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By Wesley Anderson. ROWVA Jr/Sr High School
Music competitions often create an environment that discourages schools, students, and teachers from recruiting more students to participate in music, where we should be encouraging as many students as possible to join. There are two primary criteria for determining class size: ensemble size and school size. At first glance, this might seem like a trivial distinction, but the choice between these two methods has significant implications for what we prioritize in music education in Illinois. Picture a rural school of just 163 students, stepping onto the field to compete against a school of 900 at a marching band competition. The contrast was stark, and it was clear that competing against larger schools with bigger budgets posed a significant challenge. Prioritizing school size for class placement helps make music accessible to all students, while emphasizing ensemble size can favor students with more resources.
I strongly advocate for selecting school size as the determinant for class placement, rather than ensemble size, to promote equality. When schools are allowed to form audition-based ensembles, they can exclude less experienced or perceived “less talented” students, creating an exclusive environment. While exclusivity can help create top-level groups, it may not always foster a spirit of inclusivity and opportunity for all students. It more often fosters a community of students with means (money for lessons, higher quality instruments, more percussion in the pit, and students who aren’t as integral to other activities at school) vs. students without.
In my band program over the past three years, I have made music 100 percent free. I received grants to purchase all of the students’ instruments, secured an annual grant to provide $1000 worth of reeds and valve oil, and our band boosters fundraise to provide every student with a meal and a free shirt each school year. The school budget covers repairs, and I write most of the music and drill for my school. We also have stipends to offer free private lessons to all students in the Band and Choir program. This support has helped our ensemble grow from 19 to 55 band students. By removing financial obstacles, students eagerly returned to the band. We are a Title 1 school where students previously could not afford to participate.
This year, due to our growth in ensemble size, we moved to a 3A class in one marching band competition for the first time in our school’s history. At the time, we were a high school of 163 students. When parents and students found out we were competing at this higher level, they initially felt stressed and confused. Why are we being forced to compete at a higher level for trying to make music more welcoming? A small marching band budget is regarded at $4000. My school is well below that amount. Some students wondered why we would recruit so many participants if it made things more challenging. This experience highlighted the need for an equitable approach to competition classifications.
Many small schools and school directors face similar challenges when growing an ensemble. It is essential to promote inclusive music for all environments. Moving growing ensembles from small schools to compete against exclusive, often audition-based groups from larger schools, is not in the spirit of equity. Encouraging inclusivity in music programs can help maintain a welcoming and supportive environment for all students. To encourage and support teachers in removing barriers for performance in effort to make music accessible to all students, competition classification should always reflect school size.