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South Carolina Band Directors Association

SCBDA "Team Members"

"Looking At Both Sides!"

While working for the RC Cola Company in eastern North Carolina (my summer job during college), I met a retarded gentleman named David. David was a seemingly permanent fixture outside an old A&P Grocery Store and was always ready to help the various vendors during their deliveries. I really enjoyed visiting with him when I worked this account on my weekly route. David was rather slow and had become the butt of many a joke with the other vendors and community people. They had invented a cruel little trick that was designed to fool him and entertain themselves. They would hold out a hand full of change and ask David to take anything he wished. David would always study the money for a moment before he would reach and take a single quarter. The laughter was something to be heard. Everyone would laugh when David would say that was all he wanted. He never took more than a quarter even though it sometimes required two hands to hold all the money being offered to him. I saw this activity repeated over and over all during the summer and grew more and more angry at the people that took advantage of this old gentleman. I could never understand how people could find pleasure in another man’s suffering. One afternoon I got the chance to speak to David alone and tried to explain to him that everyone was laughing at him. I told him that he could put an end to this abuse if he wished, but he just smiled and said that he didn’t mind folks having fun.

I finally said, "The next time anyone offers you money; why don’t you just reach in and take it all?"

David’s response, "Because then they won’t hold out their hands no more," was a real eye opener to me. For the first time I saw the situation as he did. Duh! I went right back to college and changed my major. I could no longer even consider becoming a "Rocket Scientist!"

My position as the President of the SCBDA puts me in a unique position. I find that I am the sounding board for everyone. I truly get the opportunity to see things from both sides. The recent Region realignment is only one example.

Consider the arguments I received from SCBDA members NOT IN FAVOR of realignment:

• SCBDA members did not want to realign because the system seemed to be working, at least in their Region, and "why change things that aren’t broken."
• SCBDA members did not want to realign because it would cause greater travel expenses.
• SCBDA members did not want to rush into change without an opportunity to thoroughly study the matter.
• SCBDA members did not want to change because students were getting wonderful opportunities to participate in the Region Honor Bands.

Consider the arguments I received from SCBDA members IN FAVOR of realignment:

• SCBDA members wanted to realign because they were upset with the length of their audition day and were "very afraid that next year would require a two day audition schedule."
• SCBDA members wanted to realign because of "the extreme travel expenses that they have been paying for years."
• SCBDA members wanted to realign because the current alignment was altered from the original study when 5 Regions were created and that "an attempt to correct the problem two years ago got shot down by the membership."
• SCBDA members wanted to realign because there were so many students auditioning that it was nearly impossible to make a Region Honor Band.

All these arguments (and more) were given by my friends, who have only the highest regard for this association. I felt like it was going to my responsibility to do something. After considering all views, I made a proposal to the All-State Committee that included the following points:

1. Realign the 5 Regions into 5 DISTRICTS. (District 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5) Members are tied to "Traditional Compass Direction Regions." Names like Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western, and Central imply a section of the state and make it difficult to realign the counties to meet the changing needs of our students.
2. Evaluate student participation on a county by county basis. Use a map to determine the BEST POSSIBLE divisions. Consider participation numbers, travel, possible performance sites, etc. Don’t allow current region alignments to enter into the evaluation process.
3. Each District should support about 1600 student participants.
4. When the "average" level of student participation reaches 1800, it will be necessary to realign the counties to create another district - District 6.

What The Membership Voted

Realign the state into 5 Districts: (See Map)

District 1
Greenville, Laurens, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg

District 2
Abbeville, Aiken, Anderson, Edgefield, Greenwood, Lexington, McCormick, Saluda

District 3
Cherokee, Chester, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lancaster, Newberry, Richland, Union, York

District 4
Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Calhoun, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Hampton, Jasper, Orangeburg

District 5
Berkeley, Chesterfield, Clarendon, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Georgetown, Horry, Lee, Marion, Marlboro, Sumter, Williamsburg

What Do We Do Now

I feel that we took a step necessary to meet the growth created by the success of our programs. Increased student participation in the All-State and Solo and Ensemble events are a clear sign that we are doing a better job of teaching our students. The number of bands participating in the marching and concert events is largely determined by the number of schools in the state, but the All-State participants are a direct result of quality teaching. We’re preparing more and more students. We must learn to live with "Growing Pains!"

Here’s the plan:

• The SCBDA will form a sub-committee of the All-State Committee, of at least 3 members, to collect statistics necessary to determine when and how to do the next realignment(s) - District 6, 7, 8, etc.
• The SCBDA will look at audition numbers again next year and make adjustments as needed and approved by the membership.
• The SCBDA will continue to work to develop ways to meet the ever changing needs of the association.

I ask that every SCBDA member consider the overall needs of the association before the needs of an individual program. I also ask that everyone understand that our problems are largely due to growth. We will make mistakes, but somehow we will continue to move forward because we are an association of friends. Only another Band Director can understand the stress and responsibility of our profession.

Let’s collect our quarter and move on!

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

Glenn C. Price, President
South Carolina Band Directors Association