Question 1

What is the single biggest suggestion you would give to someone wanting to get into this career?

Bryan “Coach” Ransom · Accepted Answer

“Once you determine what grade level you want to teach, do everything you can to understand all that job entails. Example: if you want to teach high school, you have to know about the band booster organization and how to best utilize band parents, who are typically eager to assist. But you need to set parameters. You are the director.”

Question 2

What’s the #1 mistake people make when trying to get into this career?

Bryan “Coach” Ransom · Accepted Answer

“Specifically at the college level, a lack of time management and organizational skills is a recipe for disaster. While I encourage students to experience different ensembles and styles of music, if one attempts to play in the marching band, symphony orchestra, jazz band, concert choir, and brass ensemble all in the same semester or term, they will probably not have any time for their coursework. Students need to develop a master plan for their course load and the ensembles they aspire to perform with.”

Question 3

What is the question people should ask about this career but rarely do?

Bryan “Coach” Ransom · Accepted Answer

The marching arts have changed a great deal over the past thirty years since you started your career. How do you adapt?
“At the university level, we have certain expectations to uphold traditions. For example, at SDSU we have our signature pregame tune, “Aztec Fire.” We march a traditional college-style pregame show. On my watch, these will always be a part of our game-day performance. However, I have adapted our halftime shows. We perform three to four different halftime shows per season.”
“We’ve been, since the ’80s, what I term an ‘adapted drum corps-style’ marching unit. The choreographed body movement that has become so prevalent in all the marching arts I have been admittedly slow to adapt to, but we have added a few of these visuals the past couple of years.”
“At our high school exhibitions, I enjoy exposing the students to the ‘college style’, which many have not seen and also giving them musically and visually some content that they can immediately relate to.”

Question 4

What is one thing I should have asked which I didn’t?

Bryan “Coach” Ransom · Accepted Answer

You seem to have a lot of things going on in the entertainment world. How do you fit it all in?
“I was very fortunate about twenty years ago to be in the right place at the right time. I received a call in my office to do some entertainment coordination for Super Bowl XXXII in San Diego. That initial connection has not only been a lasting relationship with the production companies that produce the pregame, halftime, and postgame shows for the Super Bowl (this year will be my seventeenth) but has led to additional steady entertainment production work.”
“Colleagues that I have met on the Super Bowl gig have brought me on to recurring projects such as the College Football National Championship game, work with Major League Baseball and Soccer, the US Tennis Association, etc.”
“Fortunately, I am able to work these events around my ‘real job’ at San Diego State and have the support of my supervisors at SDSU to do so. I think they understand the value in these events; it is professional growth for me as a Band Director to be involved in all of these different large-scale entertainment events.”

Question 5

If you could describe in one word what makes you successful, what would it be?

Bryan “Coach” Ransom · Accepted Answer

“Passion.”

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Band Director