 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: mommaq
Date: 1999-03-10 13:22
I am a parent. I would appreciate some information on the Music program in your school.
I am inexperienced with full participation in band and orchestra in the school setting. My school, eons ago, could not afford a music performance program so I did not experience one in my formative years.
Now I have 2 daughters, 12 (flute) and 14(clarinet, YEA!). They each have played an instrument since 4th grade and had private lessons because the public school was lacking there. The older is going to be in high school next Fall and will need to go to Band Camp (paid for by parents, of course, not the school) this summer in order to be in the Band program in the High School (required). As in a previous post, no PE credit is given to any band members in my district, either.
What is your school Music program (orchestra and band) like??? What other programs are out there for band/music instrument performance and what is required? What benefits do you get from being in band?
Our school district is considering not replacing the sole elementary instrumental teacher it has when she retires at the end of this year. One proposal was to have high schoolers teach the 4th and 5th graders to play instruments (after school for the high schoolers, during school for the elementary kids). Another possibility was to have middle and high school band teachers come down and teach, but we have a problem in that they are very short-tempered and impatient with anyone who is not perfect (not recommended for beginners) as they were hired for the advanced student players. Another option is to bring in private teachers to teach in their given field, as in woodwind, brass, percussion, etc. How will the band 'unite' if only taught your own particular area?
And what perks, that you know, do the sports programs usually get as compared to the music program? (uniforms, assistant coaches, football camp, credits, paying of expenses, exceptions for the rest of us) What would you really like to see in a music department??? Any recommendations to build up our department???
Please give me some suggestions to take to the Music Boosters and to the School Board. We are on the edge...!
mommaq
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 1999-03-10 14:21
In our local high & middle school:
No orchestra
No loaner clarinets, trumpets, etc. (small instruments must be bought/rented by the parents)
No lessons other than band director's guidance
Marching band is required
All band students start marching band practice in late July (band "camp" not required)
PE credit is given
Uniforms are provided via Band Booster fundraisers
Only one or two new pieces are bought every year for the band
Two jazz bands at the high school level (after regular hours, but extra liberal arts credit is given)
No "late bus" - but students living less than 1 mile from the high school have to walk anyway.
"Donation" charged for every public performance (goes to Band Boosters for uniforms, etc.)
Buses provided for Band-o-rama, etc.
Good band director - but teaches all high school and 8th grade programs.
4 bands - ~300 total members - out of 1000 students (good participation!)
All the bands and jazz bands consistently win Level 1 and regional/state championships for their division
Sight reading/rhythm/shaping is emphasized during the non-marching season
Sports - only know about cross-country, and that's a much "poorer" sport than just about any other. Besides buses and t-shirts, nothing is provided.
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Author: Andy
Date: 1999-03-10 20:38
Music is much more important!!!
only... 1 out of... i think 1,000,000 kid ever become famous at sports!
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Author: Nicole Y.
Date: 1999-03-10 21:12
It is unfortunate but true that in this world, some districts only have a band to cheer up the fans when the school teams loose. Sorry, it's true for mine, I don't know about yours. Let me show you a typical Friday night game for the marching band of BHS. (Oh, by the way, this is from my best friend's point of view. The High School accepts 8th graders in its marching band program.)
After ending school at 2:15 and riding the bus to BHS, my section and I were drilled until oh, around 4:30 maybe. We arrive at BC(I'm illustrating homecoming) and start cheering because the even though there are plenty of cheerleaders, their voices seem to be nonexistant. Maybe it was meningitis or something... So, now it's half time...We march out onto the field and do our drills...We convert into a band of cheerleaders in the stands, we're cheering because the cheerleaders just lost all their voices. Perhaps it was too much school spirit. Oh no! The cheerleaders just tried a pyramid...and one fell...We clap, but not very enthusiastically. After cheering the whole game, we stumble back onto the bus after tiredly putting away our instruments.
Oh thanks for picking me up Mom!!! I am so tired. I want to sleep for a week. What did you say? I'm losing my voice? Blame it on the cheerleaders. Oh great, I just remembered. Mom, can you drive me to the competition tomorrow, we're marching. I can go ONLY if I still have my voice? Why? Oh, but Mr. D. won't like it if I miss it. Yes Mother. Yes, I agree that my health is more important than the competition, but I REALLY need to be there!!!!
See? That was one night. Oh, I forgot to add-she had a parade on Sunday too, and after the competition, Mr. D. cussed the band out because they got a good rating, not superior.
I am glad that my district provides transportation as nice for the band as the football players. It's sad that districts would rather shelve the music program than cut back on the already pampered athletics programs. I know that my band director works hard for the funding he gets for instrument repair, competition, etc. I just happen to be lucky. Very lucky.
Good luck,
The rising freshman(I luv those words),
Nicole Y.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 1999-03-10 21:14
Andy wrote:
-------------------------------
Music is much more important!!!
only... 1 out of... i think 1,000,000 kid ever become famous at sports!
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The ratio is pretty much the same for musicians as it is for sports I'd wager.
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Author: Katherine Pincock
Date: 1999-03-10 21:58
This isn't really name calling, just a moment I thought all the people who've played in high school bands might enjoy:
My high school, although the band instruments are in terrible condition and we rarely get new scores, always has enough money for sports programs, etc. When I was there, we had, I will admit, some excellent athletes that could work as excellent teams, and all of us are proud to say that our teams tend to be high up in the provincial finals. However, band rarely got much recognition.
When I was in grade ten, my band teacher organized a trip to the music festival in Boston, and our new principal came too, since she was from Boston. She was very interested in watching us perform, and she was very pleased to discover that we ended up winning third in our class.
Well, at the end of the school year, at awards night, there's an award for team of the year, whose coach automatically gets coach of the year. WE were playing at the ceremony, and we heard lots of speculation as to whether the girl's field hockey or boy's baseball team would win. TO our satisfaction, our principal began the presentation of the award by saying that she'd looked up "team" and it simply meant a group of people working together. Since nowhere in the name of the award does it mention sports, she awarded the trophy to the band!
The best thing about that was that the athletes thought it was pretty cool too, so everyone ended up happy. But it's definitely something I treasure every time I hear that the band needs uniforms but the school can't afford them. ;-)
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Author: Dee
Date: 1999-03-10 22:12
I was never fortunate enough to participate in the music/band experience, and I was thrilled when my youngest son expressed an interest in taking up piano at age 9! Since then, he has also taken up alto and tenor sax, and his older brother started with flute, and now plays alto sax and clarinet.
My boys are now 13 and 15, and received private lessons for their woodwind instruments until about a year ago (the younger one still receives piano lessons). My older son had only been playing flute for about 6 months when he entered junior high band, but he did just great! The music teacher started up a jazz band shortly after he started learning to play the alto sax. The 13-year-old is now in band and jazz band with the same teacher. She also teaches band at 2 or 3 elementary schools in the district. These are the kids that eventually become her junior high band students!
The 15-year-old is now in the high school band, with a verrrrrry demanding instructor! They started with a week of band camp (minimal expense last year, since it was held on campus), in which they learned how to march and play instruments at the same time, in preparation for a choreographed field show and band competitions (band reviews). From October through November, they had week-end band reviews every other Saturday. They played at every home (and a few away) football games, and frequently performed their field show there, as well. When basketball season rolled around, they split into two groups (since the band would have taken up half the bleachers, with 75 kids plus instruments) and played equally at both girl's and boy's games...much to the chagrine of the boy's coach, I might add! When basketball season ended, concert performances and jazz band performances started...but, we can now breathe a sigh of relief that it is not quite as hectic! Sandwiched in there were fund raisers, like a haunted house, a tea dance (swing music for dancing), etc.
Practice time? He goes in and plays from 0630-0730 every morning (so-called "zero period"), then has his regular band class that lasts about 1 hour and 45 minutes. And, on Monday nights, they go back and play from 1830-2030 at night!
The band department receives $2000 a year, so most of the money for new uniforms, new instruments (like tubas), etc. comes from fund raisers and private donations from the community. My husband and I both attend band booster meetings once a month (at both schools).
The band director is trying to convince the school district to allow band members to be eligible for a letter, similar to the letter that kids in sports receive. Interestingly, 20% of the band members also participate in sports...even football!
And...I checked in on this web site because my son's clarinet was stolen last week! I am wondering what to replace it with...he is using a school loaner (Yamaha).
If I left anything out...feel free to contact me directly.
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Author: Clare
Date: 1999-03-10 23:42
Our sports program is very profitable, so of course the school spends all available funds on our "best asset"-the basketball teams. Every year they get new warmup outfits with their names on them(what's the point?!)while the school musicians are scraping barnacles off of donated clarinets(I swear this is true!). The school district bought new band uniforms 2 years ago-for the first time in 30 years! Imagine if we got uniforms with our names on them...
Our music department gets very little recognition or respect, even though it takes just as much physical strength and even more mental strength to play an instrument as it does to throw a ball. Awards ceremonies for sports are lengthy and in-depth, talking about the personal problems of each individual athlete, in addition to their stats. Solos and Ensembles awards are treated as a joke and are extremely brief in ceremony.
We're going on a band trip to Toronto next month to perform in a competition(I live in Wisconsin)and we have to do all the fundraising ourselves, with no donations from the school district. Last year, our boys basketball team went to state and the school paid for them to stay at the Marriot for $170 a night-and only 2 people stayed in each room(there's a 4-person capacity!).
In terms of advice, I'd just say to spread the word about the music department through word of mouth and get people to come to concerts. Then the district will be more likely to give you cash. Also, every music department should have opportunities for more serious students to get lessons at a local university. I personally have to pay for clarinet lessons that are 2 hours away because my band teacher can't play clarinet. If I didn't have a car I'd never improve. This sort of thing shouldn't happen to others. No school should use beginners clarinets in a high school band, so make sure your school has intermediate equipment. Also, a cheap way to upgrade is to buy new mouthpieces.
I hope this is helpful to someone.
-Clare
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Author: Dee
Date: 1999-03-11 00:10
Looks like we have a new person here who also is named Dee. The posting on the band program was not mine but that of the new person. Good post though.
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Author: JennyA
Date: 1999-03-11 09:28
I was lucky, I guess. Although our sports teams were treated better, we did have funding for our music program (although a budget-cutting time they always threatened to kill the music program to spare sports). We could letter in marching band, but we didn't have to march to play.
If you'd like some "propaganda" to take with you to the meeting, you can visit our music department page (the school where I work). We run this on the back of every concert program.
Sorry about the long URL: www.hebronacademy.pvt.k12.me.us/music.html
You'll see half of our cello section there (it's a small school...)
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Author: Kylene
Date: 1999-03-11 21:10
at my school...well former school, that is, this is what the music department was like. There is a general music teacher in the primary school. The elementary school has two vocal music teachers and one instrumental-band teacher. Students may start in 5th grade in band. They may also play in 4th grade with the string program...we have one district wide string teacher. There is one Middle School Vocal teacher and one Band director. There are 2 choruses and 2 bands in the MS.(6th through 8th) The HS has one additional band director and one choral director. The HS has 2 choruses plus a select a cappella group who have a great reputation. The CHoral Director is amazing...he is very well known throughout NYS, and the eastern music teachers, so I hear anyway. There are also 2 bands, the symphonic and the Wind Ensemble. The bands are concert bands, and only march for one parade a year, but we played at the football games! We also did a musical every spring...as most schools do. I am proud to say that my school had one of the best musicals in the State, and one of the best bands in the state region...
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Author: Frank
Date: 1999-03-13 18:58
When I began playing clarinet as an adult I asked faculty colleagues if they had ever played an instrument. One in three had in High School. None did thereafter. The reason I got was that they had all been burned out by band work.
It is clear that sports and drivers' ed have higher priority than music or the visual arts in High School. Music is mostly used as a flattering addendum to the jock culture.
I wonder what would happen if the parents who wanted to provide musical instruction for their children networked with like-minded parents and formed their own support group outside High School. Part of the problem is that parents rely too much on High School structures to provide a arts life for their children. Yes, I am aware how busy many of the parents are, but would the parent sponsored group provide a more humane environment all the same and would the effort be any more than the meetings, extra commutes, boster meetings, raffles, etc.
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Author: Ginny
Date: 1999-03-13 23:36
We have family band. I transcribe stuff the kids like. (like ninetendo songs, which are fairly nice) They still have to practice for their regular lessons.
Of course I'm homeschooling for the next few weeks, due to a lack of supervision at the dinky private school they'd been in. So, music takes priority over sports.
Let's see, we learned a bit of a motet to go with one studying the crusades. I'm not up to singing multitones for the Mongol invasion though, what I've heard is stunning. We also composed a videogame like tune. If you want it done right, do it yourself.
Ginny
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Author: ClarinetQween
Date: 1999-03-15 02:52
The high school and the school district that i am in... well they have problems a lot like your own. We have one band room for the high school and the jr. high (The campuses are close) and it is a small portable. Some good news though is that they resently highered a band teacher for the elementary schools in my area. I started playing the clarinet when i was in 7th grade- they cut out the jr. high music program when I was in 8th grade (So I was in the high school band) and that same year they cut out elementary music too. We got back the jr. high music program when I was in 10th grade (I am in 11th now) and the elementary music is now back. All you can really do to help this problem I believe is do what you are doing now! I think that it is great that you have your children in lessons- they will be so prepared for high school that way !! Well keep up the happy thoughts!!
-ClarinetQween:)
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Author: Pam L
Date: 1999-03-17 02:32
It was years ago (more than I care to remember), but my HS band had many similar problems. In fact, after I graduated, I heard that my teacher (a wonderful clarinet player - boy, was I lucky!) was forced to teach remedial math classes in addition. He finally moved to a different school in the schoold district, and I heard that there was basically no music program left within 4 years of my graduation. When we went on any trips, we raised all the money ourselves. We were lucky to get the uniforms cleaned once a year.
Hopefully, you have a good (and dedicated) teacher. A lot of my classmates complained about how strict my teacher was, with lots of basic musical instruction, regular testing, etc., but we got top marks at all the band competitions we went to, even though we were a fairly small band (I think we were under 45 by graduation year). I think that we got what funding we did partially because we did really well, and partially because our teacher pushed really hard. As I said above, after he left, the band went kaput.
Sorry I'm not more enouraging on the school front. However, you should continue to support private lessons for your kids and maybe look into local youth orchestras or bands for alternative venues for group playing. I've found that the local youth musical groups often have better financial support than you find at the local schools. Also, encourage your kids to try band when they get to college - it's a really different experience. The sports fans seem lots more enthusiastic, even when the teams are bad (which I know only too well from personal experience - did that football team ever win?)
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