Quality of Life Habits for the Successful Band Director

by Scott Rush

Being a band director is more than a career it is truly a way of life. Demanding and extended hours are par for the course. Then there s the stress of concert performances and managing students and budgets, let alone the parents!
How does a band director sustain a happy and healthy career? How best to balance work life and family life? Who should band directors turn to for support and guidance?
Written by two veteran music educators, this indispensable book is for anyone who struggles in dealing with the hazards of the profession, be it a first-year teacher or a seasoned veteran of more than 25 years. Quality of Life Habits of a Successful Band Director can be especially valuable for preservice music education students, and can help solve many problems before they start.
Topics early career strategies; perspectives from the masters Ray Cramer and Frank Battisti; balancing family, spouse, workplace, and personal needs; motherhood and band directing; and transferring theory to practice through the development of action steps and professional strategies.
This practical yet wise book is insightful, meaningful, and gripping. Authors Scott Rush and Jeremy Lane have written a true classic a book to return to again and again, the results yielding a long and happy career in music education.

150 pages, Hardcover

Published December 12, 2014

Reviews

[Coralie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book is emmensely important, and not just for musicians or music educators. The ideas this book sets forth are for everyone. If you waste your life planning on how you want to live your life instead of living every day with purpose and to the best of your abilities, you're going to have an awful gray life. The book gives insigtful perspectives, great examples to follow, warning signs to avoid, and suggestions for how to improve your quality of life, even if just with little steps. There are interviews, clearly defined sections, and even a fictional storyline to help portray points more clearly. I love the conversational tone this book presents, an easy read and a fulfiling topic. This book is all about priorities. With your priorities in line, you can ensure that you not only plan to live, but actually DO live, a wonderful life. The quality of your life can be poor or excellent, your choice. Entirely your choice.

[Marcus · Rating 1 out of 5]

I understand what this book is trying to do and say. I understand the importance of work/life balance that Rush Lane and Cramer are trying to get across to the audience.

The entire air of the book, however, comes off as pretentious. Rush and Lane seem to have a savior complex that was completely off putting. There are a lot of general “we as band directors” statements, followed by “…but I” statements.

I didn’t like it; it didn’t tell me anything new or give me any ideas. It was not revolutionary even though the authors praise themselves the entire book for being willing to “speak up about this”.

I will not be reading this again and I would not recommend it to others.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is full of concrete ideas on how to assist a teacher who is struggling to balance their time, The book is not just about balancing time in the classroom but all aspects of life. And, while geared towards the band director, anyone could read this book and take away suggestions on how to better balance their lives.

[Brooke Tolbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Scott Rush!