| So how are you getting on with your teaching practice at the High School, Joe? |
| Well I've been put in charge of the school marching band, and it's quite a responsibility. |
| I'd like to talk it over with you. |
| Go ahead. |
| You'd better start by giving me a bit of background. |
| OK. |
| Well the band has students in it from all years, |
| so they're aged 11 to 18, and there are about 50 of them altogether. |
| It's quite a popular activity within the school. |
| I've never worked with a band of more than 20 before, and this is very different. |
| I can imagine. |
| They aren't really good enough to enter national band competitions, |
| but they're in a regional one later in the term. |
| Even if they don't win, and I don't expect them to, |
| hopefully it'll be an incentive for them to try and improve. |
| Yes, hopefully. |
| Well, now the town council's organising a carnival in the summer, |
| and the band has been asked to perform. |
| If you ask me, they aren't really up to it yet, |
| and I need to get them functioning better as a band, and in a very short time. |
| Have you been doing anything with them? |
| Apart from practising the music, I mean. |
| I played a recording I came across, |
| of a drummer talking about how playing in a band had changed his life. |
| I think it was an after-dinner speech. |
| I thought it was pretty inspiring, |
| because being in the band had stopped him from getting involved in crime. |
| The students seemed to find it interesting, too. |
| That's good. |
| I'm planning to show them that old film from the 1940s 'Strike Up the Band', |
| and talk about it with the students. |
| What do you think? |
| Good idea. |
| As it's about a school band, it might make the students realise how much they can achieve if they work together. |
| That's what I've got in mind. |
| I'm hoping I can take some of the band to a parade that's going to take place next month. |
| A couple of marching bands will be performing, and the atmosphere should be quite exciting. |
| It depends on whether I can persuade the school to hire a coach or two to take us there. |
| They sound like good ideas to me. |
| Thanks. |
| Can I tell you about a few people in the band who I'm finding it quite difficult to cope with? |
| I'm sure you'll have some ideas about what I can do. |
| Go ahead. |
| There's a flautist who says she loves playing in the band. |
| We rehearse twice a week after school, but she's hardly ever there. |
| Then she looks for me the next day and gives me a very plausible reason - |
| she says she had to help her mother, or she's been ill, |
| but to be honest, I don't believe her. |
| Oh dear! |
| Any more students with difficulties? |
| Plenty! |
| There's a trumpeter who thinks she's the best musician in the band, though she certainly isn't. |
| She's always saying what she thinks other people should do, which makes my job pretty difficult. |
| She sounds a bit of a nightmare! |
| You can say that again. |
| Uh... one of the trombonists has got an impressive sense of rhythm, |
| and could be an excellent musician - |
| except that he has breathing difficulties, |
| and he doesn't really have enough breath for the trombone. |
| He'd be much better off playing percussion, for instance, but he refuses to give up. |
| So he ends up only playing half the notes. |
| I suppose you have to admire his determination. |
| Maybe. |
| One of the percussionists isn't too bad, |
| but he never seems to interact with other people, |
| and he always rushes off as soon as the rehearsal ends. |
| I don't know if there are family reasons, or what. |
| But it isn't good in a band, where people really need to feel they're part of a group. |
| There are others too, but at least that gives you an idea of what I'm up against. |
| Do you have any thoughts about what I can do, Lizzie? |