Now that I have settled into second semester and concert band season is in full swing, I feel like I am pushing just ever so slightly beyond survival mode as a first year teacher. After the initial shock, I am starting to figure out some changes and initiatives I want to pursue in my position. I have a new procedure for distributing music and handouts, I held a "Maintenance Monday" and "Equipment Check," and my fifth graders have started to work with their high school band buddies (that's a separate post entirely, I'm really excited about this!). The biggest project I have right now though is organizing the music library.
I worked in the band library in college, and I learned a ton. Unfortunately, I also gained an understanding of how music ought to be kept and organized. As such, I am cursed with a feeling of moral culpability for my current band library, which is a shambles. I am reminded of my zany library boss, LL, and what she might say if she saw my band room.
Imaginary LL: Emma, you can rebuild it! Better, stronger than before!
Emma: But it will take freakin' forever, and I have other stuff to do! Plus, nobody's gonna care except me. Can't the next guy just do it?
Imaginary LL: You can't leave it like this, the horror!!! Do the job, do the job!
Emma: Well, it would make it easier to select and purchase literature...
Imaginary LL: That's the spirit... ::LL cackle::
So it begins, the process of organizing my library. Of course, the first step is convincing myself that this is a worthy use of my time. Let me first explain the problems. There is no computerized inventory of the library, so I have no quick way of knowing what we have. All of the music for the high school, middle school, and beginning bands are all stored together alphabetically(ish), which is fine until you run out of space in the "A" drawer. My literature selection this year has consisted of me wading through file cabinets and praying that I come out with something remotely A. appropriate and B. halfway decent sounding. I remember being elated when I discovered the cache of Christmas music the day after marching band season ended (otherwise I would've been hosed). This is a problem.
So, I devised a catalogue. I set up a system of call numbers to be grouped separately: B=Beginning, JH=Junior High, H=High School, C=Christmas, and P=Patriotic. I decided to separate out these latter categories because the Veteran's Day Program and Christmas Program are big events in the community and I wanted those pieces together for easy browsing. I am using Excel (with a list/sort feature) for the catalogue. I know that there are a lot of fancy database programs out there, but the previous director had started putting some pieces on the computer, and I didn't want to totally start over. My spreadsheet has all the usual suspects, check out the sample here.
The sick thing is, I actually enjoy the orderliness and busywork of this project at times. It can get overwhelming, but it's funny too! It's like looking at old photo albums. I loving seeing what the bands used to play at my school as far back as the 60s and 70s. For example, I have unearthed over 20 Swearingen titles, no exaggeration. The range of music includes orchestral transcriptions, standard school band fare, Sousa marches, a variety of Curnow pieces, the theme from "Cheers," "Ebony and Ivory for Concert Band," and my personal favorite, "The Bartman." Yup, as in the Simpsons circa 1990. Arranged... for... band.
Has anyone else organized a library before? What pitfalls did you encounter? Most importantly, is it worth it?? I'd love to hear about it in the comments. And of course, for your listening pleasure... check out the video below!
Bart Simpson - Do The Bartman by ernsthemingway
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