Bands and Other Fine Arts Falling Apart

[silvsoc3]

I don't know how much other programs are having to deal with budget cuts, interference from the district, etc. but CFB is having real problems. The bands can no longer go to away games which means less practice in front of a crowd, let alone a foreign crowd in a foreign place. This is something that bands need to perform well at contests and other events. They can't have their home stadium seeming like a "nest" that they never have to leave if they don't want to. It really annoys me when the music programs are being cut at schools, while other programs i.e. (Athletics) are not affected much, if at all. Newman Smith's football team goes to Playoffs and as a result, get new uniforms. The band goes to state finals and get a pat on the back and two years later, get the new uniforms they were promised a decade ago. The budget is being cut for band, orchestra, and choir while the football team puts on their new yellow "foot-warmers." I don't know about everyone else but this seems like a very big, very real problem. Is this happening anywhere else?

[Rubisco]

  silvsoc3 said:

I don't know how much other programs are having to deal with budget cuts, interference from the district, etc. but CFB is having real problems. The bands can no longer go to away games which means less practice in front of a crowd, let alone a foreign crowd in a foreign place. This is something that bands need to perform well at contests and other events. They can't have their home stadium seeming like a "nest" that they never have to leave if they don't want to. It really annoys me when the music programs are being cut at schools, while other programs i.e. (Athletics) are not affected much, if at all. Newman Smith's football team goes to Playoffs and as a result, get new uniforms. The band goes to state finals and get a pat on the back and two years later, get the new uniforms they were promised a decade ago. The budget is being cut for band, orchestra, and choir while the football team puts on their new yellow "foot-warmers." I don't know about everyone else but this seems like a very big, very real problem. Is this happening anywhere else?

 

Unfortunately for music educators in Texas, athletics (i.e. football) reign supreme here. It doesn't matter if music education demonstrates a greater academic benefit than athletics, or if music programs bring schools more prestige than their athletics programs. The truth is that sports like football probably generate more revenue for the school district, and thus they are more important to school districts than music programs. It's pretty clear which activity takes priority whenever a band program is prevented from going to a single competition because of a football game on the same day. It happens all the time. The counterargument is that something like marching band was devised to entertain football crowds, and so football is where the band's priorities should lie. This argument is, of course, completely false.

[drummerjoe]

  silvsoc3 said:

I don't know how much other programs are having to deal with budget cuts, interference from the district, etc. but CFB is having real problems. The bands can no longer go to away games which means less practice in front of a crowd, let alone a foreign crowd in a foreign place. This is something that bands need to perform well at contests and other events. They can't have their home stadium seeming like a "nest" that they never have to leave if they don't want to. It really annoys me when the music programs are being cut at schools, while other programs i.e. (Athletics) are not affected much, if at all. Newman Smith's football team goes to Playoffs and as a result, get new uniforms. The band goes to state finals and get a pat on the back and two years later, get the new uniforms they were promised a decade ago. The budget is being cut for band, orchestra, and choir while the football team puts on their new yellow "foot-warmers." I don't know about everyone else but this seems like a very big, very real problem. Is this happening anywhere else?

 

Most of this is directed at football specifically. Many of the other athletic teams are in the same pool as the band in the case of funding.

 

It's happening in Round Rock. We almost had a director position cut entirely last year and we already have one alternating between two schools. The athletics aren't even the greatest here: Last year our football team won only two games while our Band won two big local contests and went to State.

 

Truly, the schools need to look at the academic effects in reduced funding for extracurriculars. While I do not agree that cutting spending in football would actually benefit the district, I believe athletics is where the funding needs to be cut. Overall, the grades of those students in band are better than those of students in athletics. Since the school's main purpose is to have their students do well, why cut from the program with the best students?

 

Plus, we barely get any funding from the district in the first place. A great majority of our funding comes from an incredible Band Boosters program. Also, the students do an great amount of the fundraising. The drumline alone never fails to raise over $10,000 in the beginning of the season at our major fundraiser. The football team does their minimal fundraising and then complains when they do not receive any of the proceeds from the concession stands, which are filled with food organized and supplied by the band boosters and filled with volunteers from the band.

 

Rant over.

[kdnblue142]

  drummerjoe said:

Most of this is directed at football specifically. Many of the other athletic teams are in the same pool as the band in the case of funding.

 

It's happening in Round Rock. We almost had a director position cut entirely last year and we already have one alternating between two schools. The athletics aren't even the greatest here: Last year our football team won only two games while our Band won two big local contests and went to State.

 

Truly, the schools need to look at the academic effects in reduced funding for extracurriculars. While I do not agree that cutting spending in football would actually benefit the district, I believe athletics is where the funding needs to be cut. Overall, the grades of those students in band are better than those of students in athletics. Since the school's main purpose is to have their students do well, why cut from the program with the best students?

 

Plus, we barely get any funding from the district in the first place. A great majority of our funding comes from an incredible Band Boosters program. Also, the students do an great amount of the fundraising. The drumline alone never fails to raise over $10,000 in the beginning of the season at our major fundraiser. The football team does their minimal fundraising and then complains when they do not receive any of the proceeds from the concession stands, which are filled with food organized and supplied by the band boosters and filled with volunteers from the band.

 

Rant over.

 

Unfortunately, this sounds all too familiar.

 

Churchill was cut a band director either last year or the year before due to budget cuts. When administration was asked about any cuts in the athletic program, we were told that since the coaches and assistant coaches 'teach' classes, there would be no cuts. Gee, wonder what the band directors do?

 

I have volunteered myself in those concession stands on many a game-instead of being out there watching said game/watching the band play. Good parent/band boosters are a key to a band's success-IMHO. Besides-once the band is finished playing-at least half the spectators go home! Right?

 

Still, I feel, from experience, Texas band are fortunate compared to other states. Take California, for example, we moved here when my daughter was between 6th and 7th grade. She had 2yrs of music 'instruction' in elementary school and she was lucky to get any. Even before the housing bubble burst, there was little, if any, music instruction in most school districts at this grade level and above. She was considered behind somewhat when we moved here. She was very fortunate to go to schools that have strong musical traditions (she has been in band, orchestra, choir). We are sure that if we stayed in Cali, she would've probably never continued in music. There are some fine programs there, for sure, but there is not the same 'enthusiasm' there for marching band as it is here in the Lone Star State!

[borchnork]

  silvsoc3 said:

I don't know how much other programs are having to deal with budget cuts, interference from the district, etc. but CFB is having real problems. The bands can no longer go to away games which means less practice in front of a crowd, let alone a foreign crowd in a foreign place. This is something that bands need to perform well at contests and other events. They can't have their home stadium seeming like a "nest" that they never have to leave if they don't want to. It really annoys me when the music programs are being cut at schools, while other programs i.e. (Athletics) are not affected much, if at all. Newman Smith's football team goes to Playoffs and as a result, get new uniforms. The band goes to state finals and get a pat on the back and two years later, get the new uniforms they were promised a decade ago. The budget is being cut for band, orchestra, and choir while the football team puts on their new yellow "foot-warmers." I don't know about everyone else but this seems like a very big, very real problem. Is this happening anywhere else?

 

I've noticed this to SOME degree in Frisco. It's probably not as bad here as other parts of Texas because the school district is STILL growing pretty dramatically. We've been fortunate enough to have an orchestra program established, plus glee clubs, harp classes and symphony orchestra classes put into place in the last 10 years or so.

 

But still, I know that the orchestra programs are being stretched thin to the core. I know that most all the middle school orchestra directors teach at more than one middle school, and the high school director for Centennial teaches two separate orchestra courses at the high school PLUS is the orchestra director at TWO middle schools. In the band world, it was extremely common to have directors higher 2-3 drill techs per band program a year, however the budget is just no longer there in Frisco. I'm working as a tech for my school PURELY on a volunteer basis. I haven't earned a single dollar.

 

I really hope that the state opens their eyes before it REALLY starts to hit Frisco hard.

 

Thank goodness I plan on getting involved in politics as a career. I wouldn't dare cut funding for fine arts programs. Ever.