As I'm here, sitting back on Saturday morning, following Troy's last-second loss to Wyalusing last night, I'm feeling pretty good about how the HS marching band performed last night.  In all aspects, we are right where we should be going into a very busy week.  We've learned the show thoroughly, nobody seems to be making major errors, most students have everything memorized, lips are in good shape and have endurance, and morale is good.  Plus, our routine in the stands is finally establishing itself, and adds alot to the game experience, in my opinion.  With three major events this week (BSCMEA Cavalcade, Homecoming, and the N. Penn Show) I can foresee the band having one of the best weeks its had in years.  On top of all of this, the weather has been cooperating SOOOO much better than last year, when it rained or snowed the entire season, and everyone in the band got swine flu at some point.  So with all of this momentum going into this week, why is there still an uneasy feeling?

 

I think it must have something to do with some things I experienced this week, from students within the program and outside, but both seem related to the same thing.  The question I've come to in my mind this week is this:  How long, or what kinds of things, will it take for Marching Band, and band in general (all grades), to be considered "cool" anymore?  I can't figure it out.  We are doing good things (maybe not perfectly but very good nonetheless) and yet we still fight the mentality that band isn't cool, that it's only for geeks and losers, and that it is somehow less important than what everyone else is doing.  Just this week, I heard a group of middle school girls making fun of one of their friends around the lunch table for being in band.  The worst part about the whole thing was that some of the girls making fun of her were in band themselves.  The others, to the best of my estimation, have never even been in band before.  Another example I've witnessed, is that students in the HS band with deliberately avoid wearing their band t-shirts on performance days, because they are afraid of what their friends will say to them.   As much as I'd like to see all kids wearing the shirts on these days, I wouldn't want them to do it at the expense of their own self-esteem. 

 

I know what its like to be a band kid.  I was one myself from 4th grade through graduation, and liked it enough to major in music after that.  However, I definitely know what it meant to be a band kid.  In general, we were less athletic, most didn't run with the in-crowds, and we did occasionally have to wear uniforms, including hats with feathers in them.  We actually had a Jr. High Marching Band that performed at the Boyertown Cavalcade and the East-West Jr. High FB Game each year, plus halloween and other parades.  So maybe I was used to being on display by then so much that it didn't bother me, or perhaps I was one that took pride in it while being oblivious to the others who may have seen it as a source of embarassment.  But I don't think that was the case.  I think it was something that we were all proud of, along with our parents, our school, and our community.  I know for a fact that this was the case way-back-when in Troy as well.  I know because of all the people I've talked to who are so proud to tell me of how things were when they were in the band, under the direction of Mr. Boyer, Mrs. Nickerson, Mr. Yearick, and others.  The community loved the band and respected it, and students wanted to be in it.  So what has changed?

 

I could give a spiel here about how "kids today" are different.  But I honestly believe that kids are no different today than ever.  I think what has changed is society, cultural influences, parental care and involvement, and educational priorities.  Our society is focused on instant gratification and information (which goes against practice and hard work), our culture is focused on things that glorify the individual and give all of us what we crave when we crave it (which goes against teamwork, humility, and serving others), our parents have taken to giving their kids more freedom and allowing them to make more decisions with less parental concern (which goes against mother/father knows best, and opens the door for decisions to be made by emotional adolescents, not thorough and thoughtful parenting), and our education system emphasizes product, not process, as evidenced by the REDICULOUS amount of tests our kids take.  Further, if its something that cannot be tested, its perceived as much less worthwhile (which goes against the need for all students to experience the unmeasureable aesthetic and emotional response achieved from ANY involvement in the Arts).

 

I read an article yesterday about a district in Texas, about the size of Troy SD, that REQUIRES all students to play in beginning band when they start kids in 6th grade.  They actually cited higher standardized test scores as the need and motivation for the implementation of the program.  Can you imagine what a world we'd live in if all students had the benefit of a FULL education in Music and the other Arts ?  If you've ever seen the film Mr. Holland's Opus, you may remember the scene where Mr. Holland is in the principal's office, facing the termination of his established music program and all other arts courses in the face of budget cuts and reform. When told by the principal that this was an effort to boost the student's focus on reading and writing, Mr. Holland responds by saying "If we take away the Arts, what will there be left to read and write about?"   

 

So what do we do?  I say, we keep going and keep working. 

 

To those of you in our band program already:  Keep with it!  Your world is telling you that it's not worth it.  But I say, stick to it, and you will expeience the world in way that will benefit you for the rest of your life. In additon, don't take those other students seriously.  More than likely, they are afraid of you because they can't do what you do.  Be nice to them, and explain how they could learn alot by being a part of band themselves. 

 

To those of you who have quit:  Come back!  One thing that band people are NOT is grudgy.  We understand the peer pressure, and would love you for returning to something that we already enjoy doing and want to share with others. 

 

To the parents of any students out there:  Support, encourage, love, care, influence, and above else, hold your ground!  If you think something is valuable to your kids, it probably is.  Don't let your kid's emotions decide how they will run their lives at all times.  Remember the average attention span of an adolescent is less than an a half-hour, and in some cases, less than 10 minutes.  They will always change their minds.  Its your job to help them see the bigger picture. 

 

And to those of you who make fun of the "band geeks" at your lunch table:  Keep your mouth shut!  You won't hear a band kid making fun of you for taking an art class, taking a math class, being on the yearbook club, playing football or volleyball, or being on a shooting team...so what gives you the right to make fun of them?  Lets change the course of our world...get involved and stay involved in the Arts. 

 

No one ever regrets involvement the Arts, they only regret it when they never got involved in the first place.