This time last week, I was recovering from chaperoning a 4-day trip with 70 Middle School students to perform on a national stage at the Music For All National Concert Band Festival. This was a complete honor for our students, our school, our district, and our state! We are the first Middle School band to ever be selected to perform at this prestigious event. Now, if you are an educator, you probably did not read the last two sentences. Why? Because you were probably stuck on the words, “4-day trip with 70 Middle School students”!! 70 teenagers in Indianapolis for 4 nights, 2 of which were spent on the 12 hour bus ride to and from New Jersey. It is true…and I survived!
While I joke, the reality is that I returned a very different principal. Spending time with your students outside of the typical hustle and bustle changes you. Whether it is at a game, an event, a showcase, a service project, a field trip, or something as epic as an overnight trip, there is nothing more special than the unstructured time with kids. You see them differently and perhaps more importantly, they see you differently.
After sleeping the first night on a bus, we arrived in Indianapolis at 7:30am, quickly changed into our festival attire, (business dress for all the whole weekend – no jeans, no leggings, no hoodies, no sneakers, and wait for it…no phones!) and rushed into a big ballroom for the Opening Ceremonies. This is a tradition to set the stage for the weekend and to get the students motivated for this honor. We sat with kids from Texas, Hawaii, and Virginia – all eager to be present and eager to play music. The keynote speaker was Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser. Dr. Tim is a well-known name in the music education world as a teacher, clinician, author, composer, consultant, and adjudicator. Ironically, this was not my first time hearing Dr. Tim speak. When I was in High School, I had attended a leadership camp with Dr. Tim and was quickly inspired by his calls to action. Naturally, I was eager for my students to hear from the same inspirational speaker. But, knowing how tired (and ripe) everyone was, I was really hoping they did not fall asleep.
Dr. Tim’s message did not disappoint. Without giving away the magic of how he got the kids to engage and ‘feel’ his words, the takeaway message was simple…
You’re in rare air, don’t let this go to waste.
Reach a little higher.
Try something different.
Stand up for what you appreciate.
I was struck with the simplicity and wondered what this would mean to my students. Here we were rushing around, stressed to perform on a national stage, upset about not having a shower for over 24 hours, and not able to check into our rooms until after 10pm that night. None of that mattered. Following Dr. Tim’s message, I saw our kids in a different light… I watched them reach a little higher, try something different, and stand up for what they appreciated.
Reach a little higher. This event was no doubt a REACH for our kids. We entered as the underdogs with dented and taped up instruments, hand me down equipment, and a case that must have been from my grandmother. Not to mention that I, along with all the other chaperones, spent time helping the girls with their hair, fixing the boy’s shirt collars, and tying ties. Our students listened to several other schools with stress and anxiety. However, as the underdogs took the stage, knocking over cymbals and a music stand upon entry, (not a good thing to do in ‘rare air’) I saw them reach like they never had before. They played with raw energy and enthusiasm that brought the house to a standing ovation after each and every piece they performed. Such little bodies, reaching just a little bit higher.
It left me thinking, how can I reach a little higher for my kids, my school, my staff?
Try something different. Part of this festival includes learning from “masters” on specific instruments. Our students were divided into instrument groups and shuttled around the massive conference center to learn from experts. They brought their instruments to play along. As they left, the teacher shouted after them saying, “Remember, don’t be afraid to try something different! Be open to anything!” From the teacher, who was filled with anxiety and stress himself, I would think that the last thing he would want is for his kids to learn something different, especially because this happened prior to the big performance mentioned above. However, he knew that this was ‘rare air’ – an opportunity unlike any other that these kids would have experienced. Following the classes, the kids came back so excited that they were almost shouting up the escalators to me…”Ms. Capes!! You will never believe what we learned! It was amazing and we got to try it right away!”
How many times do I stick with what I know and never open myself up to something different?
Stand up for what you appreciate. In Dr. Tim’s opening remarks to the kids, he took time to talk about appreciation…true appreciation. His example was related to applause from an audience. He spoke about how the applause from our audience was basic and lackluster, a generic ‘nice job!’. However, he listed the hard work, tough days, difficult paths, and focus that occurs when preparing to perform or showcase anything. It doesn’t simply happen by chance. Dr. Tim then had the students reflect on the audience’s reaction to that hard work with the response of true appreciation, not just the obligatory applause. The result was a respectful, yet exhilarating standing ovation. He said, “Stop giving half effort back. If you appreciate something, stand up for it!” Wow! From that moment, our kids showed such genuine appreciation for every group they saw making the whole experience of being an audience member interactive and responsive. The pride I had watching them was truly overwhelming. I was in ‘rare air’.
There is so much that I appreciate about the work at my school – by staff, students, PTO, etc… However, do I ‘stand up’ for it?
Throughout the trip, I continued to think about this message and the questions towards my own practice. I took time to break out of the Principal mold and to be present with my students – to show them that I can reach a little higher, try something different, and stand up for what I appreciate. I made time to spend a few personal minutes with every single student. We laughed, chased each other on the stairs vs. escalator, got lost on the streets of Indianapolis, we sang together on the busses, ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner together, and we wished each other a good night’s sleep after taping their doors shut. (Middle School overnight management tip!) As a leader, it is easy to think you must be the one to stay back in the building to oversee the masses. While so many times this is true, there are no words to describe the bond that occurs when you show your students and their families that you would treat them as your own.
Now, one week out, as I walk the halls of my building and get back in the routine, I have been challenging myself. How can I reach a little higher, try something different, and stand up for what I appreciate? We are all in ‘rare air’ – our schools are magical and dynamic places. When you see kids push themselves in these three ways, you realize that anything is possible
I came back a changed Principal… I hope you consider the same.
Heart-y Leadership 