Bill, With your clarification I can see your point a little better, but I still feel you were painting will a very broad brush. I can cite any number of cases, which are the rule and not the exception, of outstanding programs district wide (I'm not talking small, single school districts here, either though they are not to be overlooked). It is not just the public schools, the majority of private schools of which I'm aware are usually worse of. It's also not just the cheap parents, it's all of the taxpayers or those responsible for funding. It is also a reflection of the local cultural climate. If the taxpayers of the district demand it, and are willing to pay for it, then they will actually get it. If things are bad now, it will require much effort to change it, but it can be done. I left one district in the early 80's due to the elimination of the string program. After not having the program for almost five years, the clamor was so loud that not only was the program reinstated district wide, but magnet schools for the arts were created. While I'm not a fan of magnet schools (in my opinion, they tend to bastions of elitism), but it does show a commitment on the support of the arts.
As for the music stores they will only stock what sells. The teachers-private teachers, not the classroom teachers unless they have the luxury of being able to teach private lessons as well-do need to demand it. But that also doesn't mean that every store within a 20-30-40 mile radius needs to stock these items either as long as there's one or two that will. I will ask did the poster go to a store the specializes in school band instruments and supplies or did they go to a store that specializes in pianos, guitars and drum sets? I can't recall the post so I don't know the answer. I can assure you, it is not the case everywhere. There's even a little store in Skowhegan, Maine, another in Turner, Maine, one in Camden, one or two in Bangor, and one or two in the Portland area that carry pretty much all of the standard method books for all instruments, and I don't mean just Rubank. Same holds true for the area of south Florida in which I lived for my first 34 years-there were and I think still are, several stores that do. Finally, because your music education left something to be desired, as apparently does that of the students you mentioned, doesn't mean that things are dismal everywhere. School music programs are not there to turn out mini-professionals and prodigies, but they are there to expose and inculcate in students a level of appreciation for music, maybe develop a respectable level of proficiency in an instrument or the voice and to prepare the students for future learning whatever their path may be. One of the hardest concepts I ever had to get across to administrators is that even though little Johnny/Susie, or whatever pseudonym one wishes to use, may not "have talent" or be on a path to be a professional performer, just as in math, science, history, language arts, or even PE (or personal fitness) there should be a minimum levels of proficiency for moving on to the next level. This is, in many cases, what is absent. Thanks for your clarification. Dana Twiss _______________________________________________ post: horn@music.memphis.edu unsubscribe or set options at http://music2.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
