Become a Political Force 8

South Carolina Band Directors Association

SCBDA "Team Members"

"Become A Political Force!"

An elderly couple were experiencing declining memories, so they decided to take a power memory class. In this class they teach people to remember things by association. Later, the man was talking to a neighbor about how much the class helped him.

"Who was the instructor?" asked the neighbor.

"Oh, let me see," pondered the man. "Ummm . . . . . . . . ! What's that flower? You know, . . . . . . . the one that smells real nice, . . . . . . . . . . but it has those thorns . . . . . . . . . ?"

"A rose?" offered the neighbor.

"That’s right," said the man. He quickly turned toward his house and shouted, "Hey, Rose, what's the name of the guy we took that memory class from?"

Have you ever gone into a room and stood helplessly trying to remember why you went there in the first place? Band Directors too often find themselves standing on the podium wondering that same question! Why am I here? What do I have to offer my students? Is this why I went to college and studied music? All we really want to do is to get our students to understand the power of music.

I have been in e-mail contact the past few days with Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser concerning the 1998 SCMEA In-Service Conference. In the last e-mail I received from him he wrote, "This will be the end of my rapid-responses for a few days. I'm guest-conducting in Texas for one of their honor bands, so my mind will be buried in notes, music-making, and getting kids to connect their playing to their hearts. When that happens, everything else in my life takes a back seat!"

We need to be able to make "everything else in our lives take a back seat" when we are in front of our students. Imagine working in a world where your budget wasn’t based on how many boxes of fruit your Booster Club sold at Christmas, where you earned enough money to support your family (Just as other college educated professionals in the "Real World" do!), and where students would be encouraged to participate in the music program because everyone understood the significance it has in their lives. Our profession will undergo an immediate change when the public realizes the truth of the SCBDA slogan, "Music Is Instrumental To Success!" Then perhaps, we will be able to remember why we are Band Directors, and what is really important!

Joke:

Question: How many Trumpet players does it take to change a light bulb?

Answer: Six! One to change the light bulb and five to tell him how much better they could have done.

Not A Joke:

Question: How many Band Directors will it take to change public opinion, to make school administrators and community members understand the value of what we do, and to simply increase our own self-image?

Answer: All of us! It will require every Band Director, working together toward common goals, to change the environment in which we live and teach. We will not need anyone standing around telling us how much better they could have done!

The squeaking wheel gets the . . . . . . . . . . Grease! It’s not what you know, it’s . . . . . . . Who You Know! We could all answer those questions, but have we learned anything that would help us improve our situation. Consider the following:

Who are your school administrators? Do they really know you and what you do? Do these people know you as a person or simply as a face in the crowd? Are you an asset or a liability to your school and community?

Who are "YOUR" representatives in county, state, and national government? Do you know anything about them? Do you know how to contact them (phone, fax, or e-mail)? Have you ever contacted any of your representatives by mail, telephone, e-mail, or through face to face conversation?

It is time for the South Carolina Band Directors Association to become a Political Force. Let’s start by finding out who represents us. To find out try this:

Open: Welcome To South Carolina, <http://www.state.sc.us> - From there open "Government in the Palmetto State." You can find out the name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address of almost anyone you need; county by county! Find out who represents you and what they are doing for you!

Open: The South Carolina General Assembly , <http://www.leginfo.state.sc.us/default.asp> - From this site you can find Biographies of your Senator or Representative, including their picture! It’s easy to find out what is happening in the General Assembly and even easier to e-mail your opinions.

PLEASE READ and ACT!

I have been in touch with Representative Becky Meacham, a member of the SC House of Representatives from Fort Mill, about her bill that would give a P.E. CREDIT for participation in MARCHING BAND. She sponsored such a bill last year, and so many attachments were added to it that it DID NOT PASS. There are currently 2 BILLS (Senate Bill 0246 sponsored by Darrell Jackson and House Bill 3365 sponsored by William Cotty) before the General Assembly that "refer to band," but these bills are filling up with other things like dance, extra-curricular activities, sports, etc. that are going to make their passage difficult.

Becky has a new BILL currently on her desk that simply says that PARTICIPATION IN MARCHING BAND WILL BE COUNTED AS THE REQUIRED P.E. CREDIT. This BILL has not been presented to the House "YET." This is how it works: If she can get enough co-sponsors to the BILL (She currently has 12 co-sponsors) no one will add anything to it, and it could pass as early as next week. We need to get about 80 co-sponsors to this BILL. Remember that students begin registering for next years courses usually by March, and it would be nice to give those rising 9th graders an opportunity to enroll in the Band Program. That means we need to become a "Political Force" and make our voices heard!

This BILL is important to the SCBDA, especially the High School Directors. We are already facing difficult times in getting students enrolled in the Band Program. The colleges are requiring 24 units for entrance and this makes a 4 year commitment to band almost impossible. Allowing Band to count for the "REQUIRED" P.E. Credit would give our students one more opportunity to stay in band. That could be a BIG HELP when recruiting students for our programs.

WHAT TO DO:

Call, write, or "E-MAIL" your Representative about Rep. Becky Meacham's BILL. Ask them to call her and become a co-sponsor!
Inform your Representative of the importance that this BILL could have for your program and the community is serves.
Inform your Representative of the difficulty band students have participating in the Band Program for 4 years and still meeting the new REQUIRED COLLEGE ENTRANCE GUIDELINES.
Inform your Representative that your MARCHING BAND students are required to do rigorous physical activity (as much or more than they would receive in their P.E. class).
Get your parents, especially those that have e-mail access, to contact their representative about the value the Band Program has to their children, and how allowing MARCHING BAND TO MEET THE REQUIRED P.E. Credit would help them continue in the program.
Spread the word!

We CAN become a "Political Force" in South Carolina! Our membership, of nearly 500, is in daily contact with literally thousands of students and parents. Our programs are vital to the future of South Carolina. We MUST work to inform everyone (including the SC General Assembly) that they could/should/must support the BAND PROGRAMS in South Carolina. "Act NOW or be prepared to accept whatever happens to us!"

Let’s "BAND" together! We do make a difference because "Music Is Instrumental To Success!"

Glenn C. Price, President
South Carolina Band Directors Association