Overcoming Post-COVID Attrition in Middle School Band
Attrition is a concern in any program. Every band director continually develops new ways to engage students and encourage them to continue their studies in music and be a part of the band. However, a growing concern for everyone is how the school closures during the COVID pandemic are going to affect our programs. In a recent conversation with Eric Bachmann, award-winning band director at Emerson Middle School in Niles, Illinois, I discovered how much more challenging overcom
School Administrators: When Are You Going to Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is?
For years, school boards, education associations, government officials and administrators, have been making the claim that changes in school structure and organization will improve reading, writing, math, and attendance. Often these changes include cutting the music programs either completely or in part. The thought process behind these initiatives is that more time in the “core” subjects will lead to higher test scores. Over the past 35 years, we have seen trends ranging fr
Music makes better kids! …but we already knew that.
Ask any band director in the US and he or she will probably tell you, “I teach the best kids in the school.” Over my career as an educator, I have been amazed at what my kids have become after graduating and pursuing their dreams. My classroom has been the youthful sanctum of educators, doctors, lawyers, architects, molecular biologists, civil engineers, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, computer techs, political scientists, film makers, college professors, and of
