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Drumming up support

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STANDING BYE
Monday, April 16, 2012: 10:56 am
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Thing is the kids enjoy band in middle school and then you get to the HS level...and look at the numbers drop way off.....maybe need to start there school board and get a new director there to build up the numbers...!Sure has ruined band for kids in HS!

Former Band Parent
Monday, April 16, 2012: 12:43 pm
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Why does West Band Director Scott Miller not take his band to ISSMA organizational contest like East? Why does he not promote the kids to do solo and ensemble?
Why are the kids not playing in class every day?
The high school band is not able to grow when the middle school kids are not learning in band. The Martinsville High School Band just received a Gold rating Sat at the ISSMA organizational contest. They now will win an All Band Award from ISSMA for receiving gold in Marching and Jazz Band too. When Scott Miller was director at the high school this never happened. We need new direction in the middle school band area.

Band Mom Forever
Monday, April 16, 2012: 12:50 pm
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I do not see any new events listed. It is obvious that more effort is needed. I have heard that one of the teachers discourages students to march in HS!

Band Mom Forever
Monday, April 16, 2012: 12:54 pm
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To Standing Bye, ruined?! The person who is solely responsible for ruining the HS band is now the director at West. How else would you explain the serious drop in participants and awards during his tenure? Not hard to get the true facts.

scooter
Monday, April 16, 2012: 1:17 pm
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We miss Mr. Battaglia!!! I remember watching the band when he was director and absolutley having goosebumps from the sound that our band could achieve! My brother was in HS Marching Band as an 8th grader until his Senior year and I attended many competitions. I am so sad to drive past the high school in the summer now and see the marching band practice. They are smaller than my middle school band class with Mr. Vogel was. I remember being in the student section of football games and the band playing at half-time! It was amazing! I think maybe Martinsville needs to focus on their music programs; it looks like their sports programs are in the dumps!

STANDING BYE
Monday, April 16, 2012: 1:47 pm
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WELL DUH! BAND MOM FOREVER...SO sad to see the kids HAVING TO huddle on the track to do the National Anthem for a football game...i KNOW THE FACTS..had family member and friends who were a part of "Mr Came from the West Coast to Indianas" band and the way he doesnt want to work with parents/students and every year the numbers go down down down...time to clean house in that dept too!

Band Mom Forever
Monday, April 16, 2012: 1:54 pm
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The problem is at the middle school level. The numbers do not drop off in HS, they have dropped off at the MS level. Maybe they don't like their MS experience so they don't try HS.

scooter
Monday, April 16, 2012: 2:31 pm
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Band Mom Forever-you are right, but why would a kid want to join something that for the most part sucks? I mean, I stopped playing in band to play sports, and let me tell you, it didn't get me anywhere! If I would have known then what I know now about the kind of experience that I was going to have in the sporting program at Martinsville High School, I would have been in band in a heartbeat. That was back when band was fun though. For a kid that age, what is the point of putting in the hard work when there really isn't anyone but the parents to care about it? I mean, when I was in school, Band Day was a huge thing and now they don't even go. Heck, Band Day was huge when my mom was in school! It is depressing to see what has happened to the band. I do agree though that the problem starts in middle school, but it didn't seem until recently that it was a problem. Everyone wanted to play for Battaglia!

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