The Story of Noah and the Flood takes several chapters to tell. It begins with the darkness of human behavior and ends with a covenant promise. Water is central to the story and important throughout the bible. It is not magic or special by itself, but it does have symbolic power. Do you ever wonder if God used the water to destroy the earth or cleanse the earth? Maybe it was both.
Which brings me back to the band room. What is happening in your ensembles, your classes, your program that isn’t what you had intended or hoped for? Are there things you would like to sweep away completely and start over? Are there other elements you would like to stay in place but which need to be renewed or restarted or reimagined?
So how does one bring about a ‘flood’ in a band program? Envision how you want things to changes. Use the relationships you’ve built with your students to involve them in the process. And be humble to admit that everything isn’t how it should be and that you need help ‘flooding’ the band program. Make sure they understand that you still want them to be there when the cleanse is over, but that you all need a fresh start and some covenant promises from each other.