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uh-oh. This sounds like a bad situation. I would know. from experience.

Our band director of about 7 years moved to a different town and now both he and his wife teach middle school band.When he left, it was early summer(coincidentally around this time) They told us we would have a new director by band camp. I was section leader back then, so we were high on the "we'll elt you know" list. A week or so before band camp, an emergency meeting is called for student staff on said subject, as well as band camp. we come to the band room, and find the band booster president, treasurer, and the school choir director. Our school couldn't find a new director and was still in the application process, so we were told Harris would be our director for band camp, and we would have director auditions sometime during.
about halfway through band camp, we get told that we will be auditioning 3 potential directors. One came sometime during the week but we didn't know it. She was from the east coast and was high on everyone's want list. Except, something went wrong with her application or something, and we couldn't take her. Another decided they no longer wanted the job, and the final one we auditioned and he sucked so bad we told him no. So the choir director was secretly signed as our official band director under a year contract and nobody except the band boosters knew about it.
Let me tell you; choir directors should not be band director. By concert season our band was cut nearly in half. The year before we received the highest ratings at festivals, but last season we barely qualified for state. We went from top 8 to average.

However, things are really looking up for us now. Last season, we had the trumpet section leader from the University in town(with a top rated marching band) come as our trumpet instructor for marching season. She was graduating in the spring, and had been studying music education. When applications were allowed once again for our director, she applied.
And got it. So finally, we have a new director, officially. I'm pretty excited, since already she is changing things for the better. She is designing a band website for the first time, with downloadable content so we don't have to rely on the slow mailing system anymore. She also made a special Facebook account for our band program so facebook band kids can keep up to date with news and announcements without having to worry about people not having cell phones(last year our band relied on our cell phones to keep in contact with constantly changing rehearsal times and important dates that changed twice a week. Not everyone had phones and texting, or even another band kids number, so a lot of people went uncontacted.)

Also, she has experience with our band. She knows how we run, what we are used to(and what we didn't like about Harris) Right now we are waiting to hear our show, event hough its already sumeer vacation for us, but again, we have more reliable sources of contact now that we didnt have before.

What I'm basically saying here is that a new director isn't necessarily a bad thing. and even if it does get bad, things can only get better afterwords. Look at us; we have about 40-50 people left who stuck with the program. But those people remaining are the ones that care, and always have, who are willing to put in the effort to bring our band back to what it once was.

Something our old director told us when he announced he was leaving: "Its not the band director that decides how good or bad a band is. All we do is stand there and wave our arms and yell. Every award you have earned and will earn is yours. You deserve it. Its your hard work, your abilities and your accomplishments. It wasn't me at all, it was your spirit. If you keep up that spirit, you can earn any award you really want."

I hope everything gets worked out for your bands soon.
In my high school band, we had a new director every two years (not on purpose). And this year, our director anounced he as leaving. I graduated a few weeks ago, but I'm still concerned because today is the last day of school for everyone else and they still don't know who the new director is.
Usually, by the end of the school year, we have rehearsed the show in full and made our final decision on our show shirts.
They have noooone of that done right now. sad
I'm honestly getting scared that the new director won't do marching band this year, since it's so late.

Why can't directors just stay forever!!!

you know my band director is the world champion pizza eater. [not showing off] [ this is what he looks like now. so he is always gone to like funerals and stuff [ you know cuase he is old] and so he has this sub. for us, now he is HARD. but still im his favorite student.