 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Linus Travelli
Date: 2001-05-29 21:27
Is music more competitive/common here in new england or NY or whatever?
what's music like in oklahoma or kentucky or florida?
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Author: Stephen Froehlich
Date: 2001-05-29 21:49
At the college level, it varies massively from school to school. In terms of high school wind music programs by region, in many cases the best regions are funded by (dare we say it) active football programs. (The same is true at many large universities.) This is one of the major factors by what I have heard are the outstanding band programs to be found in Texas, Pensylvania, and Southern Californa. (Ignore the fact that I'm part of the relatively closed Texas band system.)
There are, of course, stand out ensembles and programs at high schools all over the country, however I certainly found that my high school band, though it was no great shakes at the time by Texas standards, did very well when we went out of state.
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Author: Kim
Date: 2001-05-30 02:17
Many of the high school marching programs in my area are funded by parent booster groups. The sports boosters refuses to support the music programs in the schools.
Also, donations fund programs. I have never heard of football teams funding their marching bands. Tell me which school and I'll believe it!
Kim
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Author: Jim
Date: 2001-05-30 04:37
In my son's school, marching band actually comes under the management of the athletic director, and is partially funded by the district. Our booster group does supply significant additional funding, but all of the sports teams have their own parent booster groups which contribute financially. Interestingly the district recently began funding the judges for our home competition with the rationale that they provide officials for home athletic events. We sometimes refer to marching band as "the other sport," and now the district is starting to agree with us.
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Author: SALT
Date: 2001-05-30 06:29
At our school we raise most of our own money and have a $150 offset fee at the beginning of the year for the cost of food, awards, uniforms, staff etc. for those participating in marching band(which at my school is all band members) One of our main money makers is the band coffee cart which my mom helps run before school on Wed. and Fri. and at football and basketball games, large wrestling and track meets, and, of course, at our winterguard show. We aren't under the athletic director at all because then we'd have to deal with their crap and wouldn't be able to go on half the trips we go on(which aren't all that many anyway) and we have our own letters we earn after two years in the program. They look the same as the athletic letters but say either "band" or "colorguard" on them depending which it is you do. It's very nice... you can automatically tell what we lettered in instead of having to guess which sport was played to earn the letter. Anyway, I'll stop rambling now!
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Author: Stephen Froehlich
Date: 2001-05-30 14:48
Hmmm.... I didn't mean to completely redirect the discussion away from quality of ensembles by region, just suggest a major contributing factor.
In Texas, I believe most high school bands are funded (well) straight from the school's budget. The reason this is the case is that they have the political support of the football coaches. In school, anyone with an instrument ~$1000 or more could borrow one from the school (middle school all the way up). The band director was fairly well paid (not a normal teacher's salary), and when I was there, there wasn't any annual fee. (Of course, you supplied your own reeds, etc.) A fee has been added at my high school due to the very strange way Texas schools levy taxes, but that's a different issue.
In my high school, the politics weren't very overt, espically as the whole football-band relationship has become a cultrual norm here in Texas. Its just expected that a school has a decent band program to support the football team. It only gets cut when money is really tight.
When I went to the University of Texas, I was surprised to find how much more overt all of this was. The wind music department as a whole, though of course funded separately, derived a great deal of political capital and was able to get many favors, etc. from its unwavering support of the athletics department.
All of this has served as a catalyst for what is essentially a factory system to turn out wind musicians. The prevalence of band programs in Texas means that thousands of kids graduate from high school anually having 7 solid years of music under their belts. Then a small fraction of those keep it up in college. Of those, many pursue careers in music. Most of them become middle school or high school band directors (i.e., most music majors CAN make a living out of school here, not a great one, but they aren't waiting tables.) A few of the music majors do actually go into performance.
This system is centered at the University of Texas and Texas Tech. This (funding-talent pool-funding-talent pool cycle) has allowed both of these universities to develop wind music performance programs well beyond that which they would have been able to otherwise. For example, UT has had top notch programs in low brass, percussion (George Frock), and saxophone (Harvey Pittel).
This has all kinds of spin offs. For example, the community band I'm in has a rather large compliment of local band directors. The director is the coordinator for music for the state intermural regulating body (the UIL).
This has also been going on long enough that many band kids have at least one parent who was in band all the way through high school - this means that the parent understands what is to be gotten out of the expierence, etc.
I know, however, that this is not the only example of this kind of farm system. I believe that there is one centered around the University of Michigan. Similarly, I suspect that there is one in Southern California centered around either UCLA or UCSD. I also belive that Penn State feeds the system in western Penssylvania. However, in each of these cases, I believe political support or even more direct support comes from the athletics departments (from college on down).
I also believe that without the base of support, there would be no Dallas Wind Symphony. Similarly, the prevalance of classical training amongst the populace contributes to the Huston Opera's attendance figures.
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Author: Linus Travelli
Date: 2001-05-31 01:11
Hmm...We have a great competitive wind ensemble and it's in no way affiliated with any sports teams. There were attempts at creating a pep band but that fell apart quickly.
perhaps my school is too academically oriented.
or maybe it's because most of the parents love and play classical music. Most of them are hardcore boston symphony fans
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