[TPIN] Education and dealing with students/parents in band

[David Adams]

As a long time educator, I think we are making a lot of  
generalizations that are a bit exaggerated and unfair.  Our school  
district has a very strict "cut" policy for kids, parents are very  
involved and supportive, and there is certainly a lot of creative  
thinking going on.  While there are lots of problems in many schools  
throughout the country, I still give our total system pretty high  
marks overall (political sniping and hyperbole notwithstanding).   
Look around the world and tell me where there is a system that is  
putting out more creative people, better entrepreneurs, more  
inventions, you name it.  We may not always "score" the highest in  
math test scores and whatnot, but obviously something good is  
happening.  And as for music, I don't see any shortage of musicians  
in our country, either.  Are kids overloaded with too many  
commitments?  Yes, quite a bit, I would say, and I wish they would  
practice more, too.  But they do seem to sort things out eventually,  
and I am very optimistic for the future of our country.  (I will  
avoid comment on current politics).  Trust me, there will be plenty  
of terrific trumpet players coming along.  D
On Mar 23, 2007, at 10:08 PM, William Graham wrote:

>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Allegro69" <allegro69 at comcast.net>
> To: <tpin at tpin.okcu.edu>
> Sent: Friday, March 23, 2007 9:17 PM
> Subject: [TPIN] Education and dealing with students/parents in band
>
>
>> anything.  I know this is a little off  topic, but to me, as I  
>> have said
>> many
>> times, when I am in schools doing clinics  all over the country, I  
>> just
>> don't
>> see much commitment to anything any  more.
>> Mike Vax
>
> Not only that, but when I was a kid, if I wasn't sitting in my home  
> room seat at 5 after 8 in the morning, my mother's telephone would  
> be ringing off the hook by 8:07. Today, the kids can cut school all  
> semester, and the parents won't even know it.......
>
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David B. Adams
Palo Alto Unified School District
Director, Foothill Symphonic Winds
www.windband.org/foothill