Band Leadership

Mission

The mission of the Joseph Kerr Middle School Band Leadership is for students to

• Develop leadership skills that will last a lifetime

• Build ownership & pride in the JKMS Band

• Continue the legacy of superior musicianship in the JKMS Band

• Assist the Band Director with the enormous task of managing the JKMS Band

Roles & Responsibilities

President – 1

The primary responsibility of the President is to assist the Band Director with leading Band Council meetings. Agendas should be prepared (with the director) and printed out before each meeting (one for each BC Member). The President is also responsible for making sure the Vice President is prepared to lead BC meetings if he/she cannot attend a particular meeting. Good leadership qualities are imperative as in this role because the President must know how to take charge over the Band Council, and represent the interests of their fellow classmates. The President must be dedicated to Band inside the classroom and outside. The President must also understand that because they are in such a high position, they might have to make sacrifices in order to attend meetings or occasionally stay in during lunch or after school to speak with the Director about Band Council. While the role of President is challenging, it will be very rewarding. At concerts, the President is responsible for overseeing set up and tear down of stands and chairs with the Director’s guidance.

Vice President – 1

The primary responsibility of the Vice President is to assist the President. The VP should help the President and director create the agenda for each BC meeting. The VP must be prepared to lead any BC meetings that the President is unable to attend or take over the responsibilities of the President when he/she is not available. The Vice President needs to be mature, calm, decisive, a leader, and a good listener. At concerts, the Vice President is responsible for creating and leading a 4-person team in charge of setting up chairs with the President’s guidance.

Secretary – 1

Duties include keeping minutes (taking notes) and listing the proceedings of the official business during Band Council meetings. The Secretary is also responsible for organizing the Band Council master binder. Minutes are to be kept up to date and in reverse chronological order. At concerts, the Secretary is responsible for creating and leading a 4 person team in charge of setting up stands with the President’s guidance.

Photographer/Historian(s) – 1-2

Historians are responsible for taking pictures of the Band during events/rehearsals and then creating fun posters/collages to put on the Band room wall and/or on the Kerr Band website Media page.

Uniform Managers – 2-3

The Uniform Manager is responsible for keeping the concert attire organized & the uniform storage room tidy. The UM also assists the Director and/or Parent Volunteers (when available) with concert attire fitting, distributing and receiving before and after all events. The UM also may report any dirty or damaged uniforms and/or instruments to the Director to be cleaned or repaired. Often falls under Band Manager duties.

Concert Master – 1

• Provides tuning note at the beginning of each rehearsal and concert, or as needed

• Must have a tuner at all times

• Must be first to set up their instrument and warm up

• Must play either oboe, clarinet, or trumpet (to be heard by the Band while giving tuning note)

• Models humility, superior musicianship & professional level rehearsal behavior to the entire Band

Assistant Concert Master – 1

• Same as Concert Master and…

• ACM fills in for CM in their absence

Section Leaders – 6-8

• Represent the interests of their section members at Band Council meetings

• Check the Out Boxes daily to hand out new sheet music or other handouts as well as collect any sheet music when asked

• Make copies as needed by section members. Copies should be made during lunch or after school (not before or during rehearsal. Section members without music should share with a neighbor until copies are made).

• Keep a record of both good & bad rehearsal behavior from section members

• Model humility, superior musicianship & professional level rehearsal behavior at all times

• Lead sectional rehearsals

• Offer peer coaching to section members in need of a little extra help or encouragement (lunchtime or after school. During rehearsal with Director permission only).

• Answer questions from Section Members

Assistant Section Leader – 6-8

• Same as Section Leader when SL is absent

• Assist SL with duties as assigned

Clothes Pin Managers – 2-4

Clothes pins are often needed to secure sheet music to stands for outdoor concerts. CPMs are responsible for distributing and collecting clothes pins before and after outdoor concerts.

Stand Maintenance Team – 2-4

SMT members are responsible for quarterly stand maintenance as well as helping set up stands for concerts. The stand team keeps stands clean and reports any graffiti or need for spray-painting to Mr. Tootle. SMT’s must also perform stand maintenance the week before MEGA-Band.

Chair Maintenance Team – 2-4

Chair Maintenance Team members are responsible for quarterly chair maintenance. This includes fixing any broken chairs (with Mr. Tootle’s guidance) and replacing any missing Kerr band logo stickers. Mr. Tootle will train students the proper and safe way to fix a broken chair foot. CMT’s must also perform chair maintenance the week before MEGA-Band.

Music Librarian – 1-2

The Music Librarian assists Mr. Tootle with the sheet music library. A most important job that requires good organization skills and attention to detail. Duties include pulling and filing sheet music, keeping the music library tidy, making photo copies, and other tasks related to the music library.

Band Manager – 1-3

The Band Manager is usually Mr. Tootle’s T.A. Band Manager duties include organizing the In Boxes & Out Boxes, grading, updating the white board calendar, making emergency sheet music photo-copies, and other clerical duties. BM duties usually also include Uniform Manager, Music Librarian, and Uniform Manager duties.

Instrument Repair Assistant – 1-3

An Instrument Repair Assistant will be responsible for fixing minor issues with an instrument. They will be taught how to do so by Mr. Tootle. These small repairs could include fixing a feather spring on a woodwind, removing the stuck mouthpiece from a brass instrument, fixing a broken trumpet valve, and maintaining drum head tension. They could also inspect an instrument if more significant damage is done and tell Mr. Tootle what is wrong with it.

Recording Engineers – 1-2

The recording engineer records all concerts and often rehearsals. Mr. Tootle will train the RE in correct recording techniques. Often falls under Band Manager duties.

Stage Managers – 6-8

The Stage Manager is responsible for directing the setup of the stage before all concerts. They work and may delegate jobs to others such as getting the correct number of chairs and stands for their row. After the chair/stand numbers are correct they make fine tuning adjustments to all spacing of chairs and stands as needed. Often falls under Section Leader & Assistant Section Leader duties.

Poster Posters – 1-2

The Poster Posters responsibility is to put up or take down any posters and maintain posters that are posted. At the beginning of the year, you will put up all the posters and all the decorations around the band room and in the practice rooms. On a monthly basis throughout the year, you make sure the posters are in good shape, repair any rips, or hang back up if starting to fall. At the end of the year, you will take all the posters and decorations down and prepare them for storage over the summer.

Vacuum Specialist(s) – 1-2

The Vacuum Specialist is in charge of vacuuming the band room after school as needed, especially on concert days, dances, other events, or when the site Maintenance team is short-handed.