Shame on you school board! What a thoughtless and detrimental choice!!
C
Caitlin Ross
7 years ago
As a Batavia Alum, I am extremely disappointed to see this. Music was one of the best experiences I had and this is true for many students. I nearly quit playing the violin and had it not been for Mrs. Kazda, my orchestra teacher, I may not have continued. Students need the opportunity to build relationships with others outside of academics. The extracurricular opportunities in orchestra I had should be continued for the students currently there. It is important to keeping students leaving the Batavia school district well-rounded and successful members of the community. Without continuing an experience with proper orchestral leadership, these students will greatly miss out on a huge portion of their educational experience leaving a very poor reflection on Batavia as a whole.
D
Dan Anderson
7 years ago
This move would weaken the orchestra program at BHS..... nothing against band teachers.... but they don’t have the same training... are you having math teachers teach English?
M
Maddie Ross
7 years ago
The orchestra program has been known to have a revolving door of teachers that don't typically last more than two years. Mr. Griffith has been the best teacher BPS 101 has seen since Mrs. Kazda was let go over 6 years ago. Disappointed to see a great teacher be let go, instead of one of the many other department they cancut to save money. This was a program I spent 8 years of my life in and it was on a rapid decline until Mr. Griffith came in; for those that recall the program had gotten so big it was pushing the high schoolers back into the bleachers at last year's all-city concert. I can only hope that the Administration, Board of Education, and Lisa Hichens can take time to realize that they are letting go the person that they should fight for to stay.
C
Charlotte Vicente-Brandon
7 years ago
If the Batavia Public School District administrators and school board members cannot reflect and correct this flawed decision-making, then there is something wrong in our system. Reinstate Mr. Griffith! The right choice for our students, education, and our community.....
M
Mayra Johnson
7 years ago
Chris is an excellent educator who is so passionate about his students and their learning to love the art of music and the instrument they play.
A
Anonymous
7 years ago
I am a Batavia homeowner, if the school district wants to “thin out” the school, why not start at the top
K
Ken Joslin
7 years ago
I worked with Mr. Griffith in Yorkville, and I can say that he is one of the most amazing teachers I have ever had the pleasure to work with. He is simply amazing. He inspires kids with his enthusiasm and love of music. RMS is making a foolish and short sighted decision, and Batavia Music Program will be poorer for their lack of foresight.
E
Emily Wodrich
7 years ago
I was an orchestra student at Batavia, and a good teacher goes a long way. I have heard wonderful things about Griffith and he should be reinstated.
E
Emily Watts
7 years ago
I've already commented, but I wanted to bring up another point that hasn't been mentioned:
As I've said, I currently study music education. I plan to be an orchestra teacher and private violin teacher, and I've played the violin for 11 years thanks to the BPS101 music program.
When you study music education, you must learn every instrument in order to be certified. This is the amount of time I have spent on each instrument:
Saxophone: 2.5 weeks
Clarinet: 2.5 weeks
Flute: 2.5 weeks
Oboe: 5 weeks
Bassoon: 5 weeks
Cello/Viola/Bass: 10 weeks
Trombone: 6 weeks
Euphonium/Tuba: 4 weeks
Trumpet: 5 weeks
French Horn: 5 weeks
Percussion: 10 weeks
Vocals: 10 weeks
^Each class met twice a week for 50 minutes.
---
Piano: 3 years
Violin: 11 years
--------------
Obviously, all colleges are different, so this might not be the exact amount of string education that the band teachers have, but it is a good example of what experience most music educators have on instruments outside of their specialty. Yes, some people do have experience with multiple ensembles, but not always. Additionally, many of these teachers were in college learning about strings 5, 10, 15+ years ago. I was in a Brass Methods class last month and I barely remember anything more than "use more air" and "check your embouchure". Do you really think these teachers remember every detail from their string methods class 10+ years ago? If you've been out of school a while, you probably don't remember a lot from algebra.
I did my best to learn woodwinds/brass/percussion in the interest of my future students, but its a completely different world than strings. I know that my band peers felt the same way with strings, especially with the fact that the violin is one of the most difficult instruments to learn.
In the near future, I will be certified to teach Band, Choir, and Orchestra at the K-12 level. However, do you really want me to teach your kid clarinet even though I onl
A
Amy Pavnica
7 years ago
My daughter received a generous scholarship to continue on in orchestra at college. BPS is well known for their excellent music program. The decision to replace a trained orchestra instructor with a band instructor is a slap on the face to the orchestra program. I wonder how many universities will view this the same way and look elsewhere for students. I also wonder how many parents with incoming 5th graders will skip the orchestra for band, or worse, skip the music program altogether.
D
Debra Swanson
7 years ago
My son benefitted in do many ways from his orchestra experience.
J
Jennifer Rowe
7 years ago
We need to look at what we most value in our community and school. The leadership is not listening! Maybe we need to look for changes here, in contrast to terminating our teachers!
M
Mary lou mares
7 years ago
Batavia’s aspiring musicians need Mr Griffith!
S
Sara Barbee
7 years ago
Keep him! I was so fortunate to attend a middle school with an orchestra director. I’m a working musician today! Please keep Mr. Griffin
J
John Apple
7 years ago
I hope everything that can be done will be done to save the arts and the orchestra position for Mr, Chris Griffith at Rotolo Middle School! Thank you for saying YES to the development of our students!
A
Anonymous
7 years ago
My heart breaks for Mr. Griffith and the children in orchestra. Please have respect for the music department and an inspiring teacher.
A
allison
7 years ago
SAVE MR. GRIFFITH
A
Anonymous
7 years ago
Lots of places to cut the fat n BPS regardless of enrollment. This is not one of them. We haven't had a good orchestra director since they had to let Mrs. Kazda go. Orchestra always seems to take a back seat to the other programs.
SAVE HIM
Shame on you school board! What a thoughtless and detrimental choice!!
As a Batavia Alum, I am extremely disappointed to see this. Music was one of the best experiences I had and this is true for many students. I nearly quit playing the violin and had it not been for Mrs. Kazda, my orchestra teacher, I may not have continued. Students need the opportunity to build relationships with others outside of academics. The extracurricular opportunities in orchestra I had should be continued for the students currently there. It is important to keeping students leaving the Batavia school district well-rounded and successful members of the community. Without continuing an experience with proper orchestral leadership, these students will greatly miss out on a huge portion of their educational experience leaving a very poor reflection on Batavia as a whole.
This move would weaken the orchestra program at BHS..... nothing against band teachers.... but they don’t have the same training... are you having math teachers teach English?
The orchestra program has been known to have a revolving door of teachers that don't typically last more than two years. Mr. Griffith has been the best teacher BPS 101 has seen since Mrs. Kazda was let go over 6 years ago. Disappointed to see a great teacher be let go, instead of one of the many other department they cancut to save money. This was a program I spent 8 years of my life in and it was on a rapid decline until Mr. Griffith came in; for those that recall the program had gotten so big it was pushing the high schoolers back into the bleachers at last year's all-city concert. I can only hope that the Administration, Board of Education, and Lisa Hichens can take time to realize that they are letting go the person that they should fight for to stay.
If the Batavia Public School District administrators and school board members cannot reflect and correct this flawed decision-making, then there is something wrong in our system. Reinstate Mr. Griffith! The right choice for our students, education, and our community.....
Chris is an excellent educator who is so passionate about his students and their learning to love the art of music and the instrument they play.
I am a Batavia homeowner, if the school district wants to “thin out” the school, why not start at the top
I worked with Mr. Griffith in Yorkville, and I can say that he is one of the most amazing teachers I have ever had the pleasure to work with. He is simply amazing. He inspires kids with his enthusiasm and love of music. RMS is making a foolish and short sighted decision, and Batavia Music Program will be poorer for their lack of foresight.
I was an orchestra student at Batavia, and a good teacher goes a long way. I have heard wonderful things about Griffith and he should be reinstated.
I've already commented, but I wanted to bring up another point that hasn't been mentioned: As I've said, I currently study music education. I plan to be an orchestra teacher and private violin teacher, and I've played the violin for 11 years thanks to the BPS101 music program. When you study music education, you must learn every instrument in order to be certified. This is the amount of time I have spent on each instrument: Saxophone: 2.5 weeks Clarinet: 2.5 weeks Flute: 2.5 weeks Oboe: 5 weeks Bassoon: 5 weeks Cello/Viola/Bass: 10 weeks Trombone: 6 weeks Euphonium/Tuba: 4 weeks Trumpet: 5 weeks French Horn: 5 weeks Percussion: 10 weeks Vocals: 10 weeks ^Each class met twice a week for 50 minutes. --- Piano: 3 years Violin: 11 years -------------- Obviously, all colleges are different, so this might not be the exact amount of string education that the band teachers have, but it is a good example of what experience most music educators have on instruments outside of their specialty. Yes, some people do have experience with multiple ensembles, but not always. Additionally, many of these teachers were in college learning about strings 5, 10, 15+ years ago. I was in a Brass Methods class last month and I barely remember anything more than "use more air" and "check your embouchure". Do you really think these teachers remember every detail from their string methods class 10+ years ago? If you've been out of school a while, you probably don't remember a lot from algebra. I did my best to learn woodwinds/brass/percussion in the interest of my future students, but its a completely different world than strings. I know that my band peers felt the same way with strings, especially with the fact that the violin is one of the most difficult instruments to learn. In the near future, I will be certified to teach Band, Choir, and Orchestra at the K-12 level. However, do you really want me to teach your kid clarinet even though I onl
My daughter received a generous scholarship to continue on in orchestra at college. BPS is well known for their excellent music program. The decision to replace a trained orchestra instructor with a band instructor is a slap on the face to the orchestra program. I wonder how many universities will view this the same way and look elsewhere for students. I also wonder how many parents with incoming 5th graders will skip the orchestra for band, or worse, skip the music program altogether.
My son benefitted in do many ways from his orchestra experience.
We need to look at what we most value in our community and school. The leadership is not listening! Maybe we need to look for changes here, in contrast to terminating our teachers!
Batavia’s aspiring musicians need Mr Griffith!
Keep him! I was so fortunate to attend a middle school with an orchestra director. I’m a working musician today! Please keep Mr. Griffin
I hope everything that can be done will be done to save the arts and the orchestra position for Mr, Chris Griffith at Rotolo Middle School! Thank you for saying YES to the development of our students!
My heart breaks for Mr. Griffith and the children in orchestra. Please have respect for the music department and an inspiring teacher.
SAVE MR. GRIFFITH
Lots of places to cut the fat n BPS regardless of enrollment. This is not one of them. We haven't had a good orchestra director since they had to let Mrs. Kazda go. Orchestra always seems to take a back seat to the other programs.