Bands big part of football tradition
Football may reign on the playing field during crisp Friday nights this fall, but some say the true show begins at halftime.
High school marching bands have faced various challenges in recent years, from staff and funding cuts, to enrollment declines and new leadership. But they manage to march on, still giving dazzling halftime performances and marching in regional and national parades.
A few years ago, the Butler School District trimmed a 19-person music department to 14 staff members through attrition, affecting the high school's marching band on a short- and long-term basis.
Butler Band Director Jeff Kroner now works at the intermediate and senior high schools, making it impossible for the entire band to practice at the same time during school days. However, they make do.
“We're not all together. That sounds catastrophic. It's not,” he said. “In my opinion, the music aspect has improved greatly because the students are not walking up to the stadium every day, thereby, losing 20 minutes of rehearsal, 10 minutes each way, every single day. They are working on that music from the beginning to the end of the period every day.
“The district didn't take away rehearsal time. We had to restructure it. So now that after-school rehearsal we have once a week, it's very, very important that we work on the drill, the moving, extensively. But the music going into that is better because of the initial time that I have.”
Kroner also said the band made an agreement with the school board a few years ago to opt out of going to the farthest away game each season, which happens to be tonight. The Golden Tornado football team will be playing Altoona in Blair County.
The band not going will save the district roughly $3,500 in transportation costs, since there are more than 230 students in the band, requiring seven buses for each away game they attend, plus snacks.
Kroner also wanted to point out that the board is still very supportive, providing uniform cleanings and a budget to repair instruments and purchase new music.
The cut that may hit the band most in coming years is the elimination of a fourth grade music instructor. Potential band recruits now start learning to play instruments in fifth grade instead of fourth.
“We're seeing the numbers difference there, because the later they start, the more the competition with other activities kicks in,” Kroner said. “We're not getting as many students to stick. So that's hurt us.”
Meanwhile, in the Karns City School District, the marching band is a little smaller than last year, from 70 students to about 60, and is under new leadership for the first time in more than 20 years.
Erica Yurkovich is now leading the group as band director, along with assistant band director Amanda Paulsen. Despite rumors claiming otherwise, the marching band will continue to perform half time shows.
“There are no major changes this year,” Yurkovich said. “The band will still be performing during the halftime show as in previous years.”
The band usually goes on a trip every year, with a major trip and day trips every other year. Last year, the band traveled to Boston to perform. Both Yurkovich and Paulsen said they are excited for the new year, having already shown a lot of progress throughout band camp.
While the Mars School District made four band-related cuts in the 2008-2009 school year, including a majorette instructor, a color guard instructor, and two instrumental instructors, new band director Mark Rodgers said the district is very supportive.
“Mars has a wonderfully rich history of success in the marching arts,” Rodgers said. “The Mars School District, including the school board members, the superintendent and community have been extremely supportive of the arts in the district, specifically the marching band.”
Rodgers, who was the band director in the Moniteau School District for the past six years, said the Mars Marching Band is 64 members strong this year. The band traveled to the Kentucky Derby parade last year, and is finalizing band trip arrangements for this year.
Besides the cuts made at Mars several years ago, the biggest difference now is the activity fees students have to pay, although it's not specific to the marching band: $100 for every after school activity students are involved in.
In addition, band members at all schools are responsible for at least some supplies, like marching shoes, gloves, T-shirts and the like. Band trips, usually amassing hundreds of dollars, are typically paid for through student fundraisers.
