Why go to all this trouble?

If you've read my introductory post, I'm sure the suspense is killing you. What were the results from the survey? What other junk did you find in your kids' backpacks?

Before I get to that, I am pleased to announce: the blogosphere has just come alive with relevant posts!

• HorseSense or Nonsense?
• Stephen Shore writes about teaching music to kids with autism.
• This Is Your Brain On Music.
  
• This post from Just Above Sunset is a bit long, but it's really worth the read. If Michael Dana Gioia is "a tad naive" then I am in big trouble here!

So, why bother trying to start one from scratch?

If you're reading this, I expect the arguments presented in the links above are nothing new. You already know that music is good for the social, cultural, spiritual, emotional and intellectual health of your child. Nevertheless, there is one other very important reason for having a band class, that is often overlooked in "Music Makes You Smarter" articles: IT'S FUN!

Now I'm not suggesting that education must always be fun. On the contrary, I credit much of my own schooling for preparing me for the stupefying boredom of adulthood. :-) So, when an activity is as much fun as band, and when it is part of the mandated curriculum...well...why wouldn't you want a band program at your school?

Let's take it from the top...

I've had this blogger account for a year now, and was wondering what to do with it. This week I had a sudden inspiration: I would document my efforts to enhance the music life at my kids' elementary school!

This 'blog is for parents interested in starting an instrumental music program at St. Bernadette Elementary School in Dundas, Ontario. I hope it will also be useful to any parents involved with similar efforts at their children's schools.

When my oldest child was preparing to enter Junior Kindergarten, I was excited by a program that the HWCDSB offered at the time: in-school piano lessons. Sadly, the board cancelled this program just around the time we were signing my daughter up.

I decided to join the Catholic School Council to learn more about how these decisions are made. I served as Treasurer that year and discovered a very generous, caring community. I was also fortunate to work with two fine principals: Mr. T (not the guy from the A-Team and Rocky III) and Mrs. A.

Mr. T brought me to a council meeting at his previous school (Holy Name of Mary in Ancaster). I was overwhelmed by an enthusiastic group of parents, who were all working hard to get a program started at their school. They had commitment from the parent community and the new principal. They had funding set aside for purchase or rental of instruments and equipment. I was fired up to bring this energy back to my kids' school.

I thought the first thing to do would be to survey the parent community. I wasn't sure if there was sufficient interest in a music program at the school. In May 2005, I prepared a one page sheet to go home with the students. The council thought it would be best to wait until September to avoid pre-summer sensory overload. I couldn't argue with that, knowing how many forms I have to dig out of the kids' knapsacks!