Choral Caffeine: Make Nice with the Band Director

One of the greatest joys of a recent position was the friendship one enjoyed with the band director.  Being good friends (and demonstrating genuine mutual respect) made every day a pleasure.  We worked together for the benefit of the students, and benefit of the overall music program.

Sometimes, sadly, band directors and choral conductors don't get along quite so well.  But that need not be the case.  Among the various things Dana Alexander discusses in her article, "Recruiting Singers With No Feeder Program? Yes You Can!" (California Cantate, Vol.23, No.2), is the mutual benefit of "making nice" with your instrumental music colleague.

Develop a great relationship with your band director! We continually encourage students to get involved in the choral and band areas in our department. My colleague teaches two guitar classes and encourages those students who like to sing to join choir. We share many students between band and choir. Sometimes we get in each other’s way with scheduling, but we always work it out. Why? Because we know that involving students in both band and choir is good for the students and for our programs. My colleague has often said that his students who enroll in choir understand phrasing and musicality much better than the instrumentalists. I certainly notice the fact that band students who sing have advanced reading and musicianship skills.
 

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