Music For All, Hazing For None

One of the most frequent refrains that arises about the Music Education sphere is that it is a perpetually underfunded, disrespected, and neglected victim that only exists by the grace of God and after hard lobbying. Sometimes that is true, but one panel at Midwest addresses concerns that this humble mindset is becoming permanent. The panel was led by Robert Morrison, one of the most prolific music education advocates of our time. In addition to being the founder of Music For All and being the first CEO of the Save The Music Foundation, he helped create the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation during his time with NAMM. His lifetime of advocacy work has earned him an Emmy, a Peabody Award, and the gratitude of Music Educators everywhere. In his talk he shared a story of a particularly memorable experience at VH1's Concert of The Century in 1999. At one point he asked President Clinton to go onstage and say a few words. Without any script at all, he went on to tell an impassioned story about how much his music teachers helped him develop as a musician and as a person. It was a very compelling address. He then talked some about how students can feel more welcomed into programs. For those of you who don't know, the way school music programs work is a lot like a professional baseball team. Students are drafted into the program at a young age (typically 4th or 5th Grade), and then they advance up through the grades and ranks till they hit High School. Along the way, plenty leave the 'organization', but there isn't a really easy way for late-comers to get in the system and not feel out of place. And this is something I can attest to from personal experience. I started in 5th Grade, and though a lot of people quit band, fewer people came into it from the outside. Morrison advised making it easier for kids to enter later. He brought up many good points, but they all came back to one idea. How can Music Educators reach out to all kids and make them feel welcome? One way to not welcome new kids into the fold is Hazing, which brings us to the next panel: 'The Dark Side of Tradition: Strategies for Eliminating Hazing and Bullying in the School Band Program'  As you all doubtlessly know, hazing and bullying are only getting to be bigger problems, even in the Band Room. This panel shared some pointers on ways to detect hazing and how to stop it. You know the traditional signs, but there are more subtle ways of Hazing too. Anything that physically or mentally harms a person can be hazing, and that is a pretty broad definition. They recommended developing a supportive culture, one that resembles a family. The more the students care about each other, the less likely hazing is. The point of both of these sessions is to be vigilant, attend to your student's needs, and to advocate for your kids, yourself, and your program.