Comments on: Heart of the School

By: Bob in Western PA

Bob in Western PA — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 03:06:18 +0000

I just got back from a band competition. My son’s band practiced twice a week all summer. They were required to be in the Memorial Day and Independence Day parades. Band camp was the first two and a half weeks in August - 8 hours a day for 13 days. They also had a summer mini-band camp in July - that was only 5 hours a day for a week Their first performance was the weekend before school started.

Most of the marching bands in this area are way more serious than the “real” sports teams.

By: Powers

Powers — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 02:08:51 +0000

I didn’t say it was impossible, just hard. =) And I’ll have you know I *was* a serious band member.

By: Cidu Bill

Cidu Bill — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 19:06:39 +0000

Powers, you’d be surprised: Serious band members remain musicians throughout the summer: Many of them go to band camp, and if the town wanted them for a parade, a sufficient number of them would make sure they were available.

By: Powers

Powers — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 13:37:17 +0000

Mark, it’s kinda hard to get a school band together in July when school is out of session.

By: Mark in Boston

Mark in Boston — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 21:25:19 +0000

Remember small-town Fourth of July parades? With the school marching band — Johnny, Willie, Teddy, Fred and all the rest in their uniforms?

In my small town the only music in the Fourth of July parade is me, on the back of a truck playing a keyboard. The year before I started doing this, the Fourth of July parade had no music at all!

The whole town marching in silence in the Fourth of July parade. America, I hope this is what you wanted, because in many towns this is what you’ve got.

By: Kaitlyn

Kaitlyn — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 21:18:55 +0000

I didn’t go to a school with a football team until high school.

But I didn’t get this at first, despite knowing about all the cutbacks and things.

I was thinking of my current school (a college) and how we haven’t won a football came yet this season. (It’s only been 3 games, but still.) And somebody was saying we needed a new coach.

So that + this comic = “job security? In football?”

By: Patrick

Patrick — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:32:14 +0000

I love music and sports (in fact, I kind of doubt that many people feel like the two are mutually exclusive) and I think that our schools should do their best to encourage students to pursue all sorts of interests and extra-curriculars. But, if more people in the schol and the community at large are more interested in one thing than another, the first thing is going to get more attention, more support and more money. Believe me, there are schools where the football team has very little support or fan interest and, at some of those schools, the music program or theater or arts or baseball or academic decathlon program is generating more interest.

By: Alexandra Erin

Alexandra Erin — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:18:30 +0000

I gather that they’re in a more urban setting, but my school was K-12 contained within a single building. High school had a separate administration from elementary under a single superintendent (and school board), but one music teacher ran both programs and many of the coaches also did elementary PE.

By: Howabominable (aka Lindsey ^_^)

Howabominable (aka Lindsey ^_^) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 19:52:54 +0000

I’m in California and my elementary school had a football team… however, it didn’t have its own coach, it just used the teachers for coaches. I’ve never heard of an elementary school hiring a football coach to only do football.

By: jayjaybear

jayjaybear — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 19:06:32 +0000

And the relentlessly WEIRD stuff goes back to Tatulli to put in Lio…