Nearly $3000 was raised! And at the end, the highest fundraisers got to throw pies at the music teachers! Here is a photo of them before getting splattered. True professional music teachers -- they obviously know that being prepared is the key to success. (Left to right: Amy Creamer (drama/general music), Cristy Ray (chorus), Tim Anderson (orchestra), Wendy
Milstead (band) -- all are MENC members.)Of course it's too bad that these kinds of fundraisers are necessary, but perhaps a silver lining is that they do serve as team-building experiences for the kids, parents, and teachers. Last year, in Fulton County, GA (where Warren lives), all the elementary band programs were scheduled to be cut. Parents, students, and teachers worked together to get that decision reversed, which thankfully it was. (MENC and Georgia Music Educators Association also lent a hand in the effort. Here at MENC, we try to help our members and the parents in their communities by providing them with the information they need to show school boards how kids benefit from being part of a strong music program -- check out "Advocacy Central" for links to our resources.)
Band has been a wonderful experience for Warren. I never played in a band (I was a piano and chorus kid), and I'm in awe of band and orchestra instructors. The idea of taking little kids and molding them into an ensemble, and knowing enough about so many different instruments to be able to do that, is just amazing to me!
Have a good week -- EWL
P.S. I have a photo of my nephew rocking with some of his buddies, but I don't quite have time to pursue getting the permissions to publish it -- if those come through, I'll add the photo later on.
