John Gardner

19 yrs experience as a high school band director. 14 yrs as college adjunct faculty. 30+ yrs in the fundraising industry and 24 yrs as a small business owner. (Don't add all those up.). Experience in both the fundraising sales and education worlds give me a unique combination of perspectives in both. I love working with the youthful enthusiasm of today's teenage achievers and with those who work with them. Also 6yrs as proprietor of VirtualMusicOffice.com, which offers a wide variety of virtual services including web/blog design/hosting/managing, social media management (scheduling posts/tweets for maximum impact and brand enhancement) and small business consulting - specializing in school product fundraising.

The time I was surrounded by bank security

College Prep, Personal experience /

For three years of my undergrad Music Education study at the University of Kentucky, I rented one of five rooms the elderly landlady rented to college boys. Part of our rental agreement was that we would perform one task with her per month. That could be anything from driving her somewhere to assisting with her Christmas Cards.

Life at the Dagley house included an education UK could not match. She adjusted forever my dialect, diction, grammar and vocabulary.  I uncomfortably experienced how the élite deal with the ordinary, picked up breadcrumbs of how the rich keep, manage and spend money and cringed at her political prejudice and unapologetic racism.

This story is about one of those errands when I took her to the bank.

Bank withdrawalShe wanted to “cash” a check. She didn’t specify why….just handed me a money bag and an envelope for the teller. Imagine…. a college student approaching a bank teller with a nearly blind senior citizen woman, and handing the teller an envelope containing a check, a note to “cash it” with specific instructions of how many of each denomination – and a money bag. I was unaware of the amount of the check until the teller summoned security, which quickly, but politely, positioned around us. Can you say awkward moment? The exchange with the teller went something like this:

Teller: “Ma’am, are you sure you want to cash this….all of this?”

Dagley: “What does the note say?”

Teller: “Yes ma’am, but are you aware of the amount you are asking for?”

Dagley: “You mean the amount for which I am asking? (She was always correcting grammar and pronunciation). Is there confusion about the amount?”

I was not surprised that they were questioning her writing, especially if she wrote it out herself. More probable is that her attorney, a frequent visitor, wrote the check, and that her signature was all over it. When signing things, she would ask us to place the pen in the general area. Her signature was huge and never went in the intended direction.

Teller: Are you sure you have the right number of zeros?

Dagley: How many zeros do you see?

Teller: Ma’am that is ten thousand dollars.

Dagley: “Yes, it is. It is in my account and I want you to put it in this bag.”

Bank officer w/Security: “Miss Dagley, may we have a word with you?”

Dagley: “No. You may not. This is a simple transaction and I want you to complete it NOW.”

I never knew what she did with that $10,000 in cash.

This and more stories about My College Years with an Old Opera Singer HERE.

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Is it just me?

Personal experience, Respect, Sales and Marketing /

Is it just me? Yes, maintenance is often cheaper than waiting for something to break. But unless you really know your mechanics and mechanisms, and honest maintenance/repair people, you can be a victim. Sometimes I feel victimized.

Not all maintenance experiences are bad.

I sent my mower for maintenance instructing “do whatever it needs”. I expected certain things; oil change, oil and air filter and spark plug replacements, blades sharpened, and wheels aligned. I trusted the repair guy (a former student) and he charged me a reasonable amount, especially considering he picks it up and returns it.

There is a local auto shop I’m pleased with. They fix issues I know about and show me options for future consideration without needless pressure.

But then there are the oil change shops that want to “sell up”; filters tires, or a list of multi-hundred dollar recommended maintenance repairs.

Here’s the one that prompted this post.

Eleven months ago, my home air conditioner stopped. I couldn’t find the reason. I found a local business that had several positive recommendations. I called. He came. It was a capacitor, he replaced it and all was good. As we were settling up, he offered a $150 1-yr, 3-visit maintenance option; furnace, air conditioner and water heater. Sounded good. I signed up.

The first “check” was on my furnace. The tech said there was some “out of code” wiring and routing. It would cost $350 for the repair. The furnace could explode at any time. That should have been a red enough flag. I authorized the repair, however.

Today was check #2 — on my air conditioner, which, other than the part he replaced last year, has functioned perfectly. Today he found a part that, if I didn’t change, could cause the unit to not come on or not shut off. If I waited for that to happen, there would also be the cost of the service call on top of the nearly $300 to replace the part, which he happened to have with him.

As we were settling up, he asked two questions:

  1. When did I want to schedule the water heater check? I DID NOT. Not scheduled.
  2. Can he place a sign in my yard? NO!

Then I got a text (and also an email) asking for feedback.

DONE!

Is it just me? Read More »

You can’t say that

Assistant Directing, Communication, High Schools, Personal experience, Public Schools, School Security, Social Media, Social Media, Teaching /

You can't say thatAccounts of recent separations of news personalities from their employers remind me of a time my boss told me,

“You can’t say that.”

Years ago, on a hot sunny mid-day, our high school was evacuated over a threat. One of my thoughts at the time was wondering what was going through the minds of those stopped in traffic as 1500+ students, teachers, and staff crossed the state highway en masse. After accounting for all the students who left class, we sat in the football stadium bleachers until the end of the school day when busses and parents picked up students from the stadium rather than the high school. The congestion and confusion on that side street was significant.

The afternoon was especially stressful to those who had to work through the safety protocols to ensure students left only with a legal guardian. How do you call the school when the school is evacuated? How and to whom are calls forwarded? And what about student records with parent/guardian names and information in an area without computers and connections? How do they sign out from a remote location? Parents were frustrated as everyone was trying to do the right thing in a setting we had never before experienced. I should note that the communication and information issues of that day were addressed.

My uncovered bald head was significantly sunburned in those nearly three hours. By the time I got home, my head hurt and I was angry, especially after learning all that was the result of one student’s prank. I made an ill-advised comment on personal social media that punishment should include affixing the offender to the schoolyard flag pole and allowing all who spent those 2-3 hours in the stadium sun file by to express thoughts of the experience.

I should not have said that and I deleted the post, but not before someone shared it with the building boss, who called me to his office the next day. With a copy of my post in his hand, he not-quite laughingly said that, although he might feel the same way, “you can’t say that”.

I wasn’t fired.

 

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Car technology meets Senior Citizenhood

Personal experience /
Don’t think and hurt your brain

An original stupid personal experience story by John Gardner

Yes,

  • Many newer cars (including Joan’s) have key fobs with protection against locking key in car
  • My car does not (2012 Camry)
  • We usually travel in my car and are rarely together in hers
  • When I am taking her car for something, I know to put the key fob in my pocket. 
  • I’m not dumb, right?

 

But, for this last trip, where we were spending a week in her Dad’s area, we drove together in her car. We both had our key fobs on our persons. When I open the driver door, the seat adjusts to me. Cool. Push the start button, car starts. Perfect.

 

So this story happens as we are checking out of a hotel and getting in the car to take her dad to a surgery follow-up appointment. Without thinking, I had the key fob in a pocket that I loaded in the trunk as we were getting ready to go. 

 

As I close the trunk, CAR BEEPS … The reason didn’t register. Joan had already unlocked the car, helped her dad in … and when she gets in the passenger front, the beeping stops. The only weird thing was that the driver seat went to her setting. The reason didn’t register. I just pushed the seat button, adjusts. No problem. I get in… push the start button. Car starts. No problem, right?

 

We get to the hospital, I drop Joan and her dad off at the main door. She gets out of the car. CAR BEEPS…. The reason didn’t register. As she walks away, the beeping stops. 

 

I drive to a parking spot where I intend to wait for them. I push the button. Car shuts off, but beeps a couple times. I decide I want to turn the power on to keep charging my phone. Push the button. CAR BEEPS and power does NOT come on. I push the button to start the car. BEEPS. DEAD. Does NOT start. 

 

I call the car dealer service, describe a beep and no start and they tell me my battery is dead. Great. I’m out of state and know no auto businesses in the area. 

 

I search for a road service company that can at least come jump start me so I can get somewhere to get a new battery. Three people told me they couldn’t help me but Sandy’s Towing could. Call. Quoted $75 for a jump. Go. Driver will call when close.

 

THEN…. 

 

I realized my key fob was in the trunk. Ding. Car was trying to tell me not to lock it in the trunk. It was too far away to start the car. I get the fob, put it in my pocket, get back in the car, push the button…..engine starts. Wave off the jump-start driver and all is well. 

 

Duh….. 

 

Next car I get (mine is a 2012 and I’m approaching 80K miles….. Yeah. Anyway, my next car is going to have to give me warnings IN ENGLISH. Think I’ll find one?

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Virginia Beach Music Festival and the 3rd Floor Balcony

2 Comments / High Schools, Marching Band, Personal experience, Storytelling, Throw Back Thursday /

The Virginia Beach Music Festival was a multi-day event that included competitions in Marching, Concert, Parade, Jazz, and Inspection. 

Normally a band year has multiple seasons. Summer and Fall are mostly Marching Band. Some competitions included an inspection element, which included standing at attention for about 15 minutes while someone went through with white gloves and inspected selected instruments and uniforms. Marching season transitions into Concert Band — and Jazz Band starts up. Late Spring and early Summer is parade season. 

To prepare for Virginia Beach, all that had to be going on simultaneously. 

During school, the concert band would rehearse. Jazz Band was after school and evenings were a combination of marching, parade and inspection practice.

The campus had a long driveway that we used, but would often go through a couple of the neighborhood blocks. Inspections involved Copenhaver’s paddle. We would stand at attention and he would walk in front of us, stopping to stare and to grab and check instruments. If anything was wrong, he’d say, “That’s one”, which meant he would get you with the paddle when he got behind you, which could be several minutes later. And if you moved when he whacked you, guess what. Right. I never got the paddle. 

The first time Holmes participated in 1969, (my Freshman year) Holmes was Grand Champion. We returned in 1970 as “Honor Band” for the event. 

Director Copenhaver was from Virginia and our two Greyhound busses stoped at a park near his hometown for a community-provided picnic. I remember one of the busses got stuck crossing a small creek. 

Two memorable events at the hotel we used. First, was one evening during the week when Mr. Copenhaver was in the parking lot and looked up at many of us on the balconies and said, 

“They know we’re here.”

Other than when actually winning an event, it was the happiest I recall him looking and sounding. 

The other was an evening when a group of seniors came knocking on our door. I was in a room with three other freshmen boys. They were there for “initiation”, which normally included some combination of ice down the underwear with shaving cream there and everywhere else — and then locked out of the room. 

The four of us (I think we all four), went over the balcony. The floors were close enough together that we could go from floor to floor…. Until we could jump to the ground. 

I can’t believe I did that. 

But I never experienced “initiation”. And I never did that to anyone else.

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When you hear that students today are behind

Leave a Comment / High Schools, Public Schools, Teaching, Teaching Music /

By John Gardner

I’m not going to defend some of today’s diluted, politically correct, expanded curricula when compared to what students learned decades (or centuries) ago. The Huffington Post published this 8th grade exam from 100 years ago and ask if you could pass it today.

I don’t ever recall, as a student, having to spend school time on bullying or suicide prevention, tolerance, drugs, sex, active-shooter and lock-down drills. I’ve participated in mandatory teacher training on bullying. We provide “digital citizenship” training worth several class periods for using those free iPads we gave them. Schools test to test that teachers’ tests are testing appropriate levels, that teachers are teaching and students are learning.
 
WHAT students must learn today is so much more complex than what students needed to know back in a previous century. Below is a good visual. It would have been much easier to learn to identify and differentiate the crayon colors available in the 1903 vs today, wouldn’t you agree?

Just sayin’.

Crayon Colors

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3 Types of Thriving Teens

Leave a Comment / College Prep, High Schools, Public Schools, Respect, Teaching /

By John Gardner

On three

1. Good Teens thrive BECAUSE of their parents

For one group, I give much credit to good parenting. These are the parents who are active and involved in their teen’s life. They’re on the PTO, in the band/choir/athletic booster groups, they come to watch practices, performances or games, they volunteer to help and they put up the money that most worth while ventures require. Some, are more behind the scenes supporting, enabling  and encouraging. Outside of school activities, the family is together a lot. Maybe there isn’t a lot of money for fancy vacations, but they find ways to do things together anyway. Single parents and those who have remarried can also do fantastic jobs. My heart goes out to those super parents who are experiencing what author James Dobson calls “the strong-willed child”.

Keep the faith and keep doing what you’re doing. The teen will figure it out eventually.

2. Good Teens thrive IN SPITE of their parents

A second group, and one that I especially admire, are those teens who turn out great “in spite of”  their parents. These are the teens who“ have every reason (mostly by example) to crash and burn, and yet, they determine NOT to follow the paths of their parents and instead, commit themselves to a better life.

I’m not faulting single, lower-income, laid off or otherwise challenged parents doing the best they can. My parents divorced when I (oldest of 5) was in 7th grade. My mother was a polio-survivor without a car. We didn’t have it easy but we had love and support — and we all survived.

I DO fault those who could but don’t share or support the child’s enthusiasm for a worthy activity.

Your child knows, is hurt, embarrassed and deflated by your lack of support.

A high school clarinet student once tell me,

“My dad has never heard me play.”

You will only have that child in your care for a short time.

I was outside our band entrance door greeting students arriving for rehearsal. The car stopped and both student and parent got out. The girl ran to me, in tears, frantically exclaiming, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” before running into the building. Behind her came the papa with the band schedule in hand. There was no warm, fuzzy response to my “Hi, how ya doin’?” Instead, he almost slapped me in the face with the schedule as he grunted, “How much of this schedule is mandatory?” After my response, “All of it.”, he mumbled something I wouldn’t print even if I heard it clearly. The daughter was waiting for me in the office, still crying, and apologizing for what she was sure I had endured. My respect and admiration for her attitude and work ethic skyrocketed after that.

A sophomore asked me for some personal clarinet coaching. Things were going great until she came in one day tearfully explaining she had to quit. She had gotten a job to pay for her lessons, because her parents would not, and when they learned how she was spending her earnings, they started charging her rent.

I continued her lessons anyway.

Another student came in from the parking lot to ask for some help with a flat tire. He called his mother while the other director and I taught him how to change a tire. To get to the spare, he had to unhook the huge woofer in the trunk. The mother and boyfriend arrived and, instead of thanking us for staying or trying to help, boyfriend starts screaming at the teen, “How dare you let somebody else touch my car. This isn’t over, kid.”

These are the students we find walking home after the concert, football game, or competition — because they know their parents will not come pick them up. Some get their own jobs to raise their own money to pay the participation fees, even earning money to go on trips.

3. Good Teens thrive because of who they are

Some teens naturally have what it takes for greatness. Natural greatness combined with good parenting is definitely a winning combination.

Thanks for reading.

John

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Does your instrument have a “SPEED” Button?

Leave a Comment / Teaching Music /

 

At the time, our Fall Bands were divided into three classes. There was the Marching Band, a class of 10th-12th graders who did not march, and a class of 9th grade non-marchers.

It was early in the semester and I was working with the 9th grade band’s clarinet section. It is important to note that these students had never heard me play. Clarinet is my major instrument…and way back in a previous century, I was pretty decent.

Anyway, we were working on a scale, but I used this opportunity to also teach correct fingerings, hand position, range, speed and breath control.

We played the scale several times and got the first octave sounding pretty good. They were feeling pretty good.

“Okay, now let’s add a second octave.”

There were looks and stares, but they stayed with me. Some of them acted like I was teaching them some notes they had never played before.

“You’re in high school now — and you need to be able to do this.”

We played the upper octave slowly, but then gradually increased the speed. The next step…

“Good. Now I want you to play up and down BOTH octaves in ONE breath.”

Not bad.

“This time, we’re going to go up and down both octaves TWO TIMES in one breath.”

STUDENT: “Mr. Gardner, to do that, we’re going to have to go faster.”

“EXACTLY. We’re going to go faster — and you’re also going to need to take a deeper breath and control your air. Remember…..TWO times…..ONE breath. Ready?”

I was gradually increasing the tempo and they were surprising themselves with the fact that they were getting it.

When I said we were going to go THREE TIMES in one breath, one of the freshmen stopped me.

STUDENT: “Mr. Gardner, clarinets can’t go that fast.”

That was my cue. I got out my Buffet R13 and zipped up and down those two octaves several times. I really don’t remember the number, but it was much higher than the “impossible” three where they thought we were.

I finished.

Big eyeballs. And silence….until one of them asked shyly,

STUDENT: “How did you do that?”

I started out by saying that,

“Mine is a professional model clarinet…..and it has a special SPEED BUTTON.”

To my dismay, that explanation immediately and completely satisfied them.

THEY BOUGHT IT.

Of course, you can go fast if your clarinet has a special speed button on it. I was almost speechless. I thought I was telling a joke.

No, I didn’t leave it there. I couldn’t. I talked with them about technique (how close my fingers stayed to the keys) and some practice technique, including what we had been doing with, 1) get it right, then 2) get it faster and 3) keep increasing speed.

More on practice technique in another post. And maybe I’ll share the story about the clarinet student who told me the section we were working on was “too hard”.

Thanks for reading.

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Community Choirs of Huntington County Celebrating 30 Years

Family, Personal experience, Show Choir, Teaching, Teaching Music, Types of education /

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CCHC 1993
The Children’s Choir of Huntington County in their first Christmas Concert in 1993 at Huntington University and under the founding director, Dr. Rediger

In 1993 the Children’s Choirs of Huntington County were formed. Originally there were two choirs for younger and older children. Dr. Joann Rediger was the founding director and is on stage with the group in this picture at their first Christmas Concert in 1993. As high school and adult choirs have been added, the group name was changed to Community Choirs of Huntington County and currently includes the Children’s Choir, Copper Sound and Joyful Songsters. Follow them on their website at https://childrenschoirofhuntingtoncounty.org/.

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Clarinet Alt Eb Key

Leave a Comment / Teaching Music /

They make some top end clarinets with this alternate Eb key. I thought this sounded good…..but $250 for one key??? Ummmmm, I’ll use the Eb key I’ve been using since….ummmm well, a long time.

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