1. Amount of time for band (too much of a commitment)One of these board members, Larry Korthuis, to be exact actually said at a different meeting, he didn't understand "why music/band is placed on such a high pedestal"! Arrrggghhh! They don't get it! Not everyone is into sports! Not everyone is into FFA! Not everyone is "highly capable"! Not everyone is into woodshop, metalshop or photography! But we should have those classes available to those that ARE! And it's also about CHOICES! CHOICES!!! What classes do the students WANT to take for their electives? Isn't that why they are called ELECTIVES?!?! Stop trying to micro manage (mostly at the ms) the student's class schedule. Let them make the "grown up" decisions you keep telling us that they are capable of making. If they want to take band for their elective all year round ~ LET THEM!!! If they still are meeting graduation requirements, it's all good.
2. Band reduces other elective options (issue for freshmen primarily)
Here is a video clip that was very timely in being sent to me. After watching this I don't think you can say that music is too much of a committment for this Father! Or how music has added a richness beyond measure to this young man, his family and literally every single person he comes in contact. This boy is a HERO!! His Father is a HERO! We need more people like them in this world. I wish I could show this to the Lynden School Board, HS & MS Adminstration, and LIT Committees. But I fear they wouldn't "get it"!
Please "get it"! Even if your children don't have a talent in music, they can have the talent to appreciate, respect and enjoy those that do. Our lives are so blessed in many, many was because of music. Grab a tissue!
6 comments:
Beautiful! You'll get no argument from me on the importance of music in our schools. Where would we be without music in our lives. Thanks for sharing. Keep up the passion, my friend!
Right on, Amy! FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!
That video was amazing, too.
That's totally true... everyone should have their own thing: I was in 2 choirs, waterpolo, and lifegaurding with my elective time... and I only took a cooking class because I was forced. I never took CAD, but my bro sure loved it. Did the administration fight for waterpolo loving singers? No, but we had tons of choices! Keep fighting for it... I want my kids to have choices too!
Are they insane? Duh!!! Of course music is dang important. Apparently these people have no clue. The reason kids in Washington are not passing the WASL is not because of music classes. It is because the teachers who are supposed to be teaching them math, english and science are not doing there job right. I was shocked when I went to the LHS musical last year and found out that there was no LHS drama treacher and that the orchestra students and the music teacher were not involved in the production. Plus, everyone knows that kids who are involved in music are smarter.
I saw this story on ESPN or something sometime in the last year and loved the story. He and his Dad are amazing. Great story.
I was a band kid and so was my son. In fact I know that if not for band, my son would have dropped out of school. But he loved band and the music and if he had dropped out he would have missed the music and the outings. I don;t know how Board members can not understand how important something like a music program is!
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