[TPIN] High School Directors and playing their instruments

[Vaxtrpts at aol.com]

In a message dated 7/2/2006 7:05:28 A.M. US Mountain Standard Time,  
bedgett1 at comcast.net writes:

But I  wanted to comment here a bit. I agree that it is vital for 
music teachers  to remain musicians. For all but high school band 
directors, I think that  it's fairly easy. But high school band 
directors have responsibilities  like nobody else. They have the 
marching band. That takes every Friday  night in the fall. If they 
enter competitions, it takes a enormous amount  of summer prep and 
rehearsal as well as every Saturday in the Fall. And  they still have 
to show up before 7:00 AM on Monday morning. Then, after  football 
season there is basketball and pep  band.



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Yes, Bryan, I know all about the trials and tribulations of high  school band 
directors. After all, I am in schools almost every week of the  school year, 
and have been doing so, for 30 + years.  I stand by my  statement that the 
"best of the best" that I have seen, still play a musical  instrument!  Maybe 
they just play to give examples to their students.   Maybe they just play during 
a break in their day.  Maybe they practice a  couple days a week for their own 
enjoyment.  Maybe they play in a local  park band in the spring and summer.  
Maybe they even play gigs on the  weekend sometimes or in a local amateur 
symphony.  But they DO play.
I still say that if they have given up entirely on playing a musical  
instrument all together, that they are doing a disservice to their  students.
I also know quite a few high school band directors who do all that you say  
and still gig on a fairly regular basis.  They may not do it as much during  
football season, but they do play!
Many (please notice that I said many, not ALL) of the high school directors  
that don't play any more are the trophy hunters who do marching band all year  
and basically have their students learn four tunes for the entire year, just 
so  that they can win those trophies. (And it carries over into their concert 
and  jazz bands too..............)  This is the kind of music education (or 
lack  of it) that really gets me upset.
Mike Vax