Can School Force Daughter to be in Marching Band???(Longgg, sorry)

[arminnie]

Originally posted by Madi100
Sometimes when we have to do things we dont' want to it teaches us to be better people.

So why not make band mandatory for everyone?

 

[auntpolly]

Originally posted by The Mystery Machine
So at 40 I hope to finally be taking up the piano along with my girls. We have set our sites on a piano for Christmas.

GOOD FOR YOU!!!! I started teaching DH piano, and I bought him a guitar for Christmas!

 

[bananiem]

When I was in HS we didn't have summer marching band. It was during the fall and we marched during our scheduled band time (5th hour, and our director also took over our lunchtime many times). If you were signed up for band you were expected to do one of the concert bands and marching. The only ones who got out of marching were the varsity football players. The junior varstiy was expected to change in time for the halftime show.
In the town we live in currently marching season is in the summer only. They can choose if they want to do it or not. That's when they take their every-other-year-trip too so the kids that want the trip have to be in marching band.
If it's a part of the district's curriculum then I think they have every right to say that a student must participate.
My niece swam competitively from age 8 or so. In high school they had off season "captain's practice". She swims in college too. They also have "captain's practices." I can't imagine anyone gets to choose if they want to go to the offseason practices or not. I'd think it would show the others how little you feel about the team and their commitment.

 

[Talking Hands]

Originally posted by Maleficent13
Can I ask what purpose it serves to have a violinist play the tambourine (for example) in a marching band? Serious question...I have absolutely no idea what this achieves.

It broadens their knowledge of other sections of the band and orchestra. If they major later in music they will have to take percussion classes anyway so they are ahead of the game. It teaches them cooperation with members of a section they would not normally work with. And no one banged on tambourines! They did different types of drums, bells, cymbals and other percussion instruments. Percussion probably has the widest variety of instruments of any section in a band or orchestra.
And for the orchestra students it gets them involved with band students who are not a part of the orchestra so all those who play instruments become one cohesive group.

 

[auntpolly]

Originally posted by arminnie

I'm not knocking the marching thing - I was on a drill team and did that 9-3 practice thing in the summer w/o a/c too. And practiced after school for hours. It's a ton of work.

OK - I'll come clean! That's what I did for the marching band! I was a floosy in white go-go boots and uniform with a short little skirt! I was all proud and embarrassed at the same time!

 

[septbride2002]

But the lesson DD would have learned is that adults aren't always fair or make good decisions, not anything about following rules. I guess that's a lesson they have to learn anything.

Well life isn't fair is it? And how is the school not making a good decision? The requirements are laid out for the student either they agree to them or they don't. You are right some kids choose sports over band - but that is there choice - obviously they feel that sports are more important to them. Would the soccer coach bend his practice time so that the kids could make band pratice 2 nights a week - I doubt it. So why should the band have to bend to accomodate everyone. There was plenty I had to give up to take band. I couldn't participate in a lot of other elective courses because they were at the same time as band - but I had made a choice.

Marching band is just as musically challenging as concert band - if not more so since in Marching Band you have to memorize the music. So in my honest and truthful opinion there is no reason to skip out on Marching Band.

~Amanda

 

[year2late]

Originally posted by arminnie
Surely there are exemptions from marching band for students who have health problem that preclude the marching. Are they not allowed to take concert band?

You are not equating a legitimate health excuse with a "wanna do something else" excuse, are you?

Frankly our HS (many moons ago) was the first to mainstream those with serious health issues into the regular HS system. If they were capable of participating in most of the activity - they could stay - the parts of the activity they could not - they still were required to attend - but would possibly have an "adapted" fuction.

I agree with the poster who said you can't let the tail wag the dog. Kids need to learn to make hard choices. They also need to learn to live with their decisions.

 

[Talking Hands]

Originally posted by auntpolly
What you are saying is "Be like us or don't do music in school at all - this is how kids get disenfranchized and we lose some of them. I was in the marching band (didn't love it - but there weren't many options for girls in those days) -- my DH would have literally quit school before someone made him do it. Call him a quitter or whatever if you like, but he was just different, that's all. And there wasn't a place for him in the main stream. (I won't roll eyes at you! )

So he chooses some other activity. His choice. Life is fullof choices and high school is a lesson of making choices and fitting in. Kids get disenfranchised because they choose to be not because of school rules. You follow the rules or you choose to do something else with another group. And if he wanted music he could always do chorus. The voice is a beautiful instrument.

 

[auntpolly]

Originally posted by septbride2002
Would the soccer coach bend his practice time so that the kids could make band pratice 2 nights a week - I doubt it.

~Amanda

<i>We're not talking about that!!!!!</i> At least I'm not. If a kid signs up for marching band she should be there every day. If she signs up for orchestra she should be there every day. I always insisted that DD honor every commitment she made just like that. But unless there is a reason beyond "character building" for making a kid who just wants to play Bach on his flute in the auditorium put on a silly band uniform and march around the football field, (a financial reason, for example, would be a good reason), then kids are only going to think that teachers are jerking them around - not learn some big lesson.

 

[arminnie]

Originally posted by auntpolly
OK - I'll come clean! That's what I did for the marching band! I was a floosy in white go-go boots and uniform with a short little skirt! I was all proud and embarrassed at the same time!

Yup - that was me too. Very short skirt. Thank goodness they didn't make us play an instrument as I am very musically challenged as is my whole family.

 

[auntpolly]

Originally posted by Talking Hands
So he chooses some other activity. His choice. Life is fullof choices and high school is a lesson of making choices and fitting in. Kids get disenfranchised because they choose to be not because of school rules. You follow the rules or you choose to do something else with another group. And if he wanted music he could always do chorus. The voice is a beautiful instrument.

That kind of thing is easy for us adults to say; isn't it? I'm not saying move heaven and earth for every kid -- just if we can figure out a way to rope in more kids into the fold -- we should try to do it.

 

[Talking Hands]

Originally posted by arminnie
Sorry - but I am missing something here. What does studying music and wanting to be a serious musician have to do with "marching"? Does someone who aspires to perform in a symphony orchestra need to know how to strut and form boxes out on a football field?

Those are the students that have private lessons, go to Suzuki workshops, attend music camps, perform in youth symphonies and choose to attend magnet schools that don't have marching band. This was my older daughter. She is a professional violist/violinist.
My younger one did all of the above except attend the magnet without marching band. She preferred to go to the music magnet that had marching band and participated in marching band, orchestra and chorus. She is studying to be a music teacher.

 

[septbride2002]

But the fact of the matter is, Aunt Polly, that this particular school you have to do BOTH and not just ONE. Therefore the OP child needs to decide if she can do it or not. There are not exceptions, there are no bending of the rules. If the classes were seperated then she would have a different choice. The fact is that she DOESN'T!

SILLY BAND UNIFORM!!!!!! Ha!

~Amanda

 

[arminnie]

Originally posted by year2late
You are not equating a legitimate health excuse with a "wanna do something else" excuse, are you?

No, really I wasn't. It's just that there must be some plan for students to do one without the other.

 

[auntpolly]

Originally posted by septbride2002


SILLY BAND UNIFORM!!!!!! Ha!

~Amanda

Hey, I wore one for 4 years! I can say that! I looked like teenage Charo!

 

[septbride2002]

A color guard or flag uniform is entirely different then a Marching Band Uniform.

Just Teasing

~Amanda

 

[Talking Hands]

Originally posted by auntpolly
<i>We're not talking about that!!!!!</i> At least I'm not. If a kid signs up for marching band she should be there every day. If she signs up for orchestra she should be there every day. I always insisted that DD honor every commitment she made just like that. But unless there is a reason beyond "character building" for making a kid who just wants to play Bach on his flute in the auditorium put on a silly band uniform and march around the football field, (a financial reason, for example, would be a good reason), then kids are only going to think that teachers are jerking them around - not learn some big lesson.

It is a requirement of the school. If they don't want to do that there are community orchestras they can play in and not have to play in the school's marching band.
And for those kids who cannot marching for medical reasons they can either be in the pit ( a group that does the few instruments that do not march) or the can march with someone ushing their wheelchair. I have seen this several times with marching bands at MK as well as with my daughter's school and a middle school where several of my deaf students mainstreamed to after elementary.

 

[auntpolly]

OK, you guys win! I have to go do some work out of my office. I can see that many teachers could never understand those kids who aren't your average, typical, mainstream kids. Just know that you can keep your principles - but you'll lose kids in the process. They just will never learn the lesson you want them to learn and I just don't think it's worth it.

 

[auntpolly]

Originally posted by septbride2002
A color guard or flag uniform is entirely different then a Marching Band Uniform.

Just Teasing

~Amanda

You're darned right! It's a lot more elegant looking!

 

[septbride2002]

OK, you guys win! I have to go do some work out of my office. I can see that many teachers could never understand those kids who aren't your average, typical, mainstream kids. Just know that you can keep your principles - but you'll lose kids in the process. They just will never learn the lesson you want them to learn and I just don't think it's worth it.

And just because a kid is exceptional does not mean that all the rules have to bend for them. They have to learn that life isn't always fair either.

~Amanda