TromboneChat

Apropos of recent threads about the state of music education...

A high school band teacher quit. Now, the students teach, direct themselves.

I'm sure this is meant as a feel-good piece about dogged-perseverance-in-the-face-of-adversity in small-town America and to some extent it is, but a lot of things have to be out of whack for this to be happening.

It's a small school (~350 students) in rural West Virginia. It's going to take some doing to find someone who wants to relocated to that area - and the likelihood that there's someone living in Pocahontas County (population less than 8,000 as of 2020) who is qualified is pretty small.

JohnL wrote: ↑Tue Oct 17, 2023 12:19 am It's a small school (~350 students) in rural West Virginia. It's going to take some doing to find someone who wants to relocated to that area - and the likelihood that there's someone living in Pocahontas County (population less than 8,000 as of 2020) who is qualified is pretty small.

My first-job situation was similar, but smaller.

West Texas. Pop. 1500. High school 230 students. Their band director had departed for uncertain reasons during the summer... and I was the only applicant.

But my big question from this article was... how low are the principal's expectations for a class that he thinks this DIY effort by the students is valid?

Somehow I think the Principal just wants to see an ensemble at the sports events. This little band seems to be kinda percussion-heavy. Don't think I'd enjoy listening to them in a formal concert.

I do appreciate that this small group is interested enough to work on their own. Probably better training than they might get from a bored BD.