North Lamar High School band director Randy Jones has been cited as one of the Top 50 school band directors in the United States who make a difference in their student’s lives by School Band and Orchestra Magazine in their December issue.
NLHS Band Director Randy Jones
SBO Magazine started its first Top 50 list of high school band directors in 1998, selecting one band director from each state, and has done so for the past 14 years. A synopsis of the band director’s teaching philosophy, how he/she affects student development, and their most important lesson learned during their career are also included in feature.
Jones was first hired by North Lamar High School in 1985, and now teaches 400 students in the high school’s instrumental music program. One of Jones’ first students, Jason Smith, is now the school’s assistant band director.
When speaking on his teaching philosophy, Jones told SBO Magazine: ”I have such a passion to establish an environment within the North Lamar Band program that is as ‘safe and secure’ as possible for students. By this I mean that those students who chose to be part of our program will find an organization that will become like a second family.”
“In this ‘family’,” Jones said, “there will be expectations, rules or boundaries, consequences of choices that they will make (both positive and negative), encouragement, the opportunity to fail while someone is there to catch them, positive fellowship, and most of all, they will be unconditionally loved. As we teach the students what our expectations will be, we begin to teach, demonstrate and help these young people learn that many times their own expectations fall far short of their abilities.”
Jones told the magazine that the goal of North Lamar High School’s staff is that what they teach becomes embedded into each student for the rest of their life. He said, “The goal of our staff is that when a student graduates, the skills, life lessons, work ethic and character traits that have been taught, discussed and applied through our organization will follow them throughout their life and make a positive impact on their life, family, and our society.”
“The most important lesson that I have learned,” Jones said, “is to have patience with each student and to love them all unconditionally. There are so many issues that students are facing today and so much burden that too many students have to carry in today’s society.”
“If we can provide a place where a student can feel secure and be successful, then hopefully we have helped a young person become a positive and productive member of our society.”
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