The Music Has Stopped. What Do I Fix? Intentionality!

The Music Has Stopped. What Do I Fix? Intentionality! 

“Paying It Forward” to Your Students

 By NAfME Member Adrian Jermaine Adams, M.M.
Director of Bands, Community Christian School, Stockbridge, Georgia
Instructor of Music, University of Louisiana-Monroe, Monroe, Louisiana

Most people, non-musicians, have pseudonormal thoughts of life on the podium. Nonetheless, some perceive it as folly beliefs of just “waving our hands in the air and waving them like we just don’t care!” The conducting itself is just an art form! On occasion (with Stravinsky or most Holsinger compositions, for example), conducting can be seen as fun and really does serve as a phenomenal workout of the upper body! A conductor’s main claim to fame is possessing the competence, passion, integrity and knowledge to become a very fine communicator.

Classes are not enough to teach us just what to fix! We will never fully comprehend the aforementioned attributes of a conductor in our degree programs alone. The evolution of becoming a musician starts the conducting process. The earliest form of a great communicator that approached you in any form starts the process. Remember, trumpet players, when some of us started in 5th and 6th grade? Memorizing the fingers was quite a task while preparing for an upcoming concert in the same semester that you began. Those skills of writing the fingerings above the notes came in handy! This, in fact, started the process of becoming a conductor.

Your musical experiences shape the type of conductor you will become and the differentiated strategies you will possess to reach all students. When honor band was scheduled and the committee invited clinicians who were amazing teachers and adjudicators, this was the time to take notes and be attentive. This was another amazing start to becoming a phenomenal conductor.

The miseducation happens with students who were not provided these very fine experiences early on and become educators. If their instructors did not pour into them, key information was missed. The type of instructors we are determines how we will impact our future educators.

I have to praise my high school band director, Dr. Andrew Poor. I would be remiss if I did not thank him for his mighty hand in my matriculation as a student and teacher. I do believe that he recognized the talent that I may have possessed during my high school years. I am a firm believer that his very pristine approach to key detail originated from his desire to become a medical doctor before he became a band director. He invited other directors into his domain to share with his students their very vast knowledge, methodologies, and pedagogy. He created programs for musicians in his band who wanted to take music education further. He titled it the “Master Musician” program. In this program, we were challenged musically and morally. Because of his program and his approach as an educator, I progressed as a musician, became an avid performer, and continued on my path as a music educator and conductor. My teacher poured into me so heavily, and it really has made me who I am. I am competent, knowledgeable, and have decided to pay it forward!

What to fix when the music stops heavily weighs on the skills you possess as a musician. On numerous occasions, I am asked, “Mr. Adams, how do you know what to fix?” Simple. When you’re preparing an etude or solo, what is your approach individually? Musical instruments do differ, but the approach and strategies to mastering music coincides universally. If you have become a very victorious instrumentalist, you are able to “fix” deficiencies throughout the ensemble.

This also is relative to planning. After attending many state conferences, symposia, and clinic sessions, I’ve placed myself at the helm of success! No one told me to or simply suggested for me to attend these events. It wasn’t mandatory. I knew that I could not impact a student if I wasn’t impacted myself! I was intentional!

Be mindful that what you provide from the podium—or what you do not—will be impactful. As we teach and as we assist students in their growing process, be sure to be on the lookout for the ones who aspire to be us! It’ll be clear! What we do impacts the future conductor. Strive to provide them with a vast level of knowledge. Inspire them to seek opportunities for growth and development. You could be teaching and guiding the world’s next leading conductor! Be intentional about what you provide, how you provide it, to whom you’re providing it. Know when the appropriate time has arisen for what’s being provided, and most of all, know why you’re providing it. Be confident in your competence and know that you possess the methodology and pedagogy to know what to do when the music stops!

About the author:

NAfME member Adrian Adams has established himself as a highly accomplished collegiate and high school band director, with an impeccable career spanning just under 13 years. He has served in school districts in South Carolina and Georgia. He most recently served as Director of Bands at Dutchtown High School in Hampton, Georgia, and currently serves as Director of Bands at Community Christian School in Stockbridge, Georgia. Throughout his substantial career, Adams has consistently led his students to receive superior ratings at concert and jazz festivals, as well as marching band venues. A notable highlight includes the tour of Normandy, France, in June 2023, where Adams and the Sound of Dutchtown band were the highlighted marching ensemble to commemorate the 79th anniversary of D-Day. At the request of Delta Airlines and The Best Defense Foundation in celebration of returning World War II veterans back to Normandy, Adams’s band was one of the only marching bands in the state of Georgia to participate in a parade through a terminal in the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, located in Atlanta, Georgia. Through many innovative teaching methods and a strong commitment to fostering a collaborative environment, Adams has focused on building high caliber bands that have aspired to receive accolades at the state and national levels. He continues to advocate for music education and is most interested in shaping the future of young musicians and band directors in his region.

Follow Adrian Adams on YouTube.

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