The Pep Band Effect

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I just read a great post from Doug Butchy over at

Confessions of a Band Director

on the Marching Band effect. I agree with what he already wrote and I am just piggy backing off of it here.

I teach at a small school and I have to do a similar thing with my pep band. Because most of my High School band is on the Football and Volleyball teams I do not have many people to be in the pep band so I have had to recruit from the middle school. I admit pep band music is not that hard but it is harder than what they are used to and the students nearly always rise to the challenge. And most importantly I agree with Doug that the level of their musicianship over the long haul jumps greatly.

If I could add one more reason a 4th reason if you will, I think it is also because of the 10,000 hour rule. If you have read Outliers by Malcom Gladwell that will makes sense if not I recommend it, its a very good quick read. In short the 10,000 hour rule boils down to if you want to master something you have to spend 10,000 working on that thing or in this case practicing. By giving the students a challenge to perform above their level we are also asking them to spend the extra time working on this music and practicing it to get their. By practicing more than they normally would out of necessity. The more time they spend practicing their instrument the better they get, simple.

Hopefully I can remember this concept in all of my classes and continue to challenge my students to play above their skill level if nothing else to get them to have to practice more and in turn become better musicians.