Elementary Music Programs

Lisa had asked this question at Open Thread Friday and I thought I'd put it out there for any ideas/comments.

What sort of support exists at elementaries for the instrumental music program?

At our school the new enrollment numbers have resulted in every room being turned into a classroom. We do still have a dedicated art room and gym, but they are in use all day long. Band/orchestra has been moved to the cafeteria. But MAP testing and kindergarten tours need the cafeteria, too. Except no one involved in the rescheduling of the rooms remembered that band existed, no one told the band instructor of the change. Luckily a parent figured out that this would take some juggling and got the custodian involved so the kids would have chairs and music stands out in the afterschool program's portable which was the only remaining option (I don't count the bathrooms or playground). We only have the band/orchestra instructor for about 2 hours once a week. That time is precious, yet it always seems to be an afterthought for the school.

Is this the usual run of things at other schools?

Comments

nacmom said…
Sadly, I think yes. Using the stage - even while other things are going on - is pretty common. As space continues to crunch, PCP times are dropping as well. Not a pretty picture.

My daughter currently gets 35% of state mandated PE time each week. Next year, likely less. And this is a top school, with lots of parent support. Only so many classrooms can rotate through the rooms though...
Anonymous said…
At John Hay, the music room got turned into a classroom this year due to overcrowding - so I'm guessing the orchestra practices in the cafeteria/on-stage. Jane
Eric B said…
All of our regular classrooms have been full for years, and we've pushed one regular classroom out to the historic portables. Last I checked, our school used the stage in the cafeteria for instrumental music, and another portable for choir. We're "fortunate" that we can use the library for MAP, so we don't have to use the cafeteria. Of course, that puts the library out of action for several days at each round of testing.
Anonymous said…
Our school used the library for the first round of MAP testing. Parents protested the loss of the library for three weeks, 3x per year. In the past it has been fine to have the band use the stage, although it was nicer when there was a music classroom. This is the first year that even the stage has had multiple claims. It is a real problem to have music in the portable because it is in use every day by the after school program. All the stands and chairs have to be brought in and removed -- thank goodness for our highly professional and very nice custodian. This same issue makes it impossible to move MAP testing to the portable -- too much equipment to bring in and out daily. But it doesn't work well to have up to 30 kids lined up outdoors with their instruments in winter weather; really does a number on the strings' tuning!
anonymous said…
Eight years ago when my kids were in elementary in NE Seattle they had no music room. Band and orchestra practiced on the stage in the cafeteria (and the cafeteria doubled as an auditorium and performance venue).
Maureen said…
Is scheduling music a problem in other schools (I mean time as opposed to space issues)? Music isn't PCP time at our school, so kids who participate miss whatever is going on in the classroom and the teachers can't count on covering things everyone needs to know then. In practice it seems to happen mainly during lunch/recess time. (I have only the vaguest idea about this as it seems to change every year and older kids like mine only do music before or after school.) We do still have a music room that is big enough given the percentage of kids who tend to participate.
Anonymous said…
Yes, scheduling is a problem at our school. The teachers value the music program and are flexible, but basically the kids do miss classtime. The day I helped out I began to chastise some of the kids who seemed to be loitering in the hallway after band with their instruments already packed away -- they let me know that they need to wait until the whole group is finished stowing instruments because it is disruptive to have the kids trickle back into class; they all go in together at the teacher's request.

In my ideal school everyone will have music at the same time so no one misses anything. Kids will be able to join band, orchestra or choir and simply go to the right classroom. Oh, and every one of them gets a laptop and a pony :)
anonymous said…
Good point. Why don't all kids take music? Is it the fees involved? Can the district not afford to fund band for every student? When I was in elementary, ever child took music, or choir.
Maureen said…
momster, I think it's a matter of time and teacher support. Schools have to decide how to use their PCP time (that is the time that K-5 teachers are not teaching their homeroom). It seems that most schools pick something that they do. My kids' school has PE every day. We have two full time PE teachers for 500 or so kids. Other schools that size might choose to have one PE teacher and one art teacher, but the time allocated is the same. At our school, K-5 art and K-3 and 5th grade music is parent funded. Fourth grade music is paid for by the District. But none of them are allocated PCP time in the schedule. The teacher is still in the classroom for that time and the school day isn't any longer for kids who take music than those who don't.

As to why not everyone participates, I have seen a District supplied Music teacher show up one day in October with no warning to parents and only give permission slips to the kids who volunteer to take them. I suppose it's easier for them to teach ten kids than fifty. The teachers might not make a fuss because they want the extra time with some of those kids to cover basics. (It was interesting to me to see 4th grade music enrollment at our school soar when a string player took over the classroom!)

Then of course there is the issue of kids who sign up but never practice and hate it when they don't improve so drop out.

I would love to hear from a District provided music teacher on this subject. We seem to have a great one now and it makes a huge difference.

Side note: My kid attended the summer music program at Eckstein one year and advanced more in those few weeks than in the whole school year. Not sure if it's still offered but it was pretty cheap and really effective about six years ago.
hschinske said…
The summer music program was still there last summer; my kids have all enjoyed it, and realistically it was probably the only way I could have gotten them to practice over the summer. We'll see if it survives budget cuts (I *think* it's self-sustaining -- not sure though). There are typically two locations, not just in the north end.

Helen Schinske
Anonymous said…
Here is what our school is doing to make instrumental music work: we have a parent volunteer attend all four of the music classes to assist in the classroom management and take notes on the lessons that she then emails to all the music parents so they know what the kids should practice, tips on how to improve, etc. This has been a huge help. We have the teacher about 2 hours per week no matter how many sections of band/orchestra we have. Last year when we had no advanced strings everyone got a longer music class.

The volunteer not only helps during class, but also notices things that otherwise slide by. Like that we badly needed to fundraise for new music stands since the old rickety ones fell over several times during each class period. The kids all knew this, but it took a parent seeing it to spur some action.

We get the music teacher for so little time that every moment is precious. It isn't that easy to find a volunteer willing to come every week for a couple of hours, but it has made a difference. I think we will have fewer of the beginners drop out this year.

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