Guidebook for the Small Collegiate Band Program

This document was commissioned in January 2021 by Mark Spede, president of CBDNA. His mandate was to develop a guidebook for small program directors – a document that might address practical aspects of those aspiring to direct the small programs; aspects which may not be (sufficiently) taught in a director’s formal education. This publication is designed to help you, the new collegiate band director, bloom where you’re planted and find success.

Small College Recruiting Video Template

Please feel free to use the video in any way you choose if you think it can help your program. We hope that our work can have an impact on your band program and your campus.

The video we’ve made for you addresses issues that the small college and university committee sent us:

Joining the band can help with a well-rounded college experience and be an artistic escape from the academic rigor of your major.
Meeting people outside of class that share similar interests.
Having diverse experiences in college.

We filmed in places on the Clemson University campus that were devoid of Clemson markings and we thought were ubiquitous college settings that could represent any institution. We purposely stayed away from specifically mentioning athletic bands so it could be used in a wider variety of programs. We also chose to use students from our program that represented a diverse and inclusive sentiment.

We left the final screen black so individual institutions could add graphics to it if they choose to direct the viewer to their program’s site. You could even use “cards” (if you post to your YouTube accounts) to add links to your own websites or social media accounts.