09/20/2026
Yesterday the South Side Band competed in Gallatin, TN at the Station Camp Marching Invitational. This was exciting for the students and adults in a sense because we haven’t been out of west Tennessee for a contest in all my years at SSHS. (Hi, this is Mr. Sinclair, head band director).
I want to talk about results. Keep in mind we have never competed with these bands before, and we didn’t know what to expect at a contest that’s new to us that also has a different judging format.
We didn’t get one trophy. In fact there were several other groups that didn’t get a trophy.
These are kids, mind you, and of course they have knee jerk responses sometimes. It’s easy to get upset, start blaming others for being at fault for not getting a higher placement. It’s easy for them to think it’s because we don’t have enough visuals, or props, or whatever.
But this misses the point completely. In a culture where reactiveness is built into everything, especially through social media (react first, think logically later), it’s easy to miss the important stuff when it comes to not getting a trophy or placement you wanted at a contest.
So I would pose some questions to students, (and these would be good for parental consideration as they process results), as we react to results in the moment (directors need to be reminded too sometimes!)
Who were the judges? Were any of you the judges? No? Maybe we should listen to the judges and process what they’re saying and learn how we can be better (honestly the kids have probably heard a lot of the same stuff all season).
Have you seen the scores (data) to get a realistic picture of where we trended in various categories, like visual, music, percussion, guard, general effect? Is it as good or bad as you think?
If you got a great result, is that reflective of your true potential? Did you put the work in or did you happen to be in a spot where you were better than a couple bands?
If you got a less desirable result, did you put your whole effort and commitment into the process, from day one of band camp? If so, you did all you could do because there’s no offense or defense in band competitions. If not, have you considered that the result might reflect the lack of effort and commitment of some (is it you?) and that you shouldn’t be surprised?
If you, as an individual, put in all the work and effort and performed at a high level, yet the band didn’t get the result you wanted, what is your response? To blame others? Or to keep showing up and doing your job being an example? Have you considered helping those who might be struggling to execute the show well?
If you didn’t get the result you wanted, is it possible that there were just a lot of great bands in your class and it was highly competitive and close? Do we want a high level of competition or easy wins? Which makes us better faster?
You CANNOT control results in band, ever. But what you CAN control is your effort, commitment, your leadership (even if not named a leader!), your service to others for theirs and the team’s good, your composure in reacting to adversity or undesired results, and your insistence on accountability even when the result is favorable.
This is not only a lesson for band, it’s a lesson for life. There are so many things out of our control, and we can only be in control of our actions and responses to life’s blessings, adversities, and outcomes, whether those outcomes are what we wanted or not.
