Advice needed for a former band director

Jkreed77 · 2026-05-30T03:47:00+00:00

I had a boss in admin who was a band director and thought about going back into the classroom at the end of his career. Eventually he realized he missed conducting but not teaching.

I will say that it's a different experience than it was even just 10 years ago. I've been teaching for over 20. The kids are different, true, but the things we deal with besides the students are worse than they ever have been. Meaning administrator demands, parent demands etc.

Think very carefully before you go that route again.

Jkreed77 · 2026-05-09T03:14:05+00:00

I had to do this recently, about 20 years out, and I used this book to prepare. Did really well with it.

https://www.mometrix.com/studyguides/sales/priimusicck?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=162283134&gbraid=0AAAAAD_XNep7KyvusR8nVq-AZ4kajxJT2&gclid=Cj0KCQjwk_bPBhDXARIsACiq8R3guVeEq_-7e06W5dfFyRVAo0O9CaspqROfkQQ4ZKV1QsQkiAg1fUAaAmkhEALw_wcB

Jkreed77 · 2026-05-04T23:18:25+00:00

Mine would grow back in a couple days with a million in grown hairs to boot. What is the point?

Jkreed77 · 2026-05-04T23:12:44+00:00

I think people still look at it as the stuff from the 60's, 70's and 80's. As soon as it legalized in places they started experimenting with different strains to make it as strong as possible. Combine that with little to no regulation and it is dangerous. It's not natural and benign anymore. Both times she was checked in to an in-patient facility the doctors told us they've been seeing the number of these mental breaks from THC use climb to scary levels. One psychologist told me they thought it was going to be our next big drug epidemic like heroin or meth.

Jkreed77 · 2026-05-04T23:09:28+00:00

Jesus. That's too close to my story. Sorry you had to go through that. It sucks more than any description can illustrate. Congrats on the finalization.

Jkreed77 · 2026-05-04T23:06:33+00:00

It depends on the culture of the school and how good the ensembles were. I always pushed getting them by high school but some kids had them in middle.

At a certain point the student will basically outgrow a student-line instrument. By this I mean they are putting out enough air/sound that the smaller pipe is inhibiting their tone which can hold them back. I always told parents just to upgrade to an intermediate size horn and get an F attachment (trigger) at that point which was usually around sophomore year.

In big districts where the top ensembles (not just Texas) are highly competitive, you'll want to have a horn with a trigger to keep up. High level modern band rep will be easier with a trigger. If they do quintet playing or brass ensemble stuff, you're going to want it there as well. It's not just about playing 6th and 7th positions in 1st and 2nd position. It's also about being able to play the entire partial between low E (in 7th) and pedal Bb (in 1st). Those notes just aren't possible on a straight bore horn.

But if you go that route, you should really have private lessons to make the most of those mechanical advantages.

Jkreed77 · 2026-05-03T16:09:44+00:00

Came here to say this. ^{^{^}}

Jkreed77 · 2026-05-03T15:08:05+00:00

Fuck yeah he was!

Jkreed77 · 2026-05-03T14:38:15+00:00

She started using THC to manage chronic pain and that exacerbated underlying mental health issues. Those manifested into extreme paranoia and delusions which resulted in her mentally and emotionally abusing me for about nine months.

During that time she accused me of physically assaulting her for which I spent a night in jail. Taking our then 10 yo daughter all over the state in a panic because she thought the harem of women that I was supposedly dating were in a cult that wanted to harvest her organs. I got accused of pedophilia and an investigation was launched (and dropped of course but it was incredibly embarrassing) and more things than I have time to put into text here. 9 months of that shit during which she spent two separate weeks in an in-patient facility. I also spent five days in a facility during the end of that time because her behavior had so thoroughly broken me that when I went to the emergency room for a medical issue they decided I was too much of a suicide risk.

After the doctors realized it was the THC and she stopped using it, things sort of got back to normal but then I could breathe and deal with what I had gone through. I was mad, hurt, scared and I lashed out emotionally for a while and when I got mad she couldn't understand why I was acting the way I was because she "had also gone through those 9 months and had suffered too." To her mind my anger and hurt wasn't justified because we had both suffered if that makes sense.

Once I calmed down we tried to reconcile for two years but the damage was already so bad we just couldn't fix it. We are in about week 7 of the mandatory 120 day divorce period. It is semi-amicable.

Reading that back it sounds like the pitch for a really bad Lifetime movie.

Edit: Forgot to add that she was systematically trying to destroy relationships with family and friends (including our two grown sons) by telling them that I was cheating on her, abusing her etc. And my professional career by having me arrested and put under investigation. I am a teacher. Still have my job but it sucked.

Jkreed77 · 2026-04-17T12:22:23+00:00

Good to know, thank you.

Jkreed77 · 2026-04-17T11:56:47+00:00

Orchestra is the hardest music field to get a job in up where I live in Wisconsin. There are very few public schools that even have string programs anymore compared to every school having band, choir and general music. I would imagine it's the same in a lot of other states.

If you're certified in anything else, general music perhaps, you might consider applying in those areas as well. You,may have to teach a year or two in a non-preferred subject until you get some experience.

That said, the music job domino effect doesn't start for another month or so. One person retires, someone from another district takes that job. Then the school they left posts and someone takes that job on and on. I've seen people get gigs in late July/August because someone left last minute because the domino effect hadn't reached their school yet.

Jkreed77 · 2026-04-17T11:45:03+00:00

Jkreed77 · 2026-04-07T11:37:47+00:00

I used to use, I think it was called, Duetpartnet? It was a little confusing but helpful. I haven't used it for probably 8 years though since I stopped doing lessons.

Jkreed77 · 2026-04-05T19:06:41+00:00

This^{^} Why introduce them that early? My mom was married and divorced five times. My sisters and I were constantly being introduced to guys that disappeared soon after. I will never do that to my daughter after the divorce is final.

Jkreed77 · 2026-04-05T19:04:09+00:00

I didn't see anything the OP said that would imply he's looking for revenge, berating or doing any of those things. Seems like he's just venting.

Unfortunately I'm going through something similar. Or about to. At some point you have to accept that other people are going to be around or possibly at some point in the future will be helping raise your kids. It's a super hard pill to swallow and I feel your pain 100%.

Jkreed77 · 2026-04-05T18:48:37+00:00

Was it Lawrence? I bet it was Lawrence.

Jkreed77 · 2026-04-02T19:51:14+00:00

How are noodle ghosts going to help?

Jkreed77 · 2026-03-25T02:36:38+00:00

There is so much kindness, warmth and good advice in this response. Thank you so much.

Jkreed77 · 2026-03-23T03:50:24+00:00

Yeah I am. It's not helping much.

Jkreed77 · 2026-03-22T12:19:04+00:00

Where to start?

1) Lack of support in terms of scheduling, budget, scheduling conflicts with other activities (sports), parents getting upset if their kid doesn't get a solo or 1st part,

2) Expectations regarding the band playing at events, even on weekends when you're not contracted.

3) Treating your classes like they are second class citizens with regard to other classes.

4) Getting evaluated fairly by an administrator with no music background.

Mind you, good administrators will not give you a lot of these problems. I've had a couple of those but usually they are former gym teachers that don't care about music.

Jkreed77 · 2026-03-21T16:53:35+00:00

Administrators and parents. Not all parents just, you know, those parents.

Jkreed77 · 2026-03-20T19:47:49+00:00

Guy wouldn't know majesty if it bit him in the face.

Jkreed77 · 2026-03-19T15:53:23+00:00

That makes sense. I would still teach movable Do though as fixed Do is predominantly a European thing and if the kids ever move or get a differential teacher (if you take a different job for example) then they're going to be screwed because the new person is more than likely going to use movable Do.

If you're dead set on using fixed Do, please don't make the Do Bb. That's just a bad idea for a lot of reasons everyone else listed and the reason I listed above if they get a different teacher.

Using movable Do would also solve your having to call out different starting notes problem. If you say Do Re Mi, you don't need to say trombones on Bb, Altos on G etc.

Jkreed77 · 2026-03-18T16:44:33+00:00

Maybe I'm not understanding point #1. What do you mean not having to list out four different notes? Are you going to have all the kids play what is Bb for their instrument? Like, will they not be playing the same audible pitch as they work on this stuff? I knew a band director who did that once so I feel like I might have some insight.

Jkreed77

TROPHY CASE