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Greg Billings's avatar

You make a strong argument. Much of it is the same argument we made when NAMM was lobbying the ESEA (I was on the team for 7 years). Kids with early elementary arts and music instruction do better as a group. A lot better, and they keep getting better as they age. Eventually, and in conjunction with partners ranging from The Grammy's, VH1 and the NEA to grassroots arts coalitions we were able to have language inserted into Title 3 defining Arts and Music as 'core curriculum', which seems arcane, but forces schools to offer instruction.

And of course 5th grade is the perfect time for Band. For one thing, the boys have caught up to the girls with fine motor skills. But, having spent 42 years running music stores with piano instruction, and having been to hundreds of recitals, and having run a regional piano competition for 20 years, I have a few additional thoughts.

If you would like to see a thriving 5th grade band program, have a 3rd grade, required, piano program. Not strings, not recorder....piano. (keyboard) Here's why. It is reasonable to assume that when a human hears a pleasant sound, they are more likely to want to pursue it. Conversely, an unpleasant sound will be avoided.

It is not reasonable to expect a 4 to 10 year old to produce a pleasant sound on a cheap violin with a cheap bow; as anyone who has ever endured an elementary string recital can attest. But everyone can produce a pleasant sound on a piano the first time they touch a key. Further, musical tones are linear, from low to high. a piano keyboard or a guitar fretboard are also linear, so it is more understandable for kids than some abstract set of combinations of finger movements. Especially when it comes time to read music. And of course, singing in any form must be encouraged from a very early age.

We can look east to our friends in China, Korea and Japan for confirmation. Basically almost every kid plays piano from age 5, and has for generations. We can track their academic accomplishments in STEAM related subjects, or we can look at YouTube video of their middle school bands to see the results.

So YES....5th Grade band for every kid who wants to play. But there is an opportunity for girls starting at age 5 and some boys at 7, that can lead to bigger and better bands.

Finally, people are more likely to play a piano or guitar all their lives than a horn, our best efforts notwithstanding, so it only seems fair to give them this skill set early.

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Virginia Macdonald's avatar

The Junior High I went to in CT made it so that if you participated in band, orchestra, or chorus you did not have to take general music - a class that I have many feelings on but won't go into here. Needless to say, our performing ensembles were full and we learned music by playing music together.

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