Gilpin’s vanishing band program

Lynn Volkens

02/22/2007 - Gilpinites attending the winter or spring band concerts at Gilpin RE-1 School a few years back still recall listening to a group composed of surprisingly accomplished high school musicians, followed by a group of proficient middle-school students, followed by an up-and-coming sixth grade band, followed by the fifth-grade beginners who were visibly tickled to be on stage, proudly demonstrating their instrumental progress. Often, during the high school numbers, a student would stand to perform a solo featuring his or her particular instrument as part of the group piece. It was an honor won by a combination of talent, skill and hard work. In between group performances, students performed solos or in combinations from duets to quartets. Then there were the string performances, guitars and violins. One year’s concert included a piece by the “Junkyard Band.” (The band teacher had taken the high school group on a field trip to a junk yard, challenged them to create instruments from found objects, compose and “make” music with them.) Those who remember only a few more years back, recall the “Pride of the Divide,” Gilpin’s marching band.

  Today the Pride of the Divide is only a banner on the band room wall. The full regalia marching band uniforms hang in a closet and boxes of plumed hats are stored out-of-reach atop the instrument cages. The band marches no more. Violin and guitar are no longer taught. There are seldom individual student performances. There is no individual high school band; the program began this year with ten middle school students augmented by three freshmen and one junior. At last Saturday’s basketball game, parents from both teams commented favorably that Gilpin’s pep band added to the whole game experience though their performances have been curtailed.

  What happened to Gilpin’s band program? When Gilpin voters approved a bond issue enabling construction of a new school building (completed in 2000), they committed to a state-of-the-art band room including ample rehearsal space, two small rehearsal rooms, secure instrument storage and a small adjoining director’s office. According to Golden Music Store’s school instrument sales and repair representative, Gilpin’s room is top-drawer even among larger metro-area schools. Community support is further evidenced by the thousands of dollars invested in instruments loaned to students for band participation. Sixteen large filing cabinet drawers are jam-packed with expensive musical scores purchased throughout the years.

  Student/parent interest in instrumental music remains high at the beginning level (fifth-graders show great excitement in choosing “their” instruments) and remains so through the middle school years. This year’s program began with 14 fifth graders and 8 sixth graders. Many students hold on to band through their freshman (three members this year) and sophomore years (though none this year), but at the junior and senior years, band falls apart. This year the Gilpin Middle/High School Band began with only one upperclassman, a junior playing trumpet. (A senior, finding he had an elective free, just returned to play trombone for his final semester.) Only the number of upperclassmen has diminished over the years. Yet, despite the student/parent/community intent, the program is nearly gone, reduced to a third of what it once was, almost to the point where it soon will exist only as a memorable last diminuendo note in Gilpin’s history.

  At Gilpin School, a program might disappear many ways. “Budgetary constraints” is often the reason administrators use to cut a program. (Though at Gilpin School, the district still had more than $1 million in reserves – nearly three times the State’s requirement.) Superintendent Ken Ladouceur has said the district budget will support those programs that have “student interest.” (Lack of student interest is indicated when too few students sign up for a course.) In the case of band, however, what appears as lack of high school student interest may, in fact, be lack of opportunity.

  By 2003 band members beginning their junior year were faced with a dilemma. Administrators had scheduled required core classes (science, math, English, social studies) in the same time slot as band. Students, who needed the core classes to graduate were forced out of band. Preventing the students from band participation, however, didn’t take away their interest. Some of those students began meeting on their own to continue playing together. They practiced music on their own, came to school early to form a jazz band, stole ten minutes here and there to rehearse with the band, and continued to perform at concerts at the invitation of enrolled members and the director. Some re-enrolled piecemeal whenever they could fit the elective into their schedules. However, the years of such scheduling effectively took away the bones of the high school band-the accomplished musicians, the upperclassmen, and the sense of accomplishment and opportunities of mentorship along with them.

  Under the current administration, the band program had been reduced to less than half a program by 2004. The full-time band teacher (who was also teaching one period of vocational “shop”) left. The district struggled to find a qualified band teacher who was willing to work the new schedule: 8-9:00 a.m. for middle school band, a 35 minute group teaching time for the fifth grade beginners, and a 35-minute group teaching time for 6^th-graders, then a return time of 12:30-1:30 for high school band. Individual teaching time, even time to teach by instrumental section, had been eliminated. The inconvenient schedule drew few applicants. At the eleventh hour, the current certified band teacher, Jeanne Sonnleitner was hired. (Sonnleitner teaches part-time at a Denver school that was willing to work with her to allow a flexible schedule.) In 2006, the band program was reduced by another hour of student time, and is now less than one-third of a program. The teaching position is no longer paid benefits.

  The cuts in funding and scheduling, say band students, indicate Gilpin’s administration and school board no longer support the program-that it is “unimportant.” Their concert dates, (they perform one winter and one spring concert) though set on the school calendar nearly a year in advance, have been changed to accommodate events that were not previously scheduled (and not changed although the band teacher objected), and athletic events have been scheduled at the same time as the band’s concert, (changed after the band teacher objected). When that happened, some band students who participate in the other activities too, were left trying to choose. The day prior to their concert, they’ve had trouble getting the auditorium stage (used for wrestling practice) cleared in order to set up and rehearse. There have been problems getting the stage lights set to the band’s needs. The band competes at one judged contest per year (down from two when the program was full-time) and some teachers are reluctant to allow band students out of their classes early for extra rehearsal time on the day before even the one competition, Sonnleitner reports. (It was common in prior years for the students to be pulled from one full class-period per day for several days before a competition.) Contrast that, they say, with the number of hours student athletes are released early to travel to games. Usually the band plays a medley of military songs as the community’s veterans are recognized during the annual Veterans Day program. The band was not included last November. (The district no longer pays the band teacher to come in for extra duties.) Finally, when a recent basketball game was cancelled due to bad weather, no one thought to notify the band teacher or pep band students.

  As the program is already at starvation level, band parents/students say they wonder if administrators will allow it to survive at all next year. The district is currently toying with reducing the number of class periods from seven to six per day. Narrowing (not shortening) the school day eliminates a time slot and reduces the number of student programs that can be offered, thereby reducing student opportunity to take a class. Such rescheduling is another way to eliminate a program. The reduction causes further complications for students who must choose between required classes when scheduled opposite electives (choir, band, art, physical education). With only six time slots and electives offered against each other, students will be forced to eliminate an elective they could have taken under the seven-period day.

  Another way the Gilpin community may see the demise of their band program is if instrumental music is offered only as an “extracurricular” activity instead of within the arts curriculum. This was suggested by Board President CinDee Spellman when the full board met to conduct a December work session in Colorado Springs. An extracurricular instrumental band program would force students to choose between athletics, drama, band and all other extracurricular activities, to the detriment of those programs as well.

  Parents have traditionally looked to small schools for their children to have opportunities to participate in more programs (versus larger schools where students must qualify by talent or skill). The competition among schools to attract and retain students is becoming tougher. Parents, looking for schools that offer a curriculum meeting both required and elective needs of their students, are basing their relocation and home purchases to a greater degree than ever on what the local school has to offer. (The Gilpin County News school reporter has been averaging an inquiry a month, since late 2006, from prospective residents.) A family moving to Colorado from out-of-state, was considering property in Paradise Valley Estates. With young violin players, they decided to move to a school district that offered orchestra as is available at Gilpin’s neighboring school districts. Another woman said her family was considering property within Gilpin RE-1’s district but was discouraged after inquiring about the school at Taggert’s and the Recreation Center. Eliminating even one program at the community school, often called its “heart,” can have far-reaching effects.