typed interview with mr. rice
What are three words that would best describe yourself?
"Passionate, understanding, and goal-oriented."
What is your favorite part about being a band director?
"I like seeing students experience what I experienced when they perform. I know what I felt when I perform and I like giving them that opportunity and seeing them have that same experience."
What made you want to pursue a job in music?
"Uh, I wasn't good at anything else. And again, kind of the same answer as the last one. Any real positive experience that I had in high school, or after, was music related. So, I think it is important to provide that opportunity for people. Especially nowadays when there are lots of other stuff to worry about. It's nice to have something that is just enjoyable."
Where do you hope to see this band program in 10 years?
"I don't know if there is a specific place that I would like to see them. I would like to see us bigger, obviously. But that'll come with the growth of the community. Also, just consistently doing what we are trying to do now, and being as good as we are trying to be now. Just getting that to be the norm. Whatever success we experience from that is great, but that can vary depending on what kind of shows you go to and that kind of thing. So, just consistent experience and consistent success for ourselves on our own scale."
What is most challenging about being a band director?
"I think it's challenging that we have so many varying degrees of how hard people want to work at this. Some people are in it to have fun with their friends and hang out. Some people are in it because they really love playing. Some people are in it for a mix so it is hard reaching everyone on their own level and also getting them to perform at the level we are trying to get everyone to perform at. Some people don't necessarily want to push themselves at that level, but for us to do what we are trying to do, we have to get everyone there somehow. And so just trying to reach everybody on their level but get them to that level is hard sometimes. Varying degrees of drive is challenging."
"Passionate, understanding, and goal-oriented."
What is your favorite part about being a band director?
"I like seeing students experience what I experienced when they perform. I know what I felt when I perform and I like giving them that opportunity and seeing them have that same experience."
What made you want to pursue a job in music?
"Uh, I wasn't good at anything else. And again, kind of the same answer as the last one. Any real positive experience that I had in high school, or after, was music related. So, I think it is important to provide that opportunity for people. Especially nowadays when there are lots of other stuff to worry about. It's nice to have something that is just enjoyable."
Where do you hope to see this band program in 10 years?
"I don't know if there is a specific place that I would like to see them. I would like to see us bigger, obviously. But that'll come with the growth of the community. Also, just consistently doing what we are trying to do now, and being as good as we are trying to be now. Just getting that to be the norm. Whatever success we experience from that is great, but that can vary depending on what kind of shows you go to and that kind of thing. So, just consistent experience and consistent success for ourselves on our own scale."
What is most challenging about being a band director?
"I think it's challenging that we have so many varying degrees of how hard people want to work at this. Some people are in it to have fun with their friends and hang out. Some people are in it because they really love playing. Some people are in it for a mix so it is hard reaching everyone on their own level and also getting them to perform at the level we are trying to get everyone to perform at. Some people don't necessarily want to push themselves at that level, but for us to do what we are trying to do, we have to get everyone there somehow. And so just trying to reach everybody on their level but get them to that level is hard sometimes. Varying degrees of drive is challenging."