Mike Teacher
12-03-2003, 01:43 PM
"All those other schools have uniforms and instruments," said Tyrek Hampton, 15, a sophomore and bass drum captain. "We have two teachers, 25 kids and a whole bunch of instruments we built and taped up."
I read this and was reminded again that No sane person would have ever envisioned a Public Education system such as the one inhabiting America today.
How sad. How pathetic. That children so wish to be heard. That music might reach down and touch them to give it voice. And to be denied that.
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Remaking the band
Published in the Asbury Park Press 11/30/03
By NANCY SHIELDS
COASTAL MONMOUTH BUREAU
ASBURY PARK -- Twenty-five students make up the Asbury Park High School Band, a tenacious group of musicians who, with one or two exceptions, don't have their own instruments, don't take private lessons, don't have uniforms except for matching lightweight fleece jackets.
But they play their hearts out on school instruments, some of which are taped together.
The band had seven players when it was resurrected two years ago after a long hiatus. The next year, there were 15.
This year, the 25 students' ability and determination have allowed the high school to place its own marching band on the football field for the first time in at least 12 years.
"I really love this band, love the people in it and just hope everything goes well," said Korey Littles, a 16-year-old junior who is president of the band and leader of the drum line. "I just want this band to be something everyone will notice."
"All those other schools have uniforms and instruments," said Tyrek Hampton, 15, a sophomore and bass drum captain. "We have two teachers, 25 kids and a whole bunch of instruments we built and taped up."
Not unusual in a small school (Asbury Park High has 630 stu-dents), some of the band mem-bers are on the football team as well, and, after playing with the team the first half of the game, they change into their black pants and band jacket to perform and sit with the band the second half.
A way to succeed
Aikeem Taylor, 15 -- a sopho-more and the student director whose trumpet is all taped up -- left the band at the beginning of the year to play varsity foot-ball but damaged some nerves in the third game and returned to Dinella and the band. He wants to do well enough to get a college scholarship.
"An older student was talking about football and that I wasn't playing, and I said I was in-jured, and he called me a geek because I play a trumpet," Tay-lor said. "I said I play a trumpet because I feel I can make it. We worked hard to get here."
The band leaders said not only are they kidded by students about being in the band, but they believe they have very little support from parents or the community at large.
School Principal Alberto Reinoso has promised the band mem-bers they will get new uniforms this year, and the superintendent said that will happen.
The district bought $5,000 worth of new instruments -- flutes, drums, trumpets, mouth-pieces -- during Dinella's first year. The instruments were stolen from the high school the weekend they were delivered.
"We couldn't have done any-thing without him," said Mascali, the drum major, of Dinella.
"He taped our instruments up," said Hampton, the bass drum captain.
Full Article (http://www.app.com/app/story/0,21625,862682,00.html)
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I read this and was reminded again that No sane person would have ever envisioned a Public Education system such as the one inhabiting America today.
How sad. How pathetic. That children so wish to be heard. That music might reach down and touch them to give it voice. And to be denied that.
----------------------------
Remaking the band
Published in the Asbury Park Press 11/30/03
By NANCY SHIELDS
COASTAL MONMOUTH BUREAU
ASBURY PARK -- Twenty-five students make up the Asbury Park High School Band, a tenacious group of musicians who, with one or two exceptions, don't have their own instruments, don't take private lessons, don't have uniforms except for matching lightweight fleece jackets.
But they play their hearts out on school instruments, some of which are taped together.
The band had seven players when it was resurrected two years ago after a long hiatus. The next year, there were 15.
This year, the 25 students' ability and determination have allowed the high school to place its own marching band on the football field for the first time in at least 12 years.
"I really love this band, love the people in it and just hope everything goes well," said Korey Littles, a 16-year-old junior who is president of the band and leader of the drum line. "I just want this band to be something everyone will notice."
"All those other schools have uniforms and instruments," said Tyrek Hampton, 15, a sophomore and bass drum captain. "We have two teachers, 25 kids and a whole bunch of instruments we built and taped up."
Not unusual in a small school (Asbury Park High has 630 stu-dents), some of the band mem-bers are on the football team as well, and, after playing with the team the first half of the game, they change into their black pants and band jacket to perform and sit with the band the second half.
A way to succeed
Aikeem Taylor, 15 -- a sopho-more and the student director whose trumpet is all taped up -- left the band at the beginning of the year to play varsity foot-ball but damaged some nerves in the third game and returned to Dinella and the band. He wants to do well enough to get a college scholarship.
"An older student was talking about football and that I wasn't playing, and I said I was in-jured, and he called me a geek because I play a trumpet," Tay-lor said. "I said I play a trumpet because I feel I can make it. We worked hard to get here."
The band leaders said not only are they kidded by students about being in the band, but they believe they have very little support from parents or the community at large.
School Principal Alberto Reinoso has promised the band mem-bers they will get new uniforms this year, and the superintendent said that will happen.
The district bought $5,000 worth of new instruments -- flutes, drums, trumpets, mouth-pieces -- during Dinella's first year. The instruments were stolen from the high school the weekend they were delivered.
"We couldn't have done any-thing without him," said Mascali, the drum major, of Dinella.
"He taped our instruments up," said Hampton, the bass drum captain.
Full Article (http://www.app.com/app/story/0,21625,862682,00.html)
<IMG SRC="http://members.aol.com/miketeachr/newsig">