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Meet the Challenge Together! Gary Lemieux, Neenah


A Accept and Embrace


It is not uncommon for me to encounter younger teachers, or even administrators for that matter, who wonder what the “good old days” were like or when the “easy” days are coming. I imagine that in the years before becoming a grizzled veteran educator, it is natural to assume there once were or will be days without constant challenges, and those times when one can “coast.” Wrong.


As experienced educators are firmly – sometimes, painfully – aware, days with- out challenges, large or small, simply do not exist. My experiences over the last 35 years as a music educator in Wisconsin have taught me that the challenges fac- ing education simply change, but never diminish. Should you be a relatively young educator or contemplating entry into this most rewarding profession, dismiss any pre-formed opinions that the challenge level will ever diminish. It won’t. Under- standing this fact of life as an educator in today’s world is important to allow you to keep the commitment to excellence necessary to help your students realize consistent success. Don’t waste valuable energy fighting this reality, trying to deny or change it, or attempting to invent a pain- less alternative. Many others have tried without success.


As the challenge factor in education is certain to run without interruption for the foreseeable future, it seems best to work to simply understand this fact. Accept it, and learn to take these challenges and turn them into opportunities that can create a better learning environment for your students. This is what we attempted to do in Neenah. And while opinions may vary as to the wisdom of our approach, and the jury is still out as to the success of our ef- forts, it is safe to say that the challenges to Neenah Music were met with an enthusi- astic and collaborative response.


36 The Challenge


While certainly not to the extent of many districts in our state, in recent years the Neenah Joint School District has faced projected budget shortfalls that have re- quired a cost/benefit analysis of every pro- gram the district offers – including music. Early on in this process, a recommendation was made to eliminate the entire elemen- tary instrumental music program offered to students in our district – which at the time included a Suzuki strings program for third and fourth graders, a fourth and fifth grade traditional strings program, and a fifth grade beginning band program.


Without getting into all of the details rela- tive to minutes of instruction and full-time equivalent (FTE) staff needed to run these programs, let us say that Neenah compared favorably to many districts in regard to offerings for elementary instrumental students. And while as the department chair I was very proud of our program and felt very comfortable defending it, I could not argue that the music program should remain unaltered when many other quality programs in our district were also facing considerable downsizing. Quite simply put, the fiscal challenges in our district, as in many others, had to be addressed by everyone. Music needed to be part of the solution.


The Process


Our first step in meeting this challenge was to agree that in support of the long-term fiscal health of our district, some cost-sav- ing changes could in fact be made in the district’s music program. However, our stance was that the beginner instrumental program – arguably the most important level of any comprehensive instrumental music curriculum – should not necessar- ily incur the bulk of these changes. To make the necessary cuts in the most cost- effective manner, and in a way that would negatively impact few if any of the music


Go to the digital online version of WSM for a video blog on the special Music Matters concert planned by student Aleeh Schwoerer to heighten awareness about the importance of music education in Neenah School District.


students in our district, we requested a year to conduct a comprehensive review of our K-12 music program. At the end of that year we pledged to come forward with a recommendation that would meet the fis- cal guidelines set forth by our school board and administration, but do so in a way that over time would in fact strengthen the K-12 music program.


It is important to know however that this request for time was not granted on the basis of a simple cordial request. As ex- pected, when the proposed cuts were made public there were many in our community who rallied support for the elementary instrumental music programs. This sup- port drew considerable local and even statewide attention. A collaboration of past and present music students, parents and community members all rallied support for Neenah Music. They did so by force- fully and passionately speaking on behalf of the programs at school board meetings, developing a Facebook petition group promoting Neenah Music and organizing a benefit concert – all focused on the im- pact of music education on the lives and learning of students, their families and the Neenah community as a whole. Without a doubt, collectively these efforts raised the profile of the department and reminded ev- eryone about the critical and vital role that music education plays in our educational system. This outpouring of support for Neenah music resulted in the realization


April 2012


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