More Schools More Can Do

by Jon SImonoff

Iteach in a small rural school in Aroostook County. My kids are awesome, but there is one major problem…there’s not enough of them! My high school has around 70 students in the entire building. My students want and deserve great musical opportunities, but finding the numbers to make things feasible (and fun!) can be a struggle. What we have started to do for the past 4 or 5 years is to combine forces with other schools in some situations. This is not a new concept. In fact, it’s allowed by the jazz festival bylaws to have

“super groups” if one school does not have the population to support a program.

It’s easy to feel like your school is its own island and forget that other schools are working through the same things. By conversing with a nearby school, you may get some great kids from both buildings, get those kids in front of two teachers, and have an enriching experience for all those involved.

In my situation, I combined with another school to form a jazz band. We performed at each other’s spring concerts and did the district festival one time for comments. It has been a great experience for both schools and something my students look forward to. n