Soundstage.edu

1 year. 365 days. 238 episodes uploaded. After work today, I recorded an anniversary episode. I will upload that tonight. I talk about what we did, where we came from, and where we are going.

Thanks for being part of this journey.

Hey band dads... You matter here as well. Here is today's culture minute created specifically for you. Dad to dad... https://open.spotify.com/episode/33f27kopCFhTrhGotfAlF3?si=voL78STRSa2NqUfmyCkalg

Culture Minute: Band Dads SoundstageEDU: Building Better Theater Tech · Episode

Conversations with parents went live! Want to be on the next one? Reach out to me.

Conversations with Booster Parents: Episode 1 SoundstageEDU: Building Better Theater Tech · Episode

I had the opportunity to sit down with a booster board member and just chat about the journey. I figured I would share that conversation with you all.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/76eyFl5xV55iGn8GuZS8yi?si=Wwl3pHUbSJuEOwjKBt7Ccg

Conversations with Booster Parents: Episode 1 SoundstageEDU: Building Better Theater Tech · Episode

Band parents…

This season is going to do something to you.

You may not feel it right away. At first, it will just feel like logistics.

Things like drop-off times. Water jugs. Uniform pieces. Sunscreen. Shoes. That one form you swear you already filled out. Early mornings that feel almost offensive because it is summer and no human should be awake that early unless there is coffee, fishing, or a flight involved.

Then comes the first parade.

And somehow, standing there on the side of the street, watching your kid line up with an instrument or a flag in their hands and nerves all over their face, something in you shifts.

Because that is your kid.

The same kid who used to need help tying shoes. The same kid who fell asleep in the back seat holding a stuffed animal. The same kid who once reached for your hand without thinking.

Now they are standing in a uniform, trying to look confident, trying to remember everything, trying to become someone right in front of you.

And that is where this gets dangerous for our own personal composure...

Because band has a way of sneaking past all the armor we put on as adults.

Especially dads, and that is a subject we don't like to talk about much.

Band moms have always been visible. They are the organizers, the fixers, the ones who know where everything is, the ones somehow holding the entire emotional support system together with safety pins, snacks, and a look that can stop a teenager in their tracks.

But band dads… we need you this season... Like really need you.

Not as background characters. Not as the guy who only shows up when something heavy needs to be moved. Not as the quiet parent standing twenty feet away pretending you are “just here to help unload.”

We need you fully in it.

Because somewhere out there is a freshman dad who is going to show up for the first parade thinking he is just carrying a cooler. Then he is going to see his kid step off for the first time, and he is going to feel that lump in his throat hit like a brick.

He may not cry, actually, I am sure he won't... BUT he will look down. Clear his throat. Pretend the sun is in his eyes. Maybe his allergies suddenly flare up and his eyes get sweaty...

and then he will feel it.

He will feel the strange grief of watching a child become more independent. He will feel pride so heavy it almost hurts. He will feel the ache of realizing that these seasons are not slowing down for any of us.

That matters.

Your presence matters.

Your kid may never say it the way you hope they will. They may roll their eyes when you ask how rehearsal went. They may act embarrassed when you volunteer. They may walk right past you in the parking lot because they are trying so hard to belong to this new world.

Show up anyway.

Stand by the trailer. Carry the water. Learn the names. Ask the awkward questions. Sit with the other parents. Let yourself be new. Let yourself care about something you may not fully understand yet... Because these kids are about to grow RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU.

They are going to get stronger. Louder. Braver. They are going to find friends in the middle of heat, sweat, repetition, and exhaustion. They are going to discover that hard work does not feel so lonely when everyone around them is fighting through the same thing.

And the adults are going to grow too.

Some of you will find friendships you did not know you needed. Some of you will find purpose in a season of life where your kid is pulling away in all the normal, painful, healthy ways kids do. Some of you will realize that supporting the band is not just about helping the program.

It is about staying close while learning how to let go... That is the gut punch of it.

We think we are signing up for parades and football games and competitions. But what we are really walking into is a front-row seat to transformation.

And it will break your heart a little...In the best way of course.

So to the first-year band mom who is already worried she does not know enough, breathe. You will learn.

To the dad standing off to the side wondering where he fits, step closer. There is room for you here.

To the parents who are tired before the season has even really started, I get it.

The alarms will be early. The days will be hot. The schedule will feel ridiculous. There will be moments when you wonder why any of this takes so much from a family.

Then your kid will march by. They will be standing taller than they did a month ago... and in that moment, you will know. This is not just band. This is belonging. This is identity taking shape. This is childhood changing form right in front of us.

So bring the water. Bring the patience. Bring the quiet pride you do not always know how to speak out loud.

And dads?

This season, rise up. Not because the band needs more people to move props, but because your kids need to see you care.

They need to see that their music, their effort, their strange little world of uniforms and drill charts and parade routes MATTERS to you, too.

They need to look across the chaos and find you there.

Watching.

Supporting.

Staying close.

Even as they grow.

I have wanted to do this for a while, but, timing is always difficult in my world. But, we will go live with our first streaming guest on the SoundstageEDU podcast.

We will stream here live and also on our YouTube Channel. So, be sure you are following us in all those places.

This first time out topic will be something Chris and I have been discussing and it could not be more timely than it is now. We will be talking all things marching percussion, but, more specifically, we want to talk to the new instructors that are walking into a high school ensemble for the first time.

We will talk culture, pedagogy, behavior, teenage anxiety - and who knows what else we may talk about. It will be this Friday at 12noon Central time. Follow us, share the page, follow the YouTube channel. Can't wait to see you all in the feedback!

So, who is Chris? He is a graduate of Western Carolina University and has instructed, consulted with, and arranged for many programs around North Carolina. Currently, he is the Percussion Director at Midway High School in Newton's Grove, NC.

1 year ago today I hit record. I had no vision, no real plan. I just had a message that I knew I needed to get out there.

In that time, I have personally worked with 2 dozen booster boards in deep 90 day consultation engagements, and I have hopped on the phone with countless others. Answered emails and DMs and listened while you vented and decompressed.

Looking forward to many many more of those meetings. Looking forward to helping you relieve stress and focus on the kids more. Looking forward to helping you find fundraisers that work and helping you tune your bylaws so they match your program and not someone else’s.

Thank you to all of you sharing this message and advocating for your kid’s programs. The arts changed my life and I will do everything I can to make it better even if it is just for a few programs.

CULTURE BRIEF #5

The parade can wait. Your students can't.

Every year I see the same thing.

Parents and volunteers standing on the sidelines with water bottles... waiting for the "right moment" because they don't want to distract from the performance.

They don't want to get in the TV shot. They don't want to interrupt the parade.

Can I give you permission? Hand them the water...

If a student needs water, they need water. If they need a quick check-in, check on them. If they need a moment to recover, help them recover.

Nobody watching that parade is going to say, "I can't believe those adults stopped to take care of those kids." In fact, they'll probably think exactly the opposite.

They'll see adults doing what adults are supposed to do.

This time of year, the heat isn't just uncomfortable... It can be dangerous.

Your first responsibility is not the parade. It's the people in it.

The best organizations understand something important:

People always come before performance. Take care of your students. The parade will still be there.

Let’s be honest…

Nobody wakes up in the morning excited to talk about bylaws, board structure, succession planning, conflict of interest policies, volunteer culture, parent engagement, meeting norms, or nonprofit compliance.

Well… almost nobody. Apparently, I do. 😂

But here’s the thing:

That “boring” stuff? That is the stuff that keeps booster organizations alive. Culture and governance are the two mainstays inside every healthy booster program.

Culture is how people feel when they walk into the room. Governance is how the organization keeps moving when the room gets messy.

And at soundstageEDU, that is exactly what we talk about, teach, unpack, and work through together.

Because most booster problems are not really fundraising problems. They are not really volunteer problems. They are not really “nobody cares anymore” problems. And… dare I say, it’s not always “everyone is just too busy to help.”

A lot of the time, they are culture problems hiding behind chaos… and governance problems hiding behind good intentions.

That is where we come in.

With 30+ years of experience in arts education, booster leadership, nonprofit work, performance support, and organizational problem-solving, soundstageEDU is built to walk alongside booster leaders, directors, parents, and arts organizations through just about any situation.

Some of what we offer is completely free, because I genuinely want to help as many programs as possible.

Some of it has a cost, because this project has to be sustainable if it is going to keep serving people well.

But all of it has the same purpose:

To help booster organizations stop guessing, stop spinning, stop surviving meeting to meeting, and start building something healthier.

So come hang out with us.

Learn with us.

Laugh at the chaos with us.

Fix the culture.

Strengthen the structure.

And let’s raise the bar together.

Register for membership today at www.soundstageEDU.com