Let’s face it: teaching (and teaching band to be more specific) is hard enough when you’re a seasoned educator. Add on top of that the myriad of first-year teacher questions, responsibilities, training, and learning a new system, your first year of teaching could easily be a very stressful experience. Yet at the forefront of all those things, you’re expected to mount a top-notch marching band show and have the majority of it taught before most teachers even grace the doors of the school building.
Maybe you’re excited about the challenge. Maybe you’re terrified. Maybe you know exactly what it takes to mount a marching band show, or maybe you’re clueless.
Whatever your expectation for the fall, I’m positive of one thing: it can be an outstanding season for you and your students.
Here are five reasons why a show from Jonathan Martin Music will be the best choice you can make in your first year of teaching:
1. It’s flexible.
Jonathan Martin Music’s “Grade 1 Young Band Series” is flexible for bands of all sizes and experience levels. Whether your group has standard instrumentation or struggles to cover traditional parts, Grade 1 series shows have been written with intentional doublings to allow bands who may have less than ideal instrumentation to still mount an excellent show. For directors walking into a new program, you can be sure that no matter what instrumentation or playing level the students possess, a Grade 1 series show from Jonathan Martin Music is within their grasp. A few great features include minimized pit percussion parts, choice of unison, 2, 3, or 4-part Bass Line, and optional synth part as well as solos transcribed for all instruments. With optional “add-on” edits available for purchase, directors can further tailor the show to their ensemble’s specific needs.
2. It’s grounded in educational standards.
Let’s be honest here: there are some really great composers out there who know nothing about the workings of a classroom. We’ve all heard really great mock-ups that turned out to be less than playable when we give them to students. Your marching band season is too long to settle for a less-than-stellar opportunity to grow your students’ playing ability. Be confident that a Jonathan Martin Music show is rooted in foundational musical technique that will serve you and your students well for the entire season. Our free education guides give you practical information and educational tips to make your Jonathan Martin Music show more than just a performance. View all the education guides currently available at www.JonathanMartinMusic.com/resources.
3. It’s personalized & affordable
We take pride in our products being a great service to educators and students. That’s what we’re here to do: serve educators. This is upheld in our commitment to bring you professional quality resources for a great price, with additional options to customize your show through hourly edits at an affordable add-on price. Additionally, our Grade 1 shows are royalty free, meaning no pesky contracts or additional hoops to jump through. All our Grade 1 shows are accompanied by a host of free resources that will enhance your students’ learning process. Some of these great resources include the previously mentioned education guides, fingering charts, free narration (for applicable shows), and musical warm-ups for select shows, all provided free of charge.
4. It’s available today.
We’re here to work with you, and we understand that sometimes you don’t have time to wait. We take pride in same-day delivery of our Grade 1 marching band shows. With your signature and approval of appropriate school personnel, payment can be scheduled for up to 6 months out and we will send your show files the same day. It’s our commitment to serving educators like you that sets us apart.
