I am in the extraordinary position of being a member of three choirs and one band. I'm not sure how many people can grasp just how close knit choirs become.
I have been a member of my school's a cappella group for less than six months and yet I feel a strong sense of camaraderie amongst them.
And although I've been in my school's Chorale for just under nine months, everyone there is exceedingly supportive.
Lastly, I've been a member of the Minnesota Boychoir for over eight years and I can honestly say that the bonds we have to each other are not comparable to the bonds of a sports team. I know that when I walk into my choir's rehearsal space, all judgement, all conflicts, and all of life's problems dissipate for the two hours that I'm there.
Unfortunately for the Lakeville School District, the school board has decided that it doesn't care about the music department. That because we do not teach conventional education, we are somehow inferior to the rest of the academic world. They continue to cut our classes and teachers. I described to you what my experience with the Boychoir, but how can a music program at school ever come even close to that if they are not given the chance? I ask you, if you are a member of Lakeville Schools, to share this on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social networking site so that we may band together and stop our schools' music programs from disintegrating.
The bonds in the Boychoir ARE comparable to a sport team (I think that was a typo on your part).
ReplyDeleteBut truly, that's absolutely right. I feel like all the problems in my day can just disappear when I go to Boychoir. We've known each other a long time, which also helps with the comradeship.
This is also probably why Mr J doesn't let any high school kids join the Boychoir (although we could always use more talented men) because he understands that a choir that has become a family will sound better than a choir where new kids come in every year who didn't go through the program.
Also, good luck with dealing with the administration. I hate it when politics gets in the way of art.
ReplyDelete