gram. And they do compete with students who play their own instruments.

Special relationships
For Gage, however, the main reason to reestablish instrumental music as a priority across the district goes deeper than state competitions and college test scores. Band helps many of his students break out of limiting attitudes. The myth, he calls it — “this is all I am, this is all I can achieve.”

“A student came to me (several years) after I had him in school and told me, ‘I really was going to drop out of school, but because of your music class, it made me want to continue in school.’ That student went on to college.

“Some of our students need more,” says Gage. “They’re not our traditional students, not motivated by academics and grades. But they are motivated by the arts. My proudest accomplishment was a music class I had where all but one of the young men was failing. I taught them a lot musically, but, more importantly, they all brought their grades up. In the arts, we can build relationships with the students by the nature of what we teach. Some of these kids are motivated by the relationship we have through music, and it raises their performance in all subjects and endeavors.”

“Getting to know the kids, paying attention, being totally and completely interested in them,” says Keys, “builds an important relationship. They don’t want to disappoint you. Kids don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” “You get to know your kids’ quirks and needs,” says Grant’s Bentsen. “You learn to read your kids. You can see when they walk in the door if they’re having a good day or a bad day. Some of them can’t handle any criticism; they already put a lot of pressure on themselves.

You get to learn how to motivate them, to encourage them even when you’re critiquing them. You say what they’ve done well, verbally and nonverbally.”

The good, the bad, and the hopeful

“There are a lot of kids involved in the instrumental program,” says Goldberg.

“They’re working very hard playing for our schools and for the community. And there is a lot of parent support, chaperoning, hands on, and financially.

“And we have a wealth of talent amongst our music teachers in the district,” Goldberg continues. “We give a lot of ourselves to inspire the love of music in our students.”

But teachers have been working hard not only teaching, but also fighting against program decline for years, says Goldberg. “When administrators aren’t supportive, we have to toot our horns promoting music and its importance or nobody will notice us.” In addition to restoring the fifth-grade beginning band and the other programming cuts made over the past seven years, Goldberg and others advocate establishing an administrative position in the District 186 central office to ensure consistency among schools.

“There is no administrative authority over instrumental music at the district office” says Goldberg, “no one checking the curriculum, helping new teachers, and directing the principals to offer the same opportunities to all of our students in the district.”

Gage adds, “We need to reflect on all of our school programs,” such as the schedule and program changes made to improve test scores and demonstrate adequate yearly progress. “We need to ask, ‘are these changes actually working?’ “There are a lot of ideas out there,” he says, such as the block schedule, “but do these ideas serve our schools, our students? Will the students be pushed and pushed academically and finally say, ‘You’re pushing all these things on me, and now you’re taking back band?’ Will we see them push back with their behavior and attitudes?” “I’m an educator, and I’m torn,” says Gage. “Even with the dreaded No Child Left Behind, I believe in accountability for our part of academic achievement. We need to make sure what we do, what we implement, works for students, not just looks good, or sounds like it might work.”

Springfield feature writer DiAnne Crown can be found smiling and applauding in the audience at all of the Franklin Middle School band concerts.

See related article, next page: “How to invest in a good instrument. . .and make the most of your investment.”