System Blue Leadership Camp Teaches High School Musicians How to Lead a Marching Band

The System Blue Leadership Camp brought over 300 high school band students to Grand Terrace High School (GTHS) last week from June 27 through 29. Organized by Patrick Seidling, the leadership program has run annually since 2009. Geared towards band section leaders and drum majors, participants come to learn marching skills and improve their musical technique while also learning how to lead a band efficiently. The three-day intensive took place thanks to the support and guidance of GTHS principal Angela Dischinger and band director Robert Ransdell. The school’s large campus and stadium are provided a perfect setting for the camp, with ample room for students to make use of in their participation, while color guard girls twirled their flags in the gym, and brass and percussion students studied and practiced elsewhere on the campus. Student participants also highlighted leadership as a major focus. Their first night concluded with a workshop with Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser, who travels around the nation with his company, Attitude Concepts for Today, Inc. Many musicians raved about his clinic, and pinpointed that as their favorite part of the program. Students from Moorpark High School recollected what Dr. Tim taught them. He stressed that the student leaders were “servants, not bosses, responsible for helping the group as a whole,” explained Sarah Morningred, who is a drum major and mallet player, embracing the group mentality with her inclusion of Serrano High School student Natalie Maust into the group of Moorpark musicians. Dr. Tim's presence seemed to be a high point for many of the students. Even event staff, such as Michael Manguinao, who was his school’s drum major before graduating, called him “phenomenal.” The reasoning behind this might be because Dr. Tim realizes how unique high school band programs are. He sees that students are very young, but given huge responsibilities: drum majors lead warm-ups, keep the band in tune, direct practices, and serve as constant role models. He teaches that leadership is more than just giving orders. Diana Fu, a trumpet player and drum major out of Foothill High School in the Bay area, summarized the sentiment: It is about “the little things.” During the workshop, Dr. Tim told the students that he had $2,000 in his pocket. The musicians would get that money, provided that they held eye contact with him for the entire presentation. Every time that someone looked away, he would take out $100. By the end of the clinic, his pocket was empty. He stressed that holding eye contact—a small gesture—is extremely important for leaders. Dr. Tim solidified that even seemingly meaningless actions like this make a high school student become a leader. Brian Howard, who was Blue Devils drum major for five years, said that “in every other sport, there is a bench.” He explained that in marching band, every musician is instrumental and part of the formation and the sound. Thus, it is necessary that band leaders emphasize doing the right thing and working hard. System Blue, in its three-day intensive camp, trained student musicians to lead with integrity and enthusiasm.