Sorry for the title but I could not think of any other one for this post.

I would not say that I have a troubled program in anyway. The students and I have been working hard for the past 3 years to build a drum program that is respectable throughout the state. We had our first competition this last weekend and the band won overall and the percussion won 4A. Not bad. But my drum captain, when he saluted, dropped his sticks as his salute. Not cool at all.

The really bad thing about it is that he told me he was going to do it and I said no way. Me and my staff were watching him and sure enough he did it as the majors and the captains saluted.

To make a long story short for students out there...don`t do it. It really makes you and your instructor and the rest of the band look stupid.

To anyone out there who knows me and my line and was there, I am so sorry for this behavior and it will never happen again.

Chad

I really dislike when students do something that they were explicity told not to do, especially if that person is in a leadership position.

Is any disciplinary action going to be taken on this student? If nothing does, then that is going to send a message to the rest of the students that it is okay to do whatever they want.

Yeah, he will no longer be doing retreat and he will be missing a performance this weekend.
I have known this student for 3 years now and I can honestly tell you he is a really great kid, but made a bad choice that happened to be seen by a lot of students, band directors and fellow drum instructors that I respect. So we sent out emails and hopefully it will put out the fires before they start.

I actually saw the dvd that we made of finals retreat and it made me sick to my stomach to see it. Then to see the reaction of the other drum majors from the different schools made it even worse.

So students, one bad choice has ripple effects that spread fast. Remember that you represent not only yourself but the entire organization that you are in.

Chad

this is so true, we had behavioral problems at the beginning of the year, and the only thing you can do is get rid of 'em or punish 'em....I'm drum captain at my school, and I would feel stupid to make a stupid mistake infront of thousands of people on purpose...

Yeah we have drummer that after a competition we murderd(stunk up the place, sucked pick your phrase) he tried to play a cadence written a few years earlier by the drum tech from 98-99 and it was sounded like crap but to top it all off the drum judge was the drum tech from 98-99.

needless to say out of the whole band drumline got the higher grades.