Disruptive.

How do you deal with people that are disruptive at practice? It's a pretty common question that comes up. So let's take a different approach with it. Are YOU disruptive at practice?

You'll probably say "no," because you're a highly valuable, contributing member, right? Of course! Do you think the disruptive people would say "yes" to that question? Probably not. Since a disruptive person doesn't think they are disruptive, how do you know you're not one of them? Hmm...

Maybe you do (or don't do) something and think it's not a big deal. Maybe you think other people are okay with it because no one says anything to you - or they say something, but it doesn't sound like they really mean it.

Here's an abbreviated list of the things I've seen or have heard about from others. Are you guilty of them?

• Constantly adding comments after other people speak.
• Cracking jokes all the time.
• Always being the first to laugh and the last to stop laughing.
• Telling someone how to do something when they're trying to learn it from the person teaching it at the time.
• Engaging in chat with people who are trying to focus on tasks at hand.
• Not taking the initiative to help out what needs to be done before being asked.

I'd be surprised if most people hadn't done a few of these at one time or another. Hell, I've made comments, cracked jokes, etc. I'll even confess to being called out more than once on the last issue on the list.

In time I realized that not only was I setting a bad example, but what if everyone did what I did? Nothing would get done! Even only if half the group were like me then the other half would get tired of always having to tell us to get off our asses and be proactive.

If you do something like what's on the list often and no one calls you out or pulls you aside to say, "hey, please stop doing that," don't assume it's because people are ok with it. Other members may not be comfortable being so bold as to confront you, or don't want to appear like the "bad cop."

You need to be aware of what the vibe of the group is, both overall and situational. Are the leaders/directors trying to get something accomplished? Is someone teaching a new song? Then you might want to dial back on the social antics. Are there new members or guests at your practice? That's a great time to be a good example. Maybe you're in small groups or it's an informal rehearsal and it's ok to be joking and casual. The point is, think about what you do and how it may have an impact on the rest of the people around you.

If you're not sure what impact your words and actions are having within your group, then how can you be sure you're not the disruptive one?