Everyone huddled around in their seats in the Morris Hills band room on April 1, having the privilege of hosting musician, band director, leader, teacher, and businessman Scott Lang.
Mr. Lang has worked with college bands, such as the Rutgers Marching Band, high schools like Tempe High School, and band camps.
Seven percent of high schoolers continue playing their band instruments after high school, Mr. Lang said. His mission is to increase this percentage, inspiring people to become not only musicians but confident citizens to bring forward a better future.
Mr. Hartsuiker, MH’s band director, helped organize this event, beginning the talk by saying “Be energetic, be polite. Ask questions. Be vulnerable. Vulnerability is a trait we should all have.”
There are three rules Scott Lang repeated at the beginning of the talk. They are that cell phones must be turned off and away, people shouldn’t lie, and people should work hard to go all the way.
“Just choose great or choose the door. Make the choice to be great. That’s the choice we have to make,” Mr. Lang said.
Life is precious, and he aspires to make every moment count. “Don’t be meh. Nobody remembers meh,” he added.
With passion, Mr. Lang believes that nothing is truly black and white. Being present in the moment and having the courage to fix your problems is a critical skill to instill in newer generations.
He discussed how the rise of technology has decreased the amount of passion people have to communicate with others, he argued. Leaving his family for eight consecutive days, flying from school to school, he knows that he deserves the respect he asked for.
During the talk, the right side of the room was tasked with forming a circle along the wall, and the left side formed an inner circle. When Mr. Lang blew his whistle, the students were tasked with answering three icebreakers before rotating partners: a student’s middle name, their dream instrument, and a prompt that changed each round.
Endorphins received from this exercise made people more active in body and mind. It helped people learn how to learn.
Repeating sentences makes them easier to remember, helping him engage with his audience. Mr. Lang used yes or no questions often, reading people psychologically to make his words stick with them.
Some of his common phrases were “endure pain to receive gain,” “feel bad to do good,” “be uncomfortable to get comfortable,” and “great people choose better, not bitter.” When he spoke, he instructed the audience to repeat. Mr. Lang used yes or no questions often, reading people psychologically to make his words stick with them.
Mr. Lang also emphasized how kindness from a simple action can change the trajectory of one’s life through a personal anecdote. Lang sent one of his sons to band camp, and for the first few days, he’d call Mr. Lang every night in tears to come pick him up. Lang told him every day that he loved him, saying that he wouldn’t pick him up.
However, one day, a high school girl called his son over to sit down with her during lunch.
When Mr. Lang’s son called his father that night, he was ecstatic; he began living his life to the fullest.
This theme of coming-of-age can be shown throughout Mr. Lang’s students over the years, as they’ve grown and stepped out of their comfort zones and into the real world.
To be truly rich, he says that you have to understand the testament of tenacity, not just of talent.
Thinking is important, but you can’t just wait for so long to jump into action. You have to believe in yourself and just do it, he said.
“Take the leap,” Mr. Lang said. “Take the leap.”