Maysen Marolda
Staff Writer
Mira Costa’s Marching Band eliminated assistant section leaders this year in order to consolidate leadership positions.
Band director Joel Carlson cut the number of leadership positions after meeting with leadership consultant Scott Lang who advised him against a large number of leaders. Carlson said that this will create a more maneuverable-sized band and improve communication among members.
“Cutting down on the number of leadership positions has allowed me to show what amazing leaders, those selected to be leaders, can be to themselves and to others,” said Carlson.
Prior to the restructuring, every section of marching band had one section leader and one to two assistant section leaders. However, this year there is only one section leader. Several other positions, such as historian and uniform staff, don’t have assistants when last year they did.
“We are developing a tight knit group of members, so I would say so far, the restructuring has helped the band immensely,” said Carlson.
Now, fewer upperclassmen are in leadership roles and therefore have less authority in their sections. Now that there are no assistant section leaders, many of the larger sections are having a harder time keeping order, such as flutes and clarinets, according to band member Emily Angstreich.
“With the cutting back on assistants, some section leaders have become frustrated as new members and freshmen need individualized attention, and with the new structure, they often don’t get it,” saxophone section leader, Bobby Syed, said.
According to Lauren Koch, marching band president and section leader for clarinets, the end goal of cutting down leadership is to make marching band obsolete by the end of the season, so that every member of the program is on the same level and able to lead themselves.
“I think we will have a better idea of how beneficial the new system is at the end, but so far I definitely wouldn’t say it has been detrimental,” said Koch.
According to Koch, members who try out for section leaders do so because they care about their sections and want to make the entire experience as great as possible for them. They are also willing to put in the time and effort to help the band as a whole pursue excellence.
“Even though leadership was restructured, I don’t think it has changed anything about the drive and determination to make marching band become successful,” Koch said.
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