Author: gwie
Date: 2010-05-18 19:38
Well, comparisons to football aren't going to earn you any allies.
Honestly, the reason football programs thrive is because of two things:
1. A culture that reveres the kind of competition that the sport embodies and convinces young people that it builds character.
2. The income that football games, training, and outreach bring in to the school.
I've taught in both public and private school programs (band and orchestra) and regardless of the school, it all comes down to priorities for funding. Math, science, and language always takes precedence over everything else. Football and other popular sports don't worry because they raise enough funding on their own to continue. Since they are self-sufficient, I don't see a problem with it.
In order to keep a music program alive in the face of budget cuts, we need to be realistic about the things we do to keep it going. That means that a participation fee is probably necessary. In any sport you generally have to pay to obtain and maintain your own equipment. Visual art classes require consumable supplies, science excursions involve an activity fee, etc. With that, reasonable methods of fund-raising that don't require students to sell junk door-to-door need to be devised.
Finally, a strong booster organization is a MUST...parents who are involved in the program and believe in what it does for their kids are the foundation of any effort to keep it alive and thriving. It is a community of people who believe in an idea that can make a difference through individual and business contributions towards the costs of a program.
Post Edited (2010-05-18 19:43)
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