Klarinet Archive - Posting 000655.txt from 1998/04

From: Roger Garrett <rgarrett@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: no support
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1998 05:07:20 -0400

On Mon, 13 Apr 1998, Agskully wrote:
> Yet, she is at all the football and basketball games
> showing her support. If something isn't done to get students interested and
> keep them interested, our music program with fall to pieces. Our graduating
> class in the music department is 24, which is about 1/3 of both departments.
> Everyone of us have discussed the problem with her, her administrators and our
> teachers within the music department, but only the teachers show any interest
> in helping. What can we do?

Administrators who are musically uninterested and athletically supportive
have been around for decades. The trick is to produce a program that has
more involvement of students with more obvious demonstration of serious
musical learning. 24 students involved in the senior class is high....but
is this for all music classes or band alone? Has the band
director/teacher involved students in musically enriching experiences
beyond playing in band? How about bringing in a group or artist? What
about a series that includes all music.......classics, jazz, rock? Are
the trips taken only for marching and/or parades so the kids can have fun?
Or, is there a performance at the MENC convention, the all-state or
all-northwest convention that places the school on the map musically?

There are many devices available.....A booster club is great, but they do
not empower a program that is not literate musically (I am not saying
your's is not, just saying.....).

Roger Garrett
IWU