ok, my first year to march was last year, and i have already been promoted from maggot to section leader! im not sure how my used to be superiors are going to respond to this and im not sure what to do HELP! please

Hey, your section leader, you earned it! Tell the new maggots what to do. I am section leader and they are like animals and can smell your fears. Be bold. Be a good example and be a friend at the same time. Remember, your a trumpet player, be cocky! lol
principal_trpt@hotmail.com

i know that i need to be bold and in control but i have been described as using tough love. i am not sure about sectionals and stuff. how often should i have them? we practice twice a week so... thanks for your advice

things all depend on how often you have marching band. Do you play every day, if so 2-3 sectionals a week should be enough to see how well the section is tuning and listening to each other. If you just meet a few times a week, i would have a practice at least once a week or less. Things all depend on whether or not they are devouted and willing to work with you. Just make sure that you let them know somehow that you are the leader but can still crack jokes and make fun of the flutes or something. Sorry about the late response. Formatted my computer and didn`t set up an internet connection. Any other Questions?

by the way my new screen name is cameron, not chip! still the same guy

no real questions. we just started practices a week ago and things are working out pretty good. i have taken control of my section and we are actually working pretty good together. i like being the authority figure. i had to bump a couple of people dpwn to 2nd pary and they didnt like that but o well, thanx

I`m a freshman and this is my 2nd year marching. We have two seniors that are graduating this year. There is only one older person than me, but, she is unable to be section leader due to other activities. The directors and seniors are preping me for next year. I am really nervous because the other people my age don`t see me as a leader figure and don`t treat me with respect like they do the seniors when they tell them to do something. Any tips would be most appreciated.

Thanks

start acting like a leader. I was chosen cause i had the qualities of a leader and i was the only one who would do solos. Just tell everyone who is boss and that you dont want any lip about it. I am the youngest trumpet player in my school, next to the freshmen.

Don`t act like you are above the rest of them. Work with the section, the drum majors and the director. Because you are section leader does not make you any better than anyone else. You are just another part in a machine to get the work done. If you act like you are the only one who knows what to do, people will lose their respect for you and will only remember what your mistakes were. The hardest part of being a good leader is to be the one who does all the hard work, who fixes the problems that seem so stupid, and who makes everyone really want to do the activity. If you are nice and willing to work with others for a common goal, then you have a much higher chance of success than if you tell them what to do all the time. Let the underclassmen have a say in the decisions. Their not as dumb as you think they are, and if you honestly believe that you are right all the time, then it is you who is dumb, and you should certainly not be the one running the section. In short, to be a good section leader, you need to not have the typical trumpet player ego.

Thank you so much for your advice. I really want to learn the correct and friendly way to gain my section`s respect. I don`t want them to fear me or think I`m really bossy. The 8th graders in the section are telling me to continue what I`m doing. They have a lot of respect for me and also try to act like me. They see me as a role model. Also, recently, the seniors let me take over a sectional because they had a meeting to attend. There is one person in the section that is giving me a really hard time. I think he is just jealous because he won`t be chosen for section leader next year. He feels like guys should lead the section and not girls. Does anyone have any ideas on how I can handle this situation?

Thanks!

Give him some amount of power in the section, enough so that it seems like he is in charge but not so that he really is. An example would be if you have a student that needs help marching or something, he could take them out and work with them on a one on one basis. He would be important, and yet not have any real power that could harm the section.