Hey everyone,

Leadership is sometimes loud and obvious, like on a podium or facilitating a meeting.

More often, it’s quiet and subtle, like a single question or a decision NOT to speak.

Over the last decade, I’ve led teams and individuals through growth, uncertainty, and big shifts. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that real leadership isn’t just managing programs, giving rousing speeches, or saving the day with a pivot table (though that last one is criminally underrated).

How often do you think about your impact as a leader? How often do you see it as a way to create opportunity, foster growth, and build trust with students OR colleagues?

This issue is all about reflecting on that kind of leadership, allowing you to better support and inspire the people around you, not just Excel at management (alright I’m done with spreadsheet humor).

From Managing to Leading

Shifting from “I” to “We”

This sounds small. It’s NOT! Observe leaders around you and take note of their language. I bet you’ll find the ones that inspire shift this innately.

Before:

• I need everyone to focus.
• I think we need a new approach.
• I want this piece to feel more expressive.

After:

• Let’s bring our attention here.
• What can we do to improve this?
• How can we make this moment feel more alive?

This simple change:

✅ Decenters your ego

✅ Emphasizes shared ownership

✅ Creates space for collaboration
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Where Education and Leadership Philosophy Collide

Every time I hear the word “collide,” I hear it in Howie Day’s voice, that song from the early 2000’s. If you also learned it on guitar to impress a date in high school… let’s be friends, because you’re also probably contemplating the health of your 401k.

1. Feedback Isn’t One-Way: We ask our students to have a growth mindset, so we should model that. Inviting feedback shows humility, fosters trust, and keeps you improving.
2. Clarity > Charisma: “Here’s what we’re doing, and why.” When people have a clear sense of direction, it creates alignment. So no, it’s not enough to make objectives learner-facing and call it a day. Learners need the “why?”
3. Normalize Mistakes, Especially Yours: There’s the Fail Fast to Learn Fast mindset from product development that applies here. But, I also want to hit home that showing vulnerability gives others permission to be brave and authentic (keys to a successful learning space).

Practicing Leadership

🏅 Tiny Triumphs: Celebrate your wins, big and small, frequently. Ask: What is something we should be proud of this week? True story, this is something I have been working on. I don’t take compliments well and am extremely self-driven. That transitioned into my leadership, which wasn’t fair. Not everyone thrives in silence.

👥 Build A Culture of Leaders: Embed leadership into your classroom’s DNA. “If you act in a way that inspires, encourages, or engages others, you are a leader. It doesn’t matter your title or position.” (Harvard Business School) Student leadership is a thing, but be sure to create recognition beyond titles.

🔊 Amplify Others: Make space, then step back. One teacher I admire literally says, “Alright, it’s open mic night,” and lets the students take over (feedback, instruction, rehearsal, whatever).

Silent brainstorms are another great tool. They give quieter voices the room to be heard and often surface more intentional ideas.

🧩 Lead Like You’re Replaceable (My Fav): When I teach drumline, my proudest moments aren’t when I lead the best rehearsal, it’s when I don’t. When the section runs like a machine, it means we’ve built trust, ownership, and leadership into the group.

(Yes, I have pulled out a lawn chair in front of other instructors mid-band camp to prove the point. No regrets.)

Updates from the Music Room

To close out the new release season, I received a JW Pepper Editorial’s Choice award for the last of my 2025 releases, The Skytrain Icarus.

This work is for high school concert bands (or strong middle school). Teachable moments include theme development, form, and storytelling. Think: Studio Ghibli style train that flies too close to the sun.

I also just submitted a new work for 2026. It may be a march about unicorns. No, it doesn’t involve Excel. But yes, this image will make much more sense if you’re still reading:

Your Thoughts

Who’s someone whose leadership inspired you, and what made their style impactful?

​Share your thoughts here​

Get inspired,
Evan

​Previous Issue: The Muse is a Machine​

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