Lessons in teaching excellence drawn from leading a marching band

When educators think about designing a course, we often focus first on the content: lectures, assignments, assessments and learning outcomes. Those things matter. But after years of teaching both in the classroom and on the field, I’ve come to believe that the most important thing we design is the culture.

I direct the Marching Virginians, our university’s nationally recognised marching band, where more than 400 students from nearly every discipline rehearse and perform together throughout the academic year. While music is our shared purpose, much of my teaching has little to do with music itself. It is about helping students learn how to work together, lead one another and contribute to something larger than themselves. That investment in community has a lasting impact: about 94 per cent of our students return to the ensemble each year, with most staying involved throughout all four years of college. I don’t believe that kind of retention happens because of the performances alone. Students come back because they feel they belong. They have lasting kinships with one another that keep them supportive of each other, becoming greater as a team even as they grow as individuals.

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Those lessons apply just as readily in a traditional classroom as they do on a football field.

Culture is intentional

The first thing I’ve learned is that community doesn’t simply happen. Many instructors hope a positive classroom environment will naturally emerge, but culture deserves the same planning as any syllabus. Every year, our leadership team spends significant time discussing the kind of environment we want to create. We talk about our expectations, our shared mission and the values we want to reinforce – respect, service, enthusiasm and accountability.

Just as importantly, we talk about how those values look in everyday interactions. Students often don’t recognise how much influence they have on one another. A seemingly harmless complaint can quickly become contagious, shifting the mood of an entire rehearsal or class. The opposite is also true: encouragement, enthusiasm and kindness spread just as easily. Culture is shaped one interaction at a time.

Students as peer leaders

I see peer leadership as an essential part of teaching. Our student leaders don’t simply organise rehearsals or answer questions; they become teachers themselves. They model effective communication, help newer students navigate challenges and demonstrate what it means to support others. Many students feel more comfortable approaching a peer before going to an instructor, making those relationships an important extension of the learning environment.

One misconception I try to dispel is that leadership belongs only to the loudest voices. Every year, I meet students who assume they aren’t leadership material because they’re quiet or introverted. One student who eventually became one of our drum majors initially doubted they could succeed in such a visible role because they weren’t naturally outspoken. What they discovered – and what I hope all students discover – is that effective leadership isn’t about volume. It is about communication, empathy and earning trust. Some of the strongest leaders I’ve worked with have been among the quietest people in the room.

The process as the product

Another lesson that transfers across disciplines is the importance of valuing the learning process as much as the final product.

Of course, we want excellent performances. But great performances don’t happen because we obsess over the outcome. They happen because we invest in the daily habits that make success possible. If students don’t feel respected, connected or valued, the final performance will inevitably suffer. The same is true in any classroom. When students feel psychologically safe enough to ask questions, make mistakes and support one another, learning becomes deeper and more durable.

Students learn by doing

I’ve also become increasingly intentional about giving students opportunities to learn by doing rather than simply watching me teach.

On the marching field, I can immediately ask students to perform something again, apply feedback and demonstrate their understanding. In a traditional classroom, that same principle applies. Instead of assuming students understand because I’ve explained something well, I ask them to summarise ideas, solve problems, discuss concepts with classmates or teach material back to one another. Active participation tells me far more about learning than passive listening ever can.

Great educators keep learning

Perhaps the most important lesson is that excellent teaching is never finished. Every incoming class is different. Students arrive with new experiences, challenges and expectations. The strategies that worked perfectly five years ago may need to evolve today. Rather than expecting students to adapt to the way I’ve always taught, I try to continually adapt my teaching to meet the students in front of me.

That mindset has made me a better educator. Every year, my students teach me something new about communication, motivation or learning itself. The more willing I am to learn alongside them, the more effective I become.

Teaching excellence isn’t about finding a perfect formula. It’s about creating the conditions in which students can thrive together. When we invest in culture first, stronger learning, stronger leadership and stronger outcomes naturally follow.

Polly Middleton is an instructor in the School of Performing Arts at the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design at Virginia Tech. She is the director of athletic bands and leads the Marching Virginians.  

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