Klarinet Archive - Posting 000734.txt from 2001/05

From: rgarrett@-----.edu
Subj: Re: [kl] School Board
Date: Sun, 27 May 2001 11:40:46 -0400

At 09:12 AM 05/27/2001 -0400, you wrote:
>Yes you misinterpreted again. Extracurricular *DOES NOT* mean eliminate
>for crying out loud. You are equating two things that are not the
>same. The juxtaposition of the two quotes indicates that you do equate
>the terms.

My dictionary defines it as:
Extra-cur-ricu-lar adj. 1 a) not part of the curriculum; outside the
regular course of study by under the supervision of the school (dramatics,
athletics, and other extracurricular activities) b) not part of one's
reular work, routine, etc.

Extracurricular, as we use it in teaching, refers to classes that are
scheduled into the school day, receive credit towards a degree or diploma,
and hires full time, tenure faculty line to teach the designated
course. If drama is offered during the school day, receives credit towards
a high school diploma or GED, then it is considered curriculum within the
school day. If it is outside the school day, it is considered extracurricular.

I'm not sure how you define it for your purposes, but this is how we define
it as teachers.

>Just as an example, some extracurricular activities like sports teams are
>more immune to being eliminated than elective courses (art, drama,
>elective advanced English classes, elective advanced math classes, etc
>). Make music mandatory and then if music (not just performance) is
>actually being taught as part of the band or chorus (either elective or
>extracurricular, either one works for me), the band class could fulfill
>the students mandatory music requirement.

That's your slant - and perhaps others. I have three handbooks from past
teaching jobs in the public schools that define the music as curricular and
then makes the distinction between what curricular and extra (non)
curricular is. Again - we are talking national standards here, not those
in four districts.

>However, the real point is to craft a proposed curricula for music and get
>it incorporated into the mandatory core requirements for
>graduation. Until that point in time, any subject that is either elective
>or extracurricular
>will be a potential candidate for local school boards to cut based on
>*their* personal feelings about the importance and relative merits of the
>subject or activity. The current system allows major variations from
>school to school, district to district, and state to state.

You are using the term extracurricular in too broad a sense in my
opinion. It is also my opinion that this is what started the entire
argument. You might consider using the words "non-required courses." This
will better define and defend your arguments in the future. At this point,
it is a question of pride/semantics - not one of philosophy of educating
students music. Therefore, since we appear to agree on the basic issues of
increasing required courses while not eliminating non-required courses (at
least, we appear to agree based on your last few posts), I have said pretty
much what I feel is important to show my opinion of where bands and choirs
fit in the current school curriculums and what the problems are in teaching
students music literacy.

>So go define your program and go fight the state board of education.
>Fighting me over the exact details of the plan doesn't get the job done.
>I'm not against any program that you might suggest although I would like
>to see the excessive amounts of outside time required of band students
>reduced so that they would actually have time to practice and study music.
>No one should be required to march, play in pep band, or go to contest to
>get a grade. Band/chorus need to be put on the same footing as other
>elective courses.

We have no disagreement here regarding what should be done. However, you
do the music teachers a disservice if you expect them to put a voluntary
marching band on the field because their job requires a marching band. I
think marching bands are fine - I just don't approve of the competitions.

But I digress.............I'm not fighting you Dee - I'm disagreeing with you.

Best wishes,
Roger Garrett

Roger Garrett
Clarinet Professor
Director, Symphonic Winds
Illinois Wesleyan University
School of Music
Bloomington, IL 61702-2900
Phone: (309) 556-3268
Fax: (309) 556-3121

"A man never discloses his own character so clearly as when he describes
another's."
Jean Paul Richter (1763-1825)

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