REGINA — Music advocates are calling on Regina Public Schools (RPS) to pause plans to change its band program this fall.
The RPS announced in February that Grade 6 students will receive specialized music instruction in their home schools, along with instrumental music classes four times a year at the transformed Music Centre Dieppe.
Scott Peters, director of the Saskatchewan Music Educators Association, said taking away the traditional two times a week band practice will impact learning an instrument.
“Learning a musical instrument doesn’t work that way, and it takes constant instruction.”
Grade 6 teacher in Moose Jaw and music educator, Brendan Dickie, also worried about reduced practice time.
“The amount of time they're getting, it might be a little bit difficult to create something sustainable in the higher grades.”
Beyond practice, Peters said more clarification is needed for specialized music instruction.
“Instrumental music could be recorded, instrumental music could be ukulele, instrumental music certainly could be band instruments, right? But there's really no clear answer as to what's going to happen with that.”
The RPS highlighted a big reason for the change was the drop in band enrolment by Grade 8. According to the RPS, 41 per cent of Grade 6 students participated in band, but 60 per cent of those students would eventually drop out in the next two years.
During the Music Centre Dieppe announcement, Mark Haarmann, director and CEO of RPS said kids missing class time for band is likely the biggest factor behind this.
However, Dickie pointed out teachers typically make their own schedule to ensure students don’t miss core subjects for extracurricular activities.
“If you don't want kids to be missing core subjects, you just wouldn't teach them during those band periods because I set my own schedule in my classroom.”
Peters feels it’s on the RPS school administration to ensure missing certain classes doesn’t negatively affect band kids.
“Don't schedule a math class or an English language arts class or a science class while kids are off to band. Why not? Why not, while the band kids are practicing, also offer arts education?”
As for Grade 7 and 8 students who continue band, they’ll receive lessons once a week for half a day at the Music Centre Dieppe.
Peters questions whether transporting kids from a large distance is the most efficient way of using time and resources.
“Some students will have to ride a bus for an hour, and the school will pay drivers money to transport them.”
Dickie said transporting kids will cause them to miss crucial time for music lessons.
“[The] extra time that they're missing out, where they could be in those core subjects or in the sectionals and with their band teacher building on some of the skills that they're learning in the large group.”
Peters is hopeful the RPS will pause its decision and sit down with educators.
“I know if they go through with this, somewhere down the road, someone is going to realize this was a horrible mistake and try to restart something.”
In a response to SaskToday, the RPS said, "The updated band program actually increases the number of Grade 6 students who get to experience the joy of elementary school band.”
The school board also noted changes to programs factor in student experience as the driving factor.
