Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2005 3:23 pm Post subject: school band
Lastnight was our first home football game of the year. The marching band was supposed to play but we did not have enough time to rehearse considering school only just started on wednesday. Well my teacher asked my bro (a drummer) and I if we would get a few people to play at the game just to play the National Anthem and School Song (Our director). We told her sure, so we got 3 other trumpeters and one other drummer to play. I arranged a version of the Star Spangled Banner for us and we played it. It is kinda funny that only 6 people sounded sooooo much better than the whole band, we even got more applause than usual. That was really fun. _________________ Not all who wander are lost
I hope nobody from your band sees that post. You might have sounded good, but you may have also offended many members of your band. For your sake I hope not.
Remember that a band is only as good as the weakest member. I admire students in my band that not only try hard, but also offer time to other band members to help them become better musicians.
At lunch time my room is often filled with students helping other band members, and they often tell me that they practice together at home.
If the kids who played well at the game each took 2 other band members and helped them with the music you play as a band, maybe next week your band will sound great when you perform as a full band! _________________ "To be a teacher you need to be as good a performer as you can be: you'll have more to impart to your students musically." - John Haynie
I didn't mean to offend them. I was kinda saying that with fewer people we were tighter together as a group instead of 30 or so people.
Also no one in my school band really cares if the music sounds good or not. The only people who really do were the people who went to the game and maybe 3 others. Our music program is very small compared to the other ones in the area, our Wind Ensemble is only 28 people (1/4 of which are trumpets and we only have 1 clarinet) and the freshman band is only 25 (and about half of those people are drummers).
Hardly anyone practices or even bring their horn home. I have told the trumpets and low brass that I would help them with stuff and maybe have sectionals but no one is interested except the second chair trumpeter and one euphonium player. I have also told people that they should practice and I would help them but they have said that they don't plan on a career in music so it doesn't matter if they get help and that they are only doing band for an easy A.
It is really sad, our program went downhill the past few years and some of it is because of the district. Our Wind Ensemble had around 80 members 3 years ago and about half that the year after and half THAT last year. Because of the district cutting the arts teachers and making the programs smaller, less people have cared about what happens. In 4 years we have had 3 different band teachers, 2 different orchestra and choir teachers, and 4 different jazz teachers.
We have gone from playing 'Lincoln Portrait' extremely well to almost middle school level music. Out jazz band has gone from playing 'Pressure Cooker' to playing level 2 music. It just has really sucked. If people would get more motivation our program can really take off, we have the talent and a good teacher (now) to do it. Our next game isn't for another 3 weeks so we will most likely do very well as a full band.
OH GOSH! I just have to mention this, this is probably what has made alot of people less motivated to play. Last year homecoming game half time was a disaster! Our teacher last year only gave us 4 days to learn the field drill which consisted of spelling letters and doing shapes. We had it okay before we had to do it. WELL we got out there and started... we only got 5 seconds into it before people lost their place in the music and place on the field. The audience was actually laughing at us. Someone said it looked like we were trying to spell in chinese. It was so bad, we all felt terrible. The principal said something to the director about it too. I just thought I would mention that. _________________ Not all who wander are lost
Perhaps this would be a good time to put together a small ensemble, a brass quintet or quartet. Don't quit the other groups, just add it and do a great job with it and it may encourage others to get more involved and to take the music more seriously.
Your new group could play for school assemblies, local churches and charities, and possibly playing the national anthem for various sports teams which may be in your area. _________________ Bb's- Vintage One, Strad
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Wow!!! How do I respond to your post? This is tough. I’d really like to know where in the Midwest you all are located. Most of the bands in your part of the country are doing pretty well, and it hurts to hear the story you just told, especially the fact that you were laughed at while on the field.
How old is your director? Is this person experienced or maybe a first year director who has no clue as to how to put pride back into the program? There is strength in numbers, and the cuts from your district are symptomatic as to what has been happening in many school districts all over the country. Only your parents (the taxpaying voters) can make the school board put more emphasis on music. If they don't you can get a band parent to run for school board and get a couple more votes for music by electing a promusic school board.
School districts have the idea that they can cut down on the expense of having a band by cutting the budgets, but then they expect the band to perform at the same levels as before. They expect perfection at the football games, and also expect fine bands in parades. They never really cared about the concert and jazz bands because the average person really does not appreciate what we accomplish as musicians.
How do you tell a guy who listens only to “tear in my beer” country and western music that your playing Lincolnshire Posy is important? If he thinks Lincolnshire Posy is important it is probably because he thinks it is about our 16th president, and being incorrect about that fact he would have even less of a clue if you mentioned that it was composed by the great Percy Grainger.
As for your concert band declining in size, the important thing is that the quality of musician stays high – quality over quantity. It sounds to me like the students at your school having a poor attitude is as much of a problem as anything else. It sounds to me from your description like they have little or no pride and that is very sad.
So what I have mentioned is out of your control. You do have some control over the others in your band, and you can offer to help your director in every way possible. Your band needs a really positive performance at their first football game so they can feel good and start building pride.
I wish you luck. When I was young I took a band of 75 and built it into a band of 410. I had lots of help from excited students who spent their time talking positively about the band. Get behind your director, and try to get some parents to work with her. My prayers will be with you I this endeavor. The road will not be easy, but things that are easy are usually not as gratifying as things that come after lots and lots of hard work. _________________ "To be a teacher you need to be as good a performer as you can be: you'll have more to impart to your students musically." - John Haynie
Rockford Illinois, district 205. Our director from last year has a masters in music education, golden apple winner and has been teacher for around 20 years. He had major mental issues, deep depression and a temper. We had free days like every week. Two years ago, my sophomore year, is when the district was really going to cut back on the arts. The public schools banded (heh) together and played outside the school board building during the meeting where the cuts were going to be talked about. A couple hundred band students were there all playing together, the spirits were so high it was just awesome! Also, choir and drama students were there singing songs plus chanting about keeping the arts. Some cuts were still made. Some middle school bands were minimized to only a semester class and alot of it turned to general music classes. Teacher's names were basically thrown in a hat and picked at random for schools. Only a few directors kept their old schools, one of which is Auburn High which has the gifted program. Doug Hoffman is the director and has been there for 10+ years so the program there is very good. My current director's job last year was orchestra (which she had never taught before and can't play a string instrument) and middle school band. It was idiotic.
I have already offered to help the current director at my school. She has asked for help on things already and I have been glad to do anything she asks. I gave up the last few days of my summer vacation to help her set up the band room and pull music and whatever else she needed. She was joking around calling my brother and I her "slaves."
The district got a new superintendent and my mother has met with him about the music problems at our school. He helped us out alot. The jazz band teacher last year was completing stupid. She had a masters in music and also has been kicked out of a few other districts. We finally succeeded in getting her removed from our district, it would have been better if she was fired but she resigned when it got to hot for her to handle. She would count off 3|4 time in 4, count off like "1,2,3,4,let it snow, ready go!", would not correct us but would say "that was really good guys", could not keep time and had to us a metronome (on her stand) to keep time, the list goes on! This was probably realllllllly unprofessional of me and the 2nd trumpeter but... at the winter concert we started playing songs in different keys and adding terrible sounding octave stuff. She was all smiles and giving us thumbs up and telling us afterwards that is was fantastic. ANYWAYS, now they are talking about removing the new superintendent and running the board without one. He has done nothing but improve the district! The schools have less problems, he is cracking down on the kids. He is a great superintendent.
I have suggested to my parents to run for the school board but they said it is way too big of a mess and would have trouble holding their tongues. Also I have suggested that some of us (the older kids) in the band should do something but they say that it is their last year so why should they care. I think it is our job to make the program as good as possible for the up coming generations of band students. I hope, as you said Bandman, that we have a good performance to raise the attitudes of the students. I usually talk positive about the band while in class and around the school. If a performace goes bad though I usually say it does and want critisism so I know what to do the next performance to make it better. So basically I say "That sucked, what can I do to make it better next time?"
I can't say how the other schools are doing for music because I have lost contact with my old friends from band who went to the other schools. All I can say for sure is that Auburn is doing well, I had a friend who went there last year from the youth symphony. Jefferson and Guilford I cannot say anything about but I know they have had changing teachers like East (my school) has.
Well I think I am just rambling on now. I should stop. _________________ Not all who wander are lost
Many years ago they cut music from one of the school districts and they held a parade complete with bands carrying coffins through the streets. THat was probably before you were born.
How can a place who has a past affiliation with Phantom Regiment allow music to die?
I'm so sorry for what you are going through as a student. It's just not fair :sad:
_________________ "To be a teacher you need to be as good a performer as you can be: you'll have more to impart to your students musically." - John Haynie
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That was really fun.
