School band blues
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left and right sides of the brain. Music is an intellectual study.” Gilmore agrees. “Arts students become leaders. Research shows that students who are involved in music score higher on the SAT and ACT.” The top students in high schools are often band students, too, says Gilmore.

But, more than that, “Playing instrumental music encourages you to hear, enjoy and participate in music your whole life.” “Yes, I want kids to learn the notes,” says Abby Bentsen, vocal and band director at Grant Middle School. “But my greatest goal is to instill the love and understanding of beauty that music is, that my kiddos would enjoy and love it.” The second remedy would be to rely less on grant money to support school band and use district money to eliminate inequities from school to school.

Gilmore does a yeoman’s job obtaining essential grant money, but it’s an unpredictable income stream. Two years ago, for example, Gilmore won a state study grant, which revealed several “holes and issues in our program offerings,” says Gilmore, but it was two more years before funds were awarded to implement changes.

Gilmore hopes school board members will continue the trend of special district allocations and overall budget increases started in 2006. That year, she says, the board provided a large allocation to Washington Middle School to purchase needed instruments. This was repeated in 2007 and 2008. Gilmore also says the district fine arts budget has been increased for such “big-ticket items as risers, pianos, big instruments.”

But within individual schools, where budget line items may be as little as a few hundred dollars to purchase all of the supplies and equipment for more than 100 students, or there may be no money at all, there is considerable inequity. In schools where family support is strong, students can pay for their own supplies. Elsewhere, any shortfall for music, folders and reeds, as well as any department needs such as storage boxes and special instruments, often comes out of teachers’ pockets.

In addition, if families can’t afford to buy or rent their own instruments, children have to take what’s available from the school’s collection.

First come, first served. There are a lot of clarinet players at Jefferson; it’s a relatively inexpensive instrument and, for now, there are enough loaners to go around.

Still, students who don’t own their own instruments don’t practice over the summer. They don’t necessarily have the freedom to play the instrument they want. They may become discouraged playing on a lesser quality instrument that someone donated to the pro-