It Takes a Village: Band Life in a Small Town Christine Dodge
Capac Community Schools is an agricultural/bedroom town in the thumb. As with many communities in Michigan, a large percentage of the population has moved away seeking employment opportunities. The popu- lation of the school reflects this trend. This Class C school had enrollments in each grade level of roughly one hundred twenty students my first year teaching in this district. In just five short years, the incoming classes are about eighty students. It is safe to say that this district, like countless others around the state, is depressed. The outlook for the arts here is
equally depressing. When I was hired in 2008, my budget for high school band was $2000. As it stands today, my budget is $125. Scheduling prob- lems due to new state requirements plague the upper classmen. Lim- ited resources and failing equipment make everyday rehearsals a struggle. Sound familiar? Yet in the midst of these bleak circumstances, the enroll- ment for band at the middle school is exploding, the high school band is of a higher quality than it has ever been, and our students are being recognized at the national level for their excel- lent musicianship. I have spent many hours contemplating how it is possible to have this level of success in a place where nothing should be happen- ing. Every school and community is different, but I believe there are a few simple things that anyone can adapt to their situation so your band program can improve in the face of adversity. The most powerful gift we
can offer our students is to bring in music educators to work with the ensembles. The day-to-day grind does not necessarily give an accurate portrayal of the progress of our bands. Our ears become numb to the intona- tion problems, undesirable tones, and
wrong notes. Sometimes the band has made drastic improvements but we don’t recognize it because we hear them everyday and are still haunted by that run in measure twenty-six that we’ve rehearsed six hundred times but is still wrong. Having an objective set of ears is essential for identifying weak points as well as strengths of the ensemble. It’s such an illuminating experience for your students to hear the same information coming from a different voice.
Another essential element to this is gleaning constructive criticism on your rehearsal techniques. Out- siders often see deficiencies that are easily remedied and have the greatest impact on the overall performance on your ensembles. Be eager and willing to listen to the suggestions. The end result is that your students will have a better respect for your musical knowl- edge, you will have a better grip on the reality of your band’s ability, and you’ve gained suggestions for profes- sional development. The students’ and my fa- vorite special activity is to invite a steady stream of outside expertise to the classroom. I am by no means an expert on every instrument and I will never pretend to be. Each year we invite professionals to do clinics with the students. I don’t know alternate fingerings to help my clarinets play better in tune. I don’t know how to help my tubas achieve the best warm, glowing sound. It is impractical for directors to spend large portions of class time discussing reeds or altissi- mo register of a saxophone, yet we all know it’s crucial to the overall success of the band. The experts you bring in give the individualized attention that every section needs. At the end of the day it is ever so important for these experts to share their information with
you so that you are able to reinforce the new information and continue the growth after he or she has left. This outside attention is invaluable to the success of my program.
Finding the people to use as your resources is easier than you think. My main source of support comes from retired band directors from the district. These retired colleagues have everything I am looking for to aid in the progress of my young musicians: usable and applicable knowledge, experience with middle school and high school students, a multitude of “tricks of the trade,” and invaluable constructive criticism so that I can improve myself as a music educator. After that, I turn to my college profes- sors for reinforcement. Often times, they are more than happy to sit in on a rehearsal or work with small groups of students in a clinic format. A lot of college educators and studio profes- sors consider this a recruiting opportu- nity for their university and will offer their services free of charge. My third resource is my colleagues. Obvi- ously, this option is more challenging because it would require him or her to take a day off to spend time with you and your students. Sometimes schools will approve this as a profes- sional development day. If a day off is not possible, the optimal solution to this scheduling difficulty is to invite colleagues to your concerts. They are not able to work directly with your students, but they can provide written comments. This is particularly ben- eficial during festival season since this is the traditional format. Never stop looking for opportunities to bringing in outsiders experts.
I do not have a large high school band, although we are up in numbers this year. We are now forty- four members strong! If I taught in a
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