A friend of mine who is a high school band director sent me a list titled, “The Marks of Professionalism.” He put this together for his band, and I can vouch for their sense of team; it’s a great-sounding band. If you were to play in my friend’s high school band, this is what would be expected of you:

 1)   Be on time for rehearsals.

 2)   Be ready to perform in all aspects (warmed up, instrument mechanically set, all equipment available).

 3)   Take care of your instrument.

 4)   Bring a pencil to rehearsal.

 5)   Listen to the conductor. Don’t talk while he or she is speaking.

 6)   Mark your music – do not trust memory to skip ending, take a repeat, etc.

 7)   Constantly listen and adjust pitch and volume while playing.

 8)   Be ready for entrances.

 9)   Sincerely attempt to play the part correctly.

 10)   Play second or third part with as much enthusiasm as first part.

 11)   Practice music between rehearsals and continually strive to improve.

 12)   Interpret as the conductor wishes.

 13)   Do not miss rehearsals.

 I think it’s important for every team to have a code of ethics that all can agree upon. Does your team have a code of ethics or “marks of professionalism”? Do you know what they are and do you model them?

 * This article is an excerpt from the book The Heart of the Artist (Pg. 94), written by Rory Noland and published in 1999 by Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 49530.