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We have a member who is a leader and they have been going off the deep end. I am fairly certain they mentioned that they’ve been on anti depressents so it could be an issue with that and anxiety. But they have been very adamant on expressing very strong political beliefs and many members have gotten upset with her. I’ve tried avoiding it but being a leader, it’s not very appropriate (she has been telling ppl to die and curse at them for certain beliefs). Is this something I should bring up to her or my BD? I feel like she just won’t listen but I don’t want division in our band

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*Dealing with something very controversial

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*Dealing with something very controversial

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I know I, myself have gone through this same type of situation, and right now I know someone who is dealing with it too. Someone in my band told me they were pregnant and they didn't know what to do. I know what this person is going through and I know morally, religiously, and politically they have different opinions about what they would want? I want to try and give them support and comfort about it, and I want to give them the best advice they can have at this time. Its just I don't know if they'll agree and i don't want them to feel like i'm going against their own beliefs.

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Instructors will answer throughout the day! :)

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I went through a lot at the beginning of the year, a close friend died, a lot of stress and work, it was a lot to handle. I felt like things were getting too much to handle, but i had to keep on going because I had to practice for my music festivals and competitions, keeping up with my AP classes, SAT, and dealing with outside problems. I started getting dark thoughts and starting falling into a dark hole. It got really bad to a point that I was physically and mentally tired all the time and I broke down at school. But fortunately, I started getting private help at school and I had help from my boyfriend. Is there a way that I can prevent this from happening again?

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ADHD is probably one of the biggest set backs when it comes to my marching band experience. I can sometimes come off as very outgoing/intrusive which leads to a lot of criticism from peers. Ive been trying to suppress it as best i can because i don't want to be a bother to anyone, but part of me being a leader is my eccentricity and excitement about band. It's really hard because i feel like im living a double life and it causes my anxiety to go through the roof (im very conscious of what other people think of me). I tend to bottle my emotions and/or not tell anyone if something is wrong or if someone is bothering me. When im louder people seem bothered, but when im quiet people seem to accept me more. That was a lot, im really sorry, but does anyone have any tips?

Beavan: Hi! This really resonates with me because I dealt with and still to this day deal with a lot of what you are going through. It can be really hard to be so conscious of yourself and how that affects those around you, but one thing that has helped me IMMENSELY is that I had a day where I sat with myself and assessed what part of me made me happiest and that part was the loud, excitable, and eccentric part and from that day on, I worked to let that be who I presented, regardless of negative backlash, because it made me happier. It was NOT a one day, flip-of-a-switch transition, but a process that was SO worthwhile. It also helped lull my anxiety because I felt more comfortable with others' discomfort. It was so difficult but it was worth it because I was happier and less stressed and eventually, those around me got to like who I am. In regards to bottling emotions, I suggest finding a 2 or 3 person support group with whom you feel comfortable opening up to. I struggle so much with expressing emotions, but my team at Regiment is my support group and I feel leaps and bounds better when I open up to them. Again, it will be hard but so so SO worth it. Super proud of you for voicing this and never apologize for expressing these thoughts. You have the right to do so. Keep up the great work :)

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How would you help someone that is known to have depression relapses (sudden, hard feelings that come back in waves) but that person does not want to share this with others but these times are noticeable through their performance and attitude towards things?

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My sister is in guard, and is dealing with some serious mental health problems, and one of them is an eating disorder fueled by her depression. I have dealt with a lot (7+) mental health disorders, but I don't know how to best help her. I've tried my best to convince her that eating and drinking fuel her body and if she's working all day with guard and she doesn't fuel herself that she'll hurt herself really badly. My words don't seem to get to her, so I just try my best to be with her as much as possible and talk to her about anything, and I try to eat when she's around so that she sees it and accepts it as a necessary process.  I'm not sure if there's anything else I can do for her without being invasive. What should my next steps be?

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Do you have any tips to work on feeling more confident? I personally feel anxious even just being in public, and I'm not sure what I can do to work on that. Thank you! :)

Geneva: Hi! Thank you so much for opening up and sharing--it means a lot! This is a totally understandable issue. I think the first step is just to let trusted people that you are close with that you are dealing with this anxiety and the exact struggles you deal with when you go out in public. Let them know what you need from them to help you. Also, try your best to focus on facts and grounded information when you're going out. For example, think about what exactly you're going out for, think about the chain of events that needs to happen to get that done. That way, you can help yourself feel more in control over the circumstances you're in and it'll help curve some of your anxiety :).

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I have come clean to my directors about a few of my mental health disorders (I had a severe anxiety attack and had to cry in a bathroom for all of jazz in the morning) and they dismissed it as performance anxiety because I'm not prepared. I'm the principal player. That's definitely not the issue. They told me to "Cheer up and don't get yourself down kid. Everyone gets stressed out but that's not an excuse to drag behind". On another occasion he said that depression is a social construct brought about by this "new generation". I've dealt with a lot of harassment and xyz other things through band, and I don't feel like they're a safe place for me or my peers to go to, because their clinical issues are being downsized as well. How do I subtly and politely get into his head that these are real and valid and serious problems, and he should educate himself on the subject so that he can help serve his organization?

Kelley: At this point, it would be best to go to an administrator, school psychologist, or another adult that you trust at the school. Those people are responsible for holding your band director accountable, especially if they are in denial about these real clinical issues. It is their responsibility to educate your band director at this point. Go to those adults, don't be subtle about it. Present word-for-word statements from the director in order to keep the conversation with this outside adult grounded in concrete evidence.

Beau: To echo what Kelley said,  go to a school counselor or administrator about this issue. Make sure you have word-for-word evidence, as well as another student to vouch for the statements your director made.

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this is for Dr. Levy. Having diagnosed depression, how can we deal with depressive episodes whilst in front of the band? There were times last year where i would get hit with an episode during rehearsals or in front of everyone and i really don't like letting people see me like that, especially being in a position of influence

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what do u do when  you know someone is hurting themselves and they're parents know and nothing is being done about it and its someone from your band family and they don't want anyone else to know.

Austin: Hey! This is an outstanding question! I have been through this type of situation before too. I believe that you have several different avenues that you can do to help your band family member. First, you should really speak to your friend, have a true heart-to-heart discussion with them, if they are comfortable about what they may be going through. Speak about how you care for them and just want the best. Once you've talked to them and still see no change it may be time to involve an adult. Your director or any teacher is required by law to be a direct responder and they can help with the next step of care for the student. Great question and hopefully we can get Dr. Levy to answer this question.

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My band is very traditional, but we're trying to add more showmanship and expression into our conducting. How do you suggest to try and get our band directors to open up to new conducting styles?
Joseph: The first thing is to make sure that your fundamentals are perfect before moving onto more advanced conducting topics. Of course, I don't know where you are in your conducting journey, but it's definitely worth mentioning - nothing is more embarassing and potentially disastrous than messing up tempo/pattern because of less important concepts.
Past that though, I would express to your director how adding expression and showmanship is going to help your ensemble, and how it will help you develop as a conductor as well. Remember, conducting is all about conveying a clear message to your ensemble. Make sure that priority is first!

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Howdy fellow Type sixes! I know that i tend to let the skeptic in me dictate a lot of my productivity, and sometimes holds me back... any tips?

Kelley: One guideline that has helped me procrastinate less is the one minute rule. Any task that you can finish in one minute or less, you do right away. For example, putting your shoes away as soon as you get home, or making the bed first thing in the morning. Both take less than one minute, and later you’ll be super glad you did them! Giving yourself small opportunities for success will help you feel like you are being more productive.

Dawson: I'm a type six! I relate to this on so many levels. I am so skeptical about everything. An excellent exercise is to take the enneagram test with friends and have them take it FOR you (as in how they think about you). I think you'll start to realize after that you haven't been doing as badly as your skepticism will lead you to believe. You got this!