My music teacher once told me, “You can’t carry a tune in a bucket, but that’s not the point. Use your voice loudly and confidently.” Those decades-old words inspire this whole column.

On July 31, Regional School Unit 21’s administration described a board-supported policy moving fifth-grade band to recess or morning meeting, cutting band from 45 minutes to 30 in order to “protect core classes” and not compromise “instructional time.” Band was pushed to the only unstructured time kids have in a 6.5-hour day. 

Band is taught by licensed teachers in our schools – this is instructional time.

At Sea Road School in Kennebunk, kids interested in band must commit to missing recess twice a week for much of the year. Kids at Kennebunkport Consolidated School and Arundel’s Mildred L. Day School will miss morning meeting, when kids are still eating breakfast and classes are setting expectations for the day. Good luck to the teachers who will have to clean Cheerios out of a flute hole.

National data indicate band kids perform a grade level above their non-band peers in math and language. Seventy percent of Sea Road School kids chose band last year. Nineteen of 20 KCS kids (if I heard the number correctly at the meeting) chose band. Those successful numbers will decline this year, putting band on life support a few years after eliminating fourth-grade band. If attrition doesn’t kill band, burned-out teachers may walk. Next year, the middle school band teacher will play catch-up because a 30% decrease in time means kids aren’t learning to grade level. It’s unfair to have her clean up this mess.

Band kids aren’t the problem. Band kids aren’t doing worse in school. But they are taking the hit because band isn’t valued like standardized test subjects.

In May, the administration and board applauded band at Arts Night. Now this. How many hours were music teachers invited to discussions about a 30% cut to their time?

The word “equity” was used often in the meeting. Equity isn’t equal time – it’s equal access. The music teacher at Sea Road School had 22 trumpet players. I’m married to a trumpet player and couldn’t put a valve in to save my life. She teaches 22 10-year-olds to put their horns together, and then time’s up without ever learning a note. The KCS teacher had four trumpet players – with 15 fewer minutes, she could maybe teach one note. Equity is not a cookie-cutter approach; it’s teaching to the population in front of you.

I hope there’s a better plan than “We’ll wait and see,” which is the current (abysmal) plan. By October we need to hold the administration and board accountable. How many kids signed up last year compared to this year? What happens if there’s a 5% drop? Fifteen percent? Fifty? We don’t know. There was no plan for failure.

Wait and see isn’t a plan – it’s a hope we adjust and forget.

Half the day is dedicated to math and language arts. We were told that “120 minutes isn’t a lot of time“ – when it’s a test subject. For the record, science and humanities split a 30-minute block, which is equally unacceptable. We say we value science and the arts – these numbers indicate otherwise.

Maybe kids will be heard. TikTok kids get stuff done. Write letters. Get involved. Students and former students who want to say something about education and the immeasurable impact arts have on them – get your bucket. Say it now, as loud and confidently as you can.

When there’s commentary from RSU 21, remember this: Thirty percent of the music teachers’ time was cut and shifted to recess, negatively impacting the arts. Actions speak louder than words used to explain this unfathomable action. We’d never entertain moving math to recess. If band were a standardized test subject, I have no doubt we’d be talking about moving science to before school, which is equally appalling.

(Thank you, Mrs. Jones, RSU 40, for finding my voice.)

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