A Teacher's Journal 31: Ode to the Band Director

1. That no amount of money could be sufficient compensation for the work that Band Directors do each day! As I sat talking with Bobby Hinson, the band director at our school, I realized how incredibly complicated his teaching position is. During any given class period, he can have upwards of 40 students in his room -- all playing different instruments with different levels of proficiency!

   As a language arts teacher, if you were to place over 40 students in my room who were speaking several different languages and expect me to provide competent instruction to each of them, I'd quit. Who am I kidding -- I sometimes struggle to meet the needs of the 25 students who come to my room looking to master their own native tongue!

   What's more, having once been a sixth grade clarinet player myself, I can attest to the challenge of spending any length of time in a confined space with a novice musician. Patiently teaching a twelve-year-old how to use complicated combinations of finger placements over dozens of buttons and holes to convert spit and wind into beautiful sound ought to guarantee anyone a free ticket to paradise.

   Doing it day after day for an entire career with hundreds of children playing dozens of instruments ought to guarantee a room with a view!

2. That Band Directors develop incredible connections with their students: For years, I have had my students write letters of thanks to their favorite teachers during the holidays. We fill the letters with words of kindness, something teachers thrive on. And for some strange reason, regardless of school the band teacher has always gotten the largest stack of letters. Students pour out praise, expressing appreciation for everything from help mastering new skills to acts of compassion and humor that seem to be a regular part of band classes across our county.

   Yesterday's experience provided visual evidence of these connections. Band directors had the rapt attention of their students whenever they spoke and seemed genuinely excited to spend their Saturday with their students. Children told me stories about why their band directors were so incredible and parents expressed positive feelings about their children's teachers time and again. In fact, one parent abruptly cut me off in mid-sentence when he saw his daughter's band teacher arriving. "I've just got to go and say hello," he explained, "I'm sure you'll understand."

3. That Art, Music and Band programs play a vital role in the education of our children: In today's educational climate, it is easy to overlook the impact that elective programs have on the lives of students. With the federal No Child Left Behind legislation requiring that all students meet expected levels of academic progress in mathematics and reading each year, it is tempting for schools, districts, and states to focus only on those subjects.

   In fact, communities across the nation facing tight budgets and strict monitoring of performance in core academic classes have been eliminating or scaling back arts programs for years even when the Department of Education has made strong statements in support of arts education as essential for our students.

   What I saw yesterday would suggest that we as a country should be providing more opportunities for all students to share in artistic and interpretive experiences rather than eliminating them from our curriculums. Literally hundreds of students jazzed by their study of music were engaged in the process of creation. Entire gyms were filled with groups of young musicians riffing short tunes and playing original compositions with one another. That kind of inventive thinking and motivation can -- and does -- translate into success in every classroom.

Let's make a commitment to protect -- and to celebrate -- arts education at all costs here in Wake County!