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South Carolina Band Directors Association

"Harmony, Balance, and Blend"

SCBDA "Team Members"

On Saturday, November 8, I attended the funeral of Larry Johnson. Larry was the Band Director at Dillon High and J.V. Martin Junior High School. Larry died last Wednesday due to complications that developed during scheduled heart surgery. He was 38 years old and left a wife and four children. The funeral was held in the Dillon Gymnasium and was filled to capacity by friends and family. During the ceremony the Dillon Band performed an arrangement of "Amazing Grace" that I really believed must have been part of their marching show. I was told later that the students selected the piece and prepared it on their own as a tribute to Mr. Johnson. Everyone was moved to tears when the band performed. If the purpose of music is to communicate those things we cannot find the words to speak, then I now know exactly how the students in Mr. Johnson’s band felt about their teacher and friend. The ceremony was truly a celebration of the life of Larry Johnson. It was obvious that he understood the goals of our profession and was able to communicate them to the community in which he lived. He succeeded in teaching the important lessons of "Harmony, Balance, and Blend." In case you haven’t figured it out, those terms describe far more than just playing an instrument.

When I was elected President of this association, I promised myself that I would do something every day to promote instrumental music education and the SCBDA. I never thought that deciding marching contest championships and attending funerals would be a part of my assignment. I guess no one knows what this job is like until they serve.

Everyone that takes this job enters with an agenda. Every President wants to do something that they feel is necessary to continue the growth of the organization. My "Agenda" is to bring this association together as a team. I want us to break down the walls and communicate with each other. I want us to be able to share information that will help us become better teachers. I want us to work together to communicate the significance of our profession to everyone in South Carolina. I want us to understand "Harmony, Balance, and Blend."

I often tell the story of the old man taking the wagon to town. He ties the carrot on the end of a stick, puts it in front of the mule’s head, and off he goes to town. The goal of the old man is to get the wagon to town. The mule getting the carrot will happen in time, but it is not the goal. We often confuse winning trophies as the goal of our programs. It certainly is an essential "carrot at the end of the stick," but it is not the reason why we teach. If always winning the championship, making the superior, or getting the top chair was why you became a Band Director, then you made a poor choice and should resign your position today.

We are getting more information every day about how studying music improves brain function. I am more convinced now than ever that music requires the brain to develop links that cannot be created any other way. However, I am equally sure that a student could develop those links sitting at the piano or practicing in their room at home. Why do we need BAND? The answer is simple; "Harmony, Balance, and Blend" are more than musical terms. I don’t believe that Larry Johnson’s band ever won the marching championships, but I do believe they received the greatest reward. They won the trophy that they can take with them forever. The significance of his life will be remembered in the hearts of every student he taught. Believe it or not, every one of us is teaching more than music. We teach by how we act, what we say, and how we react to life’s experiences.

The South Carolina Band Directors Association needs to get busy. Without our collective efforts this organization would die an instant death. The SCBDA exists because we as members want it to exist. We need to share our lessons and experiences with everyone that will listen so that every child, in every band program, will learn the greatest lessons of life, "Harmony, Balance, and Blend."

Glenn C. Price, President
South Carolina Band Directors Association