This past week, I had the pleasure of once again attending the Florida Music Education Association’s annual conference. To update on a previous posting: On Thursday evening, at the FBA business meeting, the contentious issue of restricting marching band performances arose. This came in the form of a motion, already passed by the board, which would have required district secretaries to monitor the activities of other directors, tally the number of marching contests (note: not football games, parades, or other performances), and report violators to the Florida Bandmasters Association. Violators of the rules would have faced financial penalties of up to $500 in addition to referrals for mentoring and re-education to correct deviant philosophies. I am happy to say that this measure was defeated soundly by the membership of the FBA, and that the slippery slope towards authoritarian practices has been averted for now.
That being said, there are real issues regarding marching band which are not going away any time soon. I was privileged to hear a wonderful clinic on the topic of “Building a Band Curriculum Your Way” by Dr. Bentley Shellahamer. Dr. Shellahamer touched on the value of academic freedom: how this has been such a huge part of our heritage as band directors, how this has been lost in most public school classrooms, and how this is in danger in music education classrooms if we don’t take care to build a strong music curriculum for our programs. And I agree that an over-emphasis on competitive marching band/winter guard/indoor percussion will lead some administrators to view band as simply another sport/activity which utilizes a disproportionate share of limited resources. Surely a good music program should teach a student more than a series of 3rd clarinet parts; too many students leave American band programs with memories of a shelf full of trophies and no desire to ever pick up their instrument again. The trick is to find a way to inspire a love and understanding of music without imposing a one-size fits all curriculum approach. All band teachers need to find their path through the polarizing extremes of “all competition is bad” and “I’m a failure if I don’t win state marching championships”; even with the best of advice there are no concrete answers to this one for every situation. Here’s hoping that our profession can maintain that freedom to develop individual programs and philosophies for the indefinite future.
Showing posts with label Marching Band. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marching Band. Show all posts
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Marching in Lockstep
Sometimes the small controversies in our own profession can provide a perspective on larger trends in our culture. A proposal is floating through the Florida Bandmasters Association (FBA) which would limit band directors to participate in no more than four marching band contests/festivals each season. For those who don't follow the sometimes byzantine intricacies of marching band from state to state, FBA runs a district-by-district Music Performance Assessment similar to Concert Band Festival, while a seperate organization, the Florida Marching Band Coalition (FMBC) runs an independent competitive circuit which includes multiple regional contests and a State Championship event held in Tampa each November. In other words, a given high school band could participate in three competitive events in addition to the required FBA MPA.
My understanding of this proposal is that it is a measure to protect the time of our students, born out of parent complaints to administrators which were subsequently passed on to the Florida Music Educators Association (FMEA). Obviously this is a significant issue, as our students have many more demands on their time with work, academics, and other activities than they did 20 years ago when I started as a high school freshman. I think that it is very appropriate as educators that we keep music education at the top of our priority list, and that we act in a responsible manner to protect the time of our students. I have found that students and parents appreciate any efforts in this. Being considerate of our students’ hectic lifestyle increases loyalty to the band program, and reinforces the importance of the events we do schedule.
This being said, I am worried that the current proposal is missing the mark in a fundamental way. As a specific example, during the first semester of the 2007-08 academic year, my students had around 32 public performances prior to winter break. Only a five of these were Saturday marching competitions/festivals. We averaged nearly 1.5 public performances a week, and I know that this is not uncommon in our profession. Bands are called upon to perform a multitude of services for our schools and community, many of which are only indirectly related to the teaching of music. It isn’t an uncommon complaint to hear directors wondering when they have time to actually teach music content amidst the preparations for the next performance. Many of these performances are mandated by administrators who view the band as an entertainment resource for the school community.
With this in mind, the proposal to limit the amount of marching competitions seems less designed to protect student time than a proposal to proscribe certain types of performances. My critical observation is that this particular policy will, in effect, curtail the ability of band directors to structure their program freely without necessarily having the desired results of protecting students' time from abuse. I would hope that the FBA would be able to find a way to put together a coherent position on this issue without lapsing into a mindset of enforced conformity and standardization. While I am personally ambivalent towards competitive marching band, I also believe that divergent approaches towards teaching band strengthen our profession. My fear is that what we have here is the tyranny of good intentions, something we must always remain vigilant over. After all, I believe part of our mission as educators is to foster critical thinking skills in our students which will enable to resist broader authoritarian trends in our society.
My understanding of this proposal is that it is a measure to protect the time of our students, born out of parent complaints to administrators which were subsequently passed on to the Florida Music Educators Association (FMEA). Obviously this is a significant issue, as our students have many more demands on their time with work, academics, and other activities than they did 20 years ago when I started as a high school freshman. I think that it is very appropriate as educators that we keep music education at the top of our priority list, and that we act in a responsible manner to protect the time of our students. I have found that students and parents appreciate any efforts in this. Being considerate of our students’ hectic lifestyle increases loyalty to the band program, and reinforces the importance of the events we do schedule.
This being said, I am worried that the current proposal is missing the mark in a fundamental way. As a specific example, during the first semester of the 2007-08 academic year, my students had around 32 public performances prior to winter break. Only a five of these were Saturday marching competitions/festivals. We averaged nearly 1.5 public performances a week, and I know that this is not uncommon in our profession. Bands are called upon to perform a multitude of services for our schools and community, many of which are only indirectly related to the teaching of music. It isn’t an uncommon complaint to hear directors wondering when they have time to actually teach music content amidst the preparations for the next performance. Many of these performances are mandated by administrators who view the band as an entertainment resource for the school community.
With this in mind, the proposal to limit the amount of marching competitions seems less designed to protect student time than a proposal to proscribe certain types of performances. My critical observation is that this particular policy will, in effect, curtail the ability of band directors to structure their program freely without necessarily having the desired results of protecting students' time from abuse. I would hope that the FBA would be able to find a way to put together a coherent position on this issue without lapsing into a mindset of enforced conformity and standardization. While I am personally ambivalent towards competitive marching band, I also believe that divergent approaches towards teaching band strengthen our profession. My fear is that what we have here is the tyranny of good intentions, something we must always remain vigilant over. After all, I believe part of our mission as educators is to foster critical thinking skills in our students which will enable to resist broader authoritarian trends in our society.
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