I really believe the quality of bands have dramatically dropped in the past decade and the main reason is discipline (outside the fact that kids are too attached to electronics now and dont even play outside anymore...). When I was in band (97-01), we had fear put in us even without extensive hazing. We were scared to blink, let alone move....but that discipline showed in our performance. Nowadays, you see bands where they march in stadiums and parades and people be smilin and waving at family members, moving around in parade rest, taking multiple restroom breaks and goin to concession stands during the game...WTF is that all about????? I dont get it at ALL!!!!! Band directors seem so desperate to keep band members and students around knowing most of them are academically ineligible to participate. Not saying all bands are like this but i know a lot of alumni from different bands and states all have similar stories. It begins with the band directors! Show pride in your program and your students will show pride and dedication in return. And I heard the craziest shlit the other day....i was told that "the band parents run the band now"...huh? The band parents tell the band director when they feel its too hot for their child to be marching outside....huh? where they do that at? ok...i think i'm done venting....but can anybody relate to what is goin on with the quality of bands these days???? One last thing...bands with 30 instrumentalist did not exist! Now they are common...more auxillary members than instrumentalists....smh....
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What does the law say about not being invited back to an event because the band sounded bad and the members didn't know how to act?
People have to understand that discipline and preparation are NOT hazing. People's LACK of discipline and preparation should be considered hazing to bands and their directors/leaders...
About the parents running the band and directors....are they the one with a music degree??? I think not. But if it were a sport like football, baseball, track, or whatever outside sport it is. They wouldn't care because they actually view that as an outside activity rather then marching band. I know a few parents that wouldn't let their son march because it was SUMMER and they believe bands should not be doing any form of practice or performance during the summer. Then he ended up quiting by the time august rolled around. But then we don't even get a practice field because football felt they needed the 3 practice fields and the stadium for when they practice during football season. Let's just face it, people do not like bands at all! We are the blame for low TAKS scores, low attendence, drop outs..etc... Then here at my school, we are the blame for the school getting us school uniforms for this upcoming school year.
Now dedication is also with the parent situation, parents with kdis who can't drive yet do not want them at school when they feel that they don't need to be there. They say they want the kid to do their homework and study....KIDS DONT STUDY PERIOD ANYMORE. They go home and get on the computer....kinda like how i am right now lol. But many of them don't even do their homework anyway. Courses have become such an ease because all they'll teach is TAKS...which is not very hard at all. but the parents feel that band is a waste of time and then that kid will go tell several that its a waste of them, and so on, few weeks pass..your 80 kids become 40, or even less. Your left either with the kids who been on an instrument since like 6, or the ones who simply have no where else to go and sports aint all for them.
Alumni always talk down to their own band, no matter what, don't matter if they did get better or if they really did get worse. They only hate because they miss the excitment of a high school marching band because of the football games, BOTB's, endless parades. Though the ones who go to college, they aint gonn have money to donate to the band!! lol.
This is just what i see as a current student.
I definitely feel you on the more aux than band though... they need to stop effing around and pick up an instrument...
You have to look at the generation of students now. In the 90s, we were more serious and our parents pushed us but I saw parents fire off on our directors a few times even then. Now you have kids who are accustomed to staying in the house all day and playing video games. All of a sudden you tell them they have to go outside and march in the hot sun- happennotgonna. Directors have to take the soft as well as the hard workers and try to find a median. Today, students go out in the hot sun and actually die doing physical work. If you have practice too late, parents complain to the district and say the band caused their child to fail. So what to do?
In ten years, I have learned a lot from mistakes. I have learned regardless of what school I teach at, there will be issues, so I as a director have to be ready for the issues. If you can only practice 2 hours a day, then make that practice count. If it is 100 degrees outside, have practice in the gym or march through the school. If parents want to raise hell, give them in writing a parental volunteer code of conduct and give the school administration a copy that way if a parent steps out of line, you have justification to ban them from coming near the band. Now DISCIPLINE runs the same way but there is a legal part to it. If you make one student do pushups and put them on blast, its hazing BUT if the entire band does pushups, its physical training and is part of the physical education and ROTC curriculum. Its like playing a game, you have to figure out a strategy to stay on top. Im still learning.
Kenneth Belonga said:
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