Well, the Exeter Union High School Band sure NEEDED a year like this...has needed to feel some success for several years now. We attended the first annual Lemoore Band Tournament run by my good friend and respected music educator (and generally good guy) Sean McElhaney and did well, as evidenced by the attached photo. Fun to see 'em smile.
So what significance does all this have? In a way, it is a stern reminder that you the readers should NOT take music education for granted in these times. These kids, and all the others from Hanford, Lemoore, Visalia, and points all over our beloved country, work SO hard to master this multi-faceted skill. It requires musicianship, certainly, but also a good old-fashioned gut check for young people just emerging from childhood into a big, scary world. If they don't learn to claim their true selves, to try to work with people (Really!) that they may not like, to delay gratification, and to never settle for less, they will be swept away by those who do learn.
The other significant fact, and one that should be pointed out even at the risk of self-esteem, is that my program is SHRINKING; we are successful in "winning" in part because of the fact that I have fewer and fewer young people to work with each year (thus the band is competing against some very small programs-programs valid in every way, but not the ones I have trained my students to compete with). We are enjoying a bit of a "bigger fish in a smaller pond" kind of situation...and please faithful reader, do not think that I am "dissing" smaller bands at all. It is probably one of the most challenging ways to run a band-fewer players and possibly lower skill sets. I just want to point out that I feel my kids should strive to be competitive with the VERY BEST out there, regardless of band size. In that field, we would be back in the lower-middle of the pack.
There are many reasons for such a situation (that of my shrinking program) but I would again say that the threats to elementary education leveled by "No Child Left Behind" (I lost a feeder school this year because that school is under threat of 'program improvement' (!) due to declining test scores) is implicated in shrinking music programs everywhere. Combine that with the dire budget situation and you have a "perfect storm" awaiting us in Music Ed. What is needed is that you NON-MUSICIANS out there remember how good this type of education is for kids, as well as reminding yourself that accountability (while a valuable tool for evaluating educational programs) is definitely NOT just in a single, numeric data-set. I read with interest this essay on Washington D.C.'s new schools chancellor: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200811/michelle-rhee" and found it full of interesting stuff. Most telling for this post, though, is how data-driven Ms. Rhee's administration strategy is. Won't music and arts programs be left out? And how long will it be before this movement reaches us in California? Is this reform effort a good thing? Hmmmm.
In any case, I am proud of my students...very happy with them. I wish them and you a moment with the music that most inspires you. 'til next time, thanks for reading this diatribe.
