Everything I Needed to Know in Life I Learned in Concert Band

Play from your heart
Follow the leader
Help set up
Sit up straight
Take deep breaths
Be prepared – always have extra supplies just in case
Drink plenty of water
Eat food at an appropriate time
Listen to the people around you
Playing in the rain is ok if you have the right gear
Clap for someone when they do a good job
Plan ahead
Have a pencil ready
Have an eraser ready
Wipe up your own spit
Keep track of your belongings
Read carefully, observing all marks
Count
Come in when you can
Listen to those around you to see where you fit in
If you are lost – ask someone for help
Music is for everyone
Play from your heart
A good leader inspires and encourages
Try to get along with people in different sections
Be friendly
Be humble
Stick together
Compliment others
Be on time
Leave on time
Laugh with people but not at people
Appreciate those who are different from you
If you are moved – it is ok to cry
It is also ok to laugh
Try your hardest
Play as a team
Team work is not just for athletes
It is not about winning – it is about finishing
And doing your best
Practice
Pick up after yourself
Put your chair away when you are done
Be proud of what you do right
Let go of what you do wrong
Try to do better each time
Strive for 100% but know that 99% is ok
Surround yourself with good people
Don't give up
Know that everyone is important to the group and has a contribution to make
Playing quietly communicates just as much as playing loudly
Sometimes silence is golden
Having a great leader makes all the difference
Play from your heart


Inspired by and acknowledgement given to Robert Fulghum’s for his poem and book, “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.”