2016 UMPI / Community Band, Jon Simonoff, Director( photo credit: J. Simonoff)
Other benefits I have seen from having students participate is an improvement in attitude towards music, better accountability for the student, and an increase of social skills from talking to other students and adults. It is not surprising that this is the case. When there is a large gathering of like-minded people enjoying a similar activity there are bound to be positive experiences. Students see adults that still love music that they can aspire to be like and adults see young people that they can help to grow socially and musically. It’ s a win-win!
There are hurdles to overcome as well. I know that in Aroostook County, being so spread out geographically, my school needs to provide transportation to the rehearsals for many students. Having time to dedicate to another activity is always an issue and things like sports and homework sometimes cause people to miss rehearsals. It’ s also an extra night out a week for parents and teachers which may seem quite taxing. I look at these hurdles as potential lessons in time management, flexibility, and commitment.
I can speak from personal experience that spending a night away from home, especially during concert or competition season, seems almost impossible. However, I have found that it is enjoyable for myself and the other teachers in the groups to play and sing in a large ensemble. Generally the music is more engaging than what we do on a daily basis and we rarely get to play or hear an ensemble with complete instrumentation in the school setting. I also think it’ s important for students to see that we love music outside of the school day just as much as within. If we expect our students to love music for more than 40 minutes a day we should expect the same of ourselves.
While participating in community ensembles is not a possibility for every student, I have seen them help many in multiple ways. It is not a not a perfect solution but merely an option you may wish to explore. I encourage you to seek out community bands /