http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7315144.html
Sound of music costly HISD middle schools look for ways to pay for required band and orchestra instruments By SAFIYA RAVAT Nov. 29, 2010, 6:14AM Christopher Patronella, Jr. Chronicle Hamilton Middle School students Benjamin Flannery, left, Stephen Garza, Wes Gil, Brandon Pallares and Victoria Simerskey practice on their alto saxophones. Some Texas middle schools, including those in the Houston ISD, are scrambling for band instruments after a new state mandate made a fine arts elective a requirement for all middle schoolers. Effective this year, House Bill 3 mandated that the State Board of Education require middle school students to complete one fine arts course in theater, art, choir, orchestra or band before entering high school. Though the requirement was already in place for elementary and high schools, music advocates fought for fine arts to pervade all grades, K-12. While the new law thrilled Texas Music Educators Association Executive Director Robert Floyd, who said it "resulted in fine arts education having an even stronger presence in Texas schools," the change did come with a price — that is, the price of instruments. The requirement has put a strain on large urban districts, including the Houston Independent School District. Melinda Reagor Flannery, mother of a Hamilton Middle School sixth-grader, for instance, was concerned when her son did not have an instrument for the first three weeks of class. Eric Jimenez, Hamilton Middle School band director, said the number of students interested in band this year far exceeded the instrument inventory. Of the 200 students enrolled in band, 20 didn't have instruments and couldn't afford to purchase their own. "Different schools give chances to rent one, but we can't do that this year," he said. Jimenez, who began his musical career with his first saxophone at Hamilton Middle School years back, didn't want to see his alma mater suffer. "I started sending out e-mails to people in churches, different people in the community and past students," said Jimenez. "People I don't even know read our letter." Sixteen instruments, ranging from flutes to saxophones and trumpets, were donated. And Jimenez didn't stop there. Like band directors across the state, he's been forced to be creative. He's taking advantage of Brooke Mays' pledge to repair donated instruments and is applying for grants for more equipment. "I've started applying for grants through Fidelity FutureStage," Jimenez said. "With that program I can get at least $10,000 worth of instruments." If the money comes in, Jimenez hopes to give students opportunities with rarer instruments like the Brazilian berimbau. $1 million from VH1Even before the mandate, the district had been pulling all kinds of strings to get more instruments in the classroom. "There's always been a shortage in instruments," said Susan Vaughan, secondary fine arts curriculum manager for the state's largest school system. Over the years, HISD was able to get $64,000 in donations from Fidelity FutureStage and over a million dollars from VH1 Save the Music Foundation. WinterFest, a musical fundraiser held by HISD, also brought in almost $340,000 over two years. Yet despite all the funds coming in, many schools still go without. Students at Black Middle School, for instance, haven't had the opportunity to pick up an instrument. In fact, the school only offers one accredited fine art course - art. "The first door they opened up was this empty band room … this beautiful, tiered band room missing chairs and students and a teacher," Vaughan said after visiting the school. "In the back of my mind I'm saying, we've got to start expanding these arts entities and we've got to (say), 'All right, Dr. Grier, you give me 15 arts magnets at the middle school level and I'll increase your math scores "X" numbers in three years.' " HISD, Vaughan said, must have instruments in every school. "This is my mission now," she said. Where HISD has struggled, some more affluent suburban middle school band programs seem to be keeping pace with the new mandate. Band enrollment this year hasn't seen a significant change, and some band directors weren't even aware of the new mandate since many of the schools already required students to complete a year of fine arts. "Most parents either buy the instruments or rent to own," Pearland Junior High band director Priscilla Bell said. The situation is similar at schools in Humble ISD and Fort Bend ISD. "It's not really a problem," said Melissa Despain, band director at Creekwood Middle School in the Humble district. "The students that cannot afford to buy their own instrument have the option to use the school-owned instruments." According to the directors, the school-owned equipment includes the more expensive instruments like the French horn and tuba. No one turned awayWhen faced on occasion with the problem of a child being unable to afford an instrument or being short on school-owned equipment, Sugar Land Middle School band director Kyle Baragas said he and his fellow directors never turn a child away from the program. "We search and scrounge for an instrument because we do not want the child to miss out on the arts," Baragas said. "Many times we rely on donations." Staff writers Hiba Adi, Sarah Raslan. Sara Nichols, Jose Aguilar, John Brannen, Aimee Buras, Joachim Clarke, Holly Milkowski and Katie Rowald contributed to this report. |
Replies
People complain how the overall music in this generation is dying...why not build the next generation with better knowledge of music, instruments and theory.
But all this money being donated to HISD...do more programs get more than others? Some HISD bands have striving programs then there are some barely making it though it seems they are the ones who want more to better themselves.
MAN GREAT ARTICLE ERIC J. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And to answer your question about some programs getting more than others, YES YES YES !!!!!
It has been going on for years. The inner city bands have very little to work with and have to scrounge for what we get. Many of us have performed a year or more with no band uniforms and duct taped instruments. Its really sad. Prime example: look at Yates then look at Westside. (i hope you guys dont mind me using JY as an example)
Yates is the story of what most of us deal with: so much potential but what can you do when the school will only cover football games. Anything else, we have to raise money for, from instruments, to instrument repairs, to uniform cleaning, to spats and gloves. Staffwise- the band director is expected to do double duty. Many of us double as choir directors or even dance directors. Dance teachers themselves are rare in our district. Here at Austin due to tight budgeting, I am the band director, drill team director, color guard sponsor and choir director. I have a part time assistant who is great but I can see he is overworked and underpaid too. Then if school enrollment goes down, part time workers are the first to go.
Westside- where do I start? They have an entire feeder system in place, even their own fine arts director for just them.
Two scenerios, same district.
And you know what made me mad also: EVERYBODY and they mama are all over Austin because we won $10,000 from vh1. They dont look at the fact that it costed us almost $40,000 to get to the competition and $10K isnt much for a band when one instrument averages $1200.
Sorry bout my venting. But Congrats to the Hamilton Band, you guys have an awesome director and I pray great success in your future.
SG862 said:
Free instruments for schools inside the loop if I hit the LOTTO!
number1 said:
Now the east region is doing well. Every high school in our area has a band and at least one feeder. Funny but I went to the regional administration meeting 5 yrs back and made a bet to all of them. I said if you get a band at your school and your test scores dont go up, I would quit. Of course I had nothing to lose then.
But it worked as you can see because all of our schools are either acceptable or recognized now. Now its time for us to really start collaborating like they do in the caucasian community.