cebii

a positive note

I spent yesterday evening at the school district's marching band jamboree. It is not a competition, just a show and it's been around since way back when I was in high school, umpteen years ago.

Some things have changed about it. Bands and drill teams, as a whole, are smaller. I find this sad because these activities can do so much for kids. My alma mater and the schools that were our competition then are now poor 'inner city' schools with weak programs. The bigger, suburban schools (which we used to be) have more money, more kids and huge magnificent shows. Our shows, twenty odd years ago, were simpler to perform than the new ones, but we never performed the exact show twice , and these bands start on their very complex contest shows before school even starts. One band actually only had eleven kids on the field. They didn't even have a trumpet player - their band director had to play the part. They did have heart though, and they actually marched a show, didn't just stand in one place and play. My alma mater did pretty well. The band was probably half the size of when I was in it, but they held their own and were the first band to really do well in the show.

Of course, I was there to support S. She isn't quite up to marching par, but she wears the uniform and helps the percussion and color guard get set up. Her band is also an older, inner city school, but they are a fine arts magnet and have great directors. They were better than some of the bands twice their size.

This may not mean much to any of you, but I asked S which band she thought did the best and she said, "Mine, of course." She is part of a group and takes ownership and pride in it. Many people who've known her for many years never thought something like this would happen. Currently, she plans on staying in throughout high school, even if she never marches. She has a couple of friends in band and they want letter jackets.

We live in reality - something could happen tomorrow to change it, but for now - :-)

posted by cebii @ 8:44 AM