[mrb020377]

we are on the fourthday of school.. my daughter is in the 6th grade and at the little school where she attends, they are making all 44 of the 6th graders play in the band. Well this is all fine and dandy, except..... you either play an instrument that the school issues you... which is not a bad idea.. i did it. or you buy a new/rent a one.... well the instrument that the school choose for my daughter to play is the clairnet... they costs 1250.00 for a new one...... i almost felll out of my chair!!!!!! Oh dont worry they said.... you can pay it out!!!!! oh sure like i can afford to pay for anything else!!!!!

grrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!

[Rhapsody]

OMG! - thing sure have changed a lot since I was in school.... I played the Clarinet for four years from 8th grade to 11th grade (my own choosing) and a new clarinet back then only cost $600.

Good Luck....
IMO - schools are getting outrages in the items they are requiring students to have for school these days - it cost me $80 for my sons school supplies, I hate to see the cost for parents that have more than one child in school.


LoVe,
Rhapsody - ((( hugs )))

[SeptemberMorn]

I thought if the school provided it, you didn't have to buy/rent one!! They can't make you pay for something like that if they don't happen to have one for her!!

Could you possibly look into a used one at a pawn shop?? for you...

[mrb020377]

well i looked in the local paper after i called the music stores and i found one for 250.0 and one for 325.00 i have called both of them and hopefully someone will call me back soon..

My daughter who is also in 6th grade this year starting learning to play the clarinet last year..I am renting to own her clarinet from a store(not here in town) for $25.00 fee a month..they supplied me with a clarinet..My eldest daughter played the flute in concert band in school, and also paid for her flute with the rent/own plan..they gave her a used flute and when I was halfway paying for the flute they gave here a brand new one...all of the monies I paid went towards the flute no fees at all...Do you have a store like that available where you live?..the store that I am renting/purchasing from is about 35 miles from where I live...take gentle care..

[mrb020377]

thanks for your replies... i just get a little uptight when it comes to spending money i dont really have!!!!!! and i dont think it is right to force the kids to be in band if they dont want to!!! but complaining may not benefit my daughter , it may make it worse... so i am kinda stuck!

thanks for listening anyway

[froggie2]

I'd be choked if that happened to me. If you did the rent to own and then at the end of the year could turn it back in and be refunded minus wear and tear???

[weather]

That would upset me also. One can buy a used car for $1,200. If all else fails, maybe some students are selling last year's instruments. Ebay also crossed my mind. I hope the used music stores work out. They sound like the surest solution.

[mrb020377]

my daughter called to tell me that for punishment in band if they move or anything once in their chairs that they ahve to go outside and stand in the sun.... it is 110 degrees outside!!!!! i dont think so

here they rarely have music classes in the schools. if students want to play an instrument the parent has to locate both instrument and private instructor.

The reason for this is because the government had cut the budgets of state aid per school age child enrolled in the schools.

most of our schools here don't have school nurses anymore. students get their school physicals before school starts and then if they are sick or get hurt on school time the office secretary calls the parents, the parents pick up child and take child home or to their pown family physician.

governemnt funds for school psychiatrists have also been cut and so the school here in my district gets a therapist or psychiatrist that vollunteers their time one or two days a week to float to the schools in my school district. most of the time they see the child once and refer them and their parents to the therapy agencies in community for therapy when needed.

As for the costly instrument check with St. Vincent Du Paul and Goodwill. they usually get intruments over the summers. I found a claranet there (goodwill) once for a friend for $5:00 and a flute for the same amount.

[seeker1950]

MRB...I'm a teacher at a middle school here in WV.
I don't see how they can force you or anyone to buy an instrument. It sounds like a good case for a grievance, but I could be wrong. I you cared to pursue it, however, school boards are very sensitve and fearful of legal entanglements, and I bet, just bet, either an instrument would be provided to your daughter or they would back down and seek another solution. This is riduculous!
Patty

[zoidy]

I can't see what the point of making all the kids join the band is anyway... if they said everyone had to do *something* arty (eg. join the band, do extra art, sing in a choir, make movies) that would make a bit more sense but that just sounds like a sure way to put kids off music. Especially if they can't choose what instrument they play!

Another avenue worth exploring is other families with older children - at my house we have a trumpet, a trombone, a guitar and various other noise making devices sitting around doing nothing. No clarinets though, we're more of a brass family!

[mrb020377]

well guys... thanks for your responses.... it turns out that we dont need to buy an insturment after all...
he wouldnt let her play the clarinet as he had 16 kids out of 44 that wanted to play the clarinet... he was trying to force her to play the french horn.. not gonna happen... she tried the tenor sax and nope it didnt work either.... soooo she tried the bass clarient.......lucky for me... she could play it.. and the best part yet!!!!!! The school has one.... so i dont have to buy anything but reeds!!!!!!!!!!!

I want to thank you guys again for all of yor responses.... i was thinking closed minded. Your solutions helped me for the next time i am in a crunch!! thanks

[wi_fighter]

Yay! I'm glad it got worked out.

I was just coming in to tell you to be careful about buying instruments on eBay. My daughter needed a sax, her dad spent $350 for one and it didn't work. He and the band teacher kept tweaking it trying to get it to work properly, but it wouldn't. Then my daughter ended up dropping out of band after a couple of months.

I'd take up issue with the school about making them stand out in the sun though.

[mrb020377]

i am going to call the prinicpal this morning and talk to her about it. he also told them yesterday that they didnt have a right to be in his band, that he chose who was and who wasnt in his band!! i am thinking..... isnt this a requirement.... if so then how can you say something like that ????

[hillbunnyb]

OK OMHO: BAND TEACHER NEEDS TO GO. Excuse me?????? Stand in the sun for moving????? I had a 4th grade teacher who had a kid be monitor at the backof the room. If anybody mmoved out of sitting up straight with hands folded on desk, the kid would snitch.

I already had damaged my back and sitting hurt. Sitting still was torture. Needless to say, I got busted. Mr A-hole sadist teacher grabbed a stack!! of lined paper off the shelf, slammed it onto my desk, and informed me I had to write,:" I will not move in my seat."(or similar)

Rather than confront the bastard, my mother helped me wrtie out my punishment. We were up past 10pm. I don';t remember the rest of that year.

I am glad you are calling the Principal. DEMAND this "teacher" be reprimanded and closely supervised, if not outright fired. See that the school board is notified and that something about his sadistic tendancies goes in his personel file. He should not be allowed around children. Period end.
I guess that was a little more than 2 cents worth, but, sadistic teachers really %#@&#! me off. Go Kick *** Mel, Grrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!

[January]

As a former teacher, I am telling you that man has no business being around children at all. None.

Make a formal complaint at the Board of Education if the principal won't censure him.

Jan

[eskielover]

I didn't see that your daughter was able to choose another instrument. I would be surprised if all the kids that want to play the clarinet will be able to do it either. I was a very talented musician in junior high & when I tried to play the clarinet, I couldn't get it to sound like anything except a sick goose. I tried the flute & was amaized at what a wonderful sound I could get out of it almost immediately. It's a good thing that they have an instrument for your daughters choice because when they are forced into this kind of beginning instrument situation, children usually don't continue past the first semester.

For me, the beginning instrument class with my flute was a great start for a talent that I was still using up to a few years ago. I got my AA degree with my flute but dropped the music major for my BS degree because music didn't make enough money. I have since played my flute at many church services around where I lived & in a flute choir that played at several of the programs around out city.

The most important thing is to not force her to play any instrument seriously unless she truely wants to. Without love for the instrument, there will never be anything there & especially not worth investing your hard earned money on.

Then there is the question about that music teacher.....what is it with some of the music teachers. I was in junior high back in 1964-1967 & back then, teachers could punish the children.....our music teacher had a paddle that he used on the kids that "caused trouble". I just remembered that when you said that this teacher makes the kids stand out in the hot weather. If he doesn't feel like they can be in class without disruption it, they should be sent to the office & not just sent outside......very wrong move on his part.

Keep track of your daughter & how things go in that class,
Debbie

[mrb020377]

eskie... he let her choose another instrument because i told him that the french horn was not what she was going to play... she has an over bite and is about to have to have a palette expander put in before getting braces.... dont think the french horn would be god for her.. anyway.. i asked him about the bass clarinet and he agreed.... my hubby's mom found my brother in laws saxiphone in the attic and she can actually play this!!! sounds half way like she knows what she is doing..... i may try to see if he will change her to that... keeping fingers crossed.....
she takes piano lessons as it is and has become quite good at it... she is very musically inclined so she has that in her favor....

now for the part that angers me to no end!!!! one of the parents called the school about the band director making them stand out in the heat... the prinicpal found NOTHING wrong with it!!! she acted bothered that the parent even called about it!!!!!! I guess it is on to the school board we go!!!! wish me luck!!!!!!

[hillbunnyb]

LUCK LUCK LUCK ooooooow, condoning child abuse-- from the top down.... not a good sign. Get all you parents together and raise the roof as a chorus. with solos, of course. You Go Girl
)))))))) ) ) mel the mighty mother (((((((((( ((

[January]

Mel, go to the Board.

Jan

[SeptemberMorn]

I'm with Bunny, Mel! Something I found very necessary was DOCUMENTATION when you're trying to accomplish something like what you're fighting with. Keep a journal of EVERYTHING your daughter tells you and everything other parents and their children tell you or complain about!

Texas is a tough State but this is ABUSE!!!

[mrb020377]

thanks guys!!!! i feel like a bad mom making her go to that class... but i have no choice... it is a required course and there arent any options at this point!!!! so..... i will call the superintendent on monday and i will get into contact with a few of the board members... he he they are going to hate me when i am done... but i dont care.. like one of the mothers said... if it happens again..... cps will be called to investigate the band director!

[SeptemberMorn]

You go, Girl!!!

[mrb020377]

I AM GONNA!!!!! lol