ideal of face-to-face for Perkins and Bodhi, um, do you uh have any sort of schedule for TMA TBA that you make meeting times for certain people?
00:36:13.840 --> 00:36:18.000
Or do you just kind of hang out at a yard house and kind of wait for things to start happening?
00:36:18.079 --> 00:36:19.679
Or well, you just answered your own question.
00:36:19.840 --> 00:36:20.079
Yeah.
00:36:20.559 --> 00:36:20.880
Okay.
00:36:21.360 --> 00:36:27.039
No, I mean, at conventions, and of course, I mean, I've never seen y'all like fill go through a Rolodex or anything.
00:36:27.199 --> 00:36:27.679
So I don't know.
00:36:27.840 --> 00:36:30.480
No, Rolodex is in our pocket.
00:36:30.559 --> 00:36:30.719
Yeah.
00:36:32.559 --> 00:36:42.480
No, I mean, you know, sadly, at the TBA luncheon like they used to have, and you stood up and then you sat down after they named how many years you've sat down.
00:36:44.719 --> 00:36:45.920
1976.
00:36:46.000 --> 00:36:48.800
Okay, this is probably year number 50 then for me.
00:36:49.119 --> 00:36:50.559
So you really are old.
00:36:50.719 --> 00:36:53.840
Um, but you know, of course I was working at a music store at the time, Penders, you know.
00:36:55.360 --> 00:36:55.840
You're still old.
00:36:56.079 --> 00:37:00.559
I didn't fall off the bag and start teaching about 10 years later.
00:37:00.719 --> 00:37:05.840
But you know, the whole idea is we knew where we were going at say TMEA.
00:37:06.400 --> 00:37:11.840
Uh okay, well, across from the convention center is the Marriott, they've got a lounge in there that everybody hangs at.
00:37:12.000 --> 00:37:14.400
You see everybody at the convention and you learn everything.
00:37:14.559 --> 00:37:18.559
Not just because there's there's drinks there and everything, but everybody's there.
00:37:18.639 --> 00:37:22.159
Somebody passes through, stops, and talks, and you start listening, you start asking questions.
00:37:22.239 --> 00:37:22.639
Yeah.
00:37:22.880 --> 00:37:27.599
The other place, at convention, just like Tommy said, you know, children's called at the office.
00:37:27.679 --> 00:37:34.559
There's a picture somebody put up or keeps putting up on Facebook of Jim Childers and Wendell Gideon sitting at that table.
00:37:34.880 --> 00:37:37.679
That's where we all went and learned to listen to guys like that.
00:37:37.920 --> 00:37:39.599
Go listen to Charlie Trailer.
00:37:39.679 --> 00:37:40.800
Let's go listen to all these guys.
00:37:40.880 --> 00:37:43.840
They're all over because they're tired of standing up because they're old.
00:37:45.440 --> 00:37:47.920
That's why you find us sitting down at the Yorka.
00:37:49.119 --> 00:37:52.480
But once you sit down and you're like that, that's where we all went to learn.
00:37:52.559 --> 00:37:56.960
Yeah, we could go to a double read workshop.
00:37:57.199 --> 00:37:59.039
Like, I don't think I've ever been to one.
00:37:59.360 --> 00:38:04.239
But anyhow, you want a workshop where you're gonna learn how to teach, you go hang out with these guys like this.
00:38:04.559 --> 00:38:10.000
You know, there's no end service in the world, you know, at school that's gonna teach us how to teach.
00:38:10.639 --> 00:38:11.840
They might give us some facts.
00:38:12.079 --> 00:38:17.280
There is no college unless you know I hate to say that because I've taught them how to be a band director class as an adjunct.
00:38:17.760 --> 00:38:21.440
But most colleges, you're not gonna learn how to teach.
00:38:21.760 --> 00:38:23.039
You're gonna learn all the facts.
00:38:23.199 --> 00:38:33.360
You're gonna learn how to with the fingerings, the embassures, yada yada yada, but you're not gonna learn how to communicate to 1A band, 6A band, university wind ensemble, whatever the case may be.
00:38:33.599 --> 00:38:35.440
So that's where we're learning from these guys.
00:38:35.599 --> 00:38:35.920
Yeah.
00:38:36.159 --> 00:38:39.519
And it is it is hard to kind of get things going the right direction.
00:38:39.679 --> 00:38:48.960
When I went to s college, it was a little school, Midwestern State University up in Wichita Falls, and uh Robert Jorgens was my band director, but we all had to take senior conducting.
00:38:49.840 --> 00:38:52.400
But we never conducted, we never touched a baton.
00:38:52.559 --> 00:38:57.440
He would get he'd say, Okay, Mike, get behind my desk, I'm gonna bust through the door, and my daughter did not make twirler.
00:38:58.159 --> 00:39:02.559
And said, I'm gonna cuss you up one side and down the other about how you don't know what you're doing.
00:39:02.719 --> 00:39:03.920
I want you to respond to me.
00:39:04.079 --> 00:39:08.559
So he would do that and I would respond, and he'd take time, never say that to a band parent.
00:39:08.719 --> 00:39:10.480
And he'd say, Here's what you should have said.
00:39:10.639 --> 00:39:14.320
So he actually taught us how to communicate because you're you're exactly right.
00:39:14.480 --> 00:39:20.880
There's a difference of learning the information and a difference of learning how to give that information to other people, how to deliver information.
00:39:21.440 --> 00:39:22.559
Because we're coaches.
00:39:23.119 --> 00:39:24.800
Band coaches, we're coaches.
00:39:24.880 --> 00:39:29.920
Yeah, we have to have a group of students out there do something that we know how to do, but we can't go do it with them.
00:39:31.119 --> 00:39:31.679
They're on their own.
00:39:31.920 --> 00:39:36.639
Once they're out on the stage or on the field, whatever the case, coach, they're on their own when they're on the basketball courts.
00:39:36.880 --> 00:39:41.840
We've tried to teach them how to do it and get some ideas into them, but we're doing the same thing as the coaches.
00:39:41.920 --> 00:39:44.079
I mean, it's the same concept that we have to do.
00:39:44.239 --> 00:39:45.360
Yeah, it's a tough job.
00:39:45.599 --> 00:39:46.480
It is a tough job.
00:39:46.880 --> 00:39:50.239
Communication and learning how to communicate is a huge thing right there.
00:39:50.480 --> 00:39:57.360
And we definitely exist in a situation for what we do for a living that's really awkward and odd to most people in society.
00:39:57.599 --> 00:39:58.000
Oh, yeah.
00:39:58.400 --> 00:40:02.000
Uh, how many times uh have you had people say, What do you actually do?
00:40:02.159 --> 00:40:02.400
Yep.
00:40:02.639 --> 00:40:11.119
I think the best one of that, my son, who's now graduated college and has a full career and everything, he asked me one time when he was in third grade, he goes, Dad, what do you do for a living?
00:40:11.360 --> 00:40:13.360
And I go, Well, I I teach the band.
00:40:13.440 --> 00:40:17.280
And he goes, he's thought for a second, he goes, That's not a real job.
00:40:18.079 --> 00:40:19.760
So you just go play with the kids.
00:40:19.840 --> 00:40:20.159
Uh-huh.
00:40:20.480 --> 00:40:22.159
And I said, Well, you're exactly right.
00:40:22.400 --> 00:40:24.800
So, but don't tell anybody because they're paying me for this.
00:40:25.360 --> 00:40:28.960
You know, so it is really interesting because we've got to figure out how to communicate with that.
00:40:29.199 --> 00:40:31.760
For me, for a convention, it's a little of both.
00:40:31.920 --> 00:40:36.800
Because I love I I love going by Yard House to see if uh Bodhi's holding court, you know what I mean?
00:40:36.960 --> 00:40:39.760
And go by the Marriott and see if Perkins is holding court.
00:40:39.840 --> 00:40:47.039
Uh so that they're holding court in their places, but also there's people that don't be afraid to call someone and say, Hey, are you going to TBA this year?
00:40:47.119 --> 00:40:52.719
Are you going to TMEA, or if you're in Kansas, KMEA, and say, um, is there a time we could schedule for like 20 minutes?
00:40:52.800 --> 00:40:54.320
I've got a couple questions to ask you.
00:40:54.559 --> 00:41:01.039
And say, Yeah, let's do that at 1.30 and we'll meet at the the pender booth or whatever and just kind of talk for a little bit.
00:41:01.119 --> 00:41:06.320
So don't be afraid to do that because what's the worst they can do is say, no, actually, I'm too busy.
00:41:06.400 --> 00:41:07.599
I won't be able to do that.
00:41:07.679 --> 00:41:17.840
You know, I I can't think of a time, and someone might call me on this, but I can't think of a time that someone's asked me for help for something that I haven't gotten back to them.
00:41:18.000 --> 00:41:18.159
Yeah.
00:41:18.320 --> 00:41:21.679
You know, I've just said I've just told them so I'm sorry, but I'm just way too busy for you.
00:41:21.920 --> 00:41:22.800
You know, yeah, yeah.
00:41:22.880 --> 00:41:28.079
I I agree with everything you said, other than uh Yeah, meet at the Tarpley booth, okay?
00:41:28.480 --> 00:41:28.880
There you go.
00:41:29.840 --> 00:41:31.199
I need tarpley booth.
00:41:32.480 --> 00:41:33.840
I'm gonna put you on the spot now.
00:41:34.880 --> 00:41:38.400
We need to have a Tarpley booth and convince maybe coming for TV and a movie.
00:41:38.559 --> 00:41:38.800
There you go.
00:41:38.960 --> 00:41:39.280
There you go.
00:41:39.519 --> 00:41:39.840
There you go.
00:41:43.280 --> 00:41:45.679
I want to say thank you to Tarpley Music.
00:41:48.480 --> 00:41:52.079
One because they sponsored this podcast, because West bought me lunch today.
00:41:52.880 --> 00:41:55.280
They do they do pay me an honorarium for doing this.
00:41:55.440 --> 00:41:57.280
So thank you, Tarpley Music.
00:41:57.360 --> 00:42:00.960
I appreciate you greatly for all your work and service that you do for my class.
00:42:01.039 --> 00:42:05.199
I mean, for the educators of uh our part of Texas, okay.
00:42:05.360 --> 00:42:11.840
But uh And if you'll just go ahead and put a couple spigots in your booth like this, and you've got last week under here, you can edit this out.
00:42:12.000 --> 00:42:14.320
But anyhow, you're gonna have a lot of action.
00:42:15.199 --> 00:42:16.559
All right, we're coming up to the close.
00:42:16.639 --> 00:42:18.559
So I'm gonna give you guys one chance if you want it.
00:42:18.639 --> 00:42:20.800
So, Wes, what's one thing you want to say?
00:42:21.199 --> 00:42:26.719
Yeah, you know, just remember that we're all connected together by music uh more than anything.
00:42:26.880 --> 00:42:35.360
And that's from your your salesperson that out on the road, your band directors, your students, your administrators, your community.
00:42:35.599 --> 00:42:39.840
We're all connected uh and by a musical world.
00:42:40.000 --> 00:42:45.679
And even those that don't play music is connected to a musical world because they are everybody's listening to the radio.
00:42:45.920 --> 00:42:46.239
That's right.
00:42:46.320 --> 00:42:50.159
And that's what what we're here for is to be connected and musically.
00:42:50.320 --> 00:42:52.079
So that that'd be my takeaway.
00:42:52.480 --> 00:42:52.800
Awesome.
00:42:52.880 --> 00:42:53.280
Okay, Mr.
00:42:53.360 --> 00:42:53.760
Perkins.
00:42:54.000 --> 00:43:02.079
For me, when you go places like TMEA TBA, you go down there and you get information socially, for instance.
00:43:02.239 --> 00:43:04.559
I used to take my scores with me.
00:43:05.119 --> 00:43:10.239
I was playing this for concert and site reading, I would take my scores with me to TMEA.
00:43:10.559 --> 00:43:16.400
I used to be with children children's and he would go through the score right there on the floor at TMEA.
00:43:16.480 --> 00:43:19.920
Back in the day when we would use um Barry Hurts music.
00:43:20.719 --> 00:43:32.159
We'd you'd you'd pick your show and then there'd be a director, and it wouldn't be working for Barry, they'd just be director sitting there, or Barry would do it himself, and he'd start going, now you're you need to watch this part here.
00:43:32.320 --> 00:43:34.800
Now, if you don't have good French orange, don't play this one.
00:43:34.960 --> 00:43:37.760
And you would leave with tons of information.
00:43:37.920 --> 00:43:49.599
I think people, when they go to these conventions, they're going to exhibits and they're they're hanging out with their college friends, but it's an opportunity to get tons of information.
00:43:49.760 --> 00:43:54.800
And I don't read stuff on the internet, I don't watch um um YouTube videos.
00:43:54.960 --> 00:43:56.079
I'm gonna watch mics, I think.
00:43:57.440 --> 00:43:59.039
I was gonna feel insulted there for a little bit.
00:43:59.679 --> 00:44:05.119
But you get so much information that's what you that's what these conventions are for.
00:44:05.280 --> 00:44:09.199
Or if you come out to the farm, yeah, we're out there visiting, have a good time.
00:44:09.360 --> 00:44:14.880
But if you leave these events and you don't have any information, then you didn't do it right.
00:44:15.519 --> 00:44:15.920
Yep.
00:44:16.159 --> 00:44:16.880
Awesome, Mr.
00:44:17.039 --> 00:44:17.440
Bowdy?
00:44:17.840 --> 00:44:28.719
Well, again, the very same thing is there's none of us, I'm not gonna say us old guys, because there's some fabulous directors that are in their 30s and 40s.
00:44:29.360 --> 00:44:33.360
None of those people don't like to help people.
00:44:33.519 --> 00:44:33.679
Right.
00:44:33.920 --> 00:44:34.880
That's the number one thing.
00:44:35.039 --> 00:44:40.719
All young directors, new directors, directors who just know that they need some help but are too shy, whatever.
00:44:40.960 --> 00:44:42.960
All these guys love to help.
00:44:43.199 --> 00:44:45.199
You make their day if you call them.
00:44:45.840 --> 00:44:48.000
So that's that's kind of my whole point right here.
00:44:48.079 --> 00:44:49.039
That's what's gonna happen.
00:44:49.280 --> 00:44:49.840
Awesome.
00:44:50.000 --> 00:44:51.199
Well, I'd like to two things.
00:44:51.280 --> 00:44:58.000
One is I'd like to thank you guys for giving up of your time coming up here to meet at the uh Ask Mike Studios.
00:45:00.000 --> 00:45:00.800
Hey, don't laugh.
00:45:00.880 --> 00:45:02.320
This is our mystery.
00:45:02.400 --> 00:45:03.280
We're laughing at my studio.
00:45:03.760 --> 00:45:04.960
When do we get to ask our questions?
00:45:05.199 --> 00:45:06.400
No, there's no questions now.
00:45:06.480 --> 00:45:07.840
We're we're coming to a close.
00:45:08.000 --> 00:45:09.840
You're we're your edge there at this point.
00:45:10.000 --> 00:45:10.320
Yeah.
00:45:10.480 --> 00:45:14.159
Um, but you know, we'd all be a lot better off in our jobs if we just communicate more.
00:45:14.239 --> 00:45:16.639
But I want to end with a statement by Deyce Pace.
00:45:16.880 --> 00:45:17.119
There you go.
00:45:17.199 --> 00:45:17.519
There you go.
00:45:17.679 --> 00:45:18.960
The famous Doyce Pace.
00:45:19.039 --> 00:45:22.320
So, Doyce, if you're out there, I'm gonna copy off this part and send to you.
00:45:22.400 --> 00:45:24.000
And he comes to the farm, by the way.
00:45:24.079 --> 00:45:25.440
So he does come to the farm.
00:45:25.599 --> 00:45:28.079
But this is the greatest quote I ever heard about our profession.
00:45:28.400 --> 00:45:31.360
This job is too damn hard if you don't love it.
00:45:32.000 --> 00:45:32.400
Yes.
00:45:32.960 --> 00:45:34.639
So we're just gonna stop with that statement.
00:45:34.800 --> 00:45:35.360
Thank you, guys.
00:45:35.599 --> 00:45:36.960
Absolutely, and thank you.