| This is so unfortunate. The effects will be in more than just the 4th and 5th grade. The students taking part in the cadet program will also be seriously impacted. That is a tremendous program that benefits both high school and elementary students in many, many ways.
There are is also an advocacy group under the auspicies of the Music Educators National Conference called Music Freinds. They would be wise to investigate it.
It's always about reducing costs. However, public education has huge administrative costs that keep getting bigger and bigger. Like "the Blob"... no matter what happens to funding, administration grows. I think this is partially due to some of the federal mandates. Distrivts "need" administrative positions to be sure they keep up with the programs dictated by the government. The other group at fault is, unfortunately, music educators themselves, for not forcing the issue of accaounability via mandatory assessment.
Notice it isn't reading, math, science, or social studies being axed. Notice that the representative of the board cited "extras" in his description of instrumental music education. This is NO coincidence. In public education, that which is assessed is deemed important. Especially given all the humbug about school report cards and academic performance. Band is NOT given ANY state or federal madated assessment. Until such time as we are, we will never be viewed by boards of education, administrators, legislators or other educators as significant.
Do I like the autonomy of no mandatory assessment? Sure do. (Notice the ironic spelling in the first 3 letters of the word). Nobody breathes down my neck. I can do my job, and do it all to MY standard, not someone else's. I can take 8 weeks just on scales if I want to. I can make my high school band play Schuman's Chester if I want. Or Hot Cross Buns, if that's all they can get done. (Those are extreme cases... I don't do Hot Cross in high school, don't worry!). It's very liberating and very good for arts and music making in general. BUT... (and it's a big but, lemme tell ya)...none of the teachers take what I do very seriously. Why? Because they all have regents exams to prepare; all of them have numbers that get published on our school website in full view of ther taxpayers who want to see those numberrs be high. My audience at concert time cares (for the most part) that they can see their kid on stage, their name is spelled right in the program, and that the band "sounds good". Usually in that order. Do they care that they understand why Bach is played differently than Nelhybel? No. Do they notice? Hope so.
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-Glenn
"Roses have thorns; shining waters mud. Clouds and eclipses stain the moon and the sun; and history reeks of the wrongs we have done. After today, after today, consider me gone."- Sting |