Student Leadership - Part 2: Teaching Them To Lead

In Part 2, Mike gives great ideas for actually making them a team! This includes teaching communication skills and using them to create vision and goals for your group. --- How do you move beyond just appointing "Drum Majors" and actually cultivate a leadership culture that transforms your ensemble? In this episode of Ask Mike, Mike Lunney joins us to break down the intentional process of teaching leadership to music students. We explore why leadership must be taught as a skill rather than assumed as a trait, and how band directors can provide the "why" behind every goal. Mike also introduces a powerful four-animal personality framework (Lions, Otters, Retrievers, and Owls) to help you communicate more effectively with different types of student leaders.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why the leadership process is more important than the end goal.
• How to facilitate goal setting for individuals, sections, and the full band.
• The "Animal Personality" system for better student communication.
• How to build a foundation of trust through vulnerability and feedback.