MUSIC FOR EVERYONE: ELIMINATE THE MARCHING BAND PREREQUISITE AT FAIRVIEW HIGH SCHOOL (Boulder, Colorado)
Are you a current, former, or future Fairview High School (FHS) student or a parent/guardian? Please sign this petition!
For many years, FHS in Boulder, Colorado, has required students to enroll in marching band as a prerequisite to participating in other bands. Marching band at FHS entails a heavy commitment, including:
- Two weeks of full-day practice (40 hours/week) in the summer before school starts.
- An average out-of-school practice/performance commitment of fifteen hours per week, for ten weeks. This is the equivalent of an extra high school class, requiring evening, and sometimes late night, attendance that is disruptive to academic work, meals, and sleep.
- A financial contribution of $600 dollars.
FHS students who cannot meet these commitments, or are not interested in marching band, must give up all other high school band education opportunities.
We do not seek to harm the FHS marching band, but do want to ensure that high school band education is accessible to all.
Eliminating the marching band prerequisite would allow more students to participate in music at FHS!
Need more information? You'll find it here.
I support eliminating the marching band prerequisite so more students can participate in music at Fairview High School!Updates
January 11, 2023
I was looking at the screen and realized things are actually moving now which is honestly such a surreal feeling because I remember sitting at my kitchen table just hoping one other person would read this thing. It is wild to think about how many people care about music access in our schools and I am just really grateful that you all decided to jump on board with this idea.
46 Comments
It seems rather unreasonable for the marching band being a gate keeper of all other music opportunities. There are students who'd love to be in a music program but may not be interested in a marching band or able to make the time commitment. This all-or-nothing policy does not serve students and their families well.
I love jazz band, but have to stay in marching band despite countless efforts to get out. It has drained my, and countless friends mental health during the fall and also out ability to take health or other required classes if we want to do Jazz band.
My daughter was unable to play [instruments] in the jazz band because she chose mountain biking over marching band. I spoke with Travis Keller about his policy at the time. He is a prime of everything wrong in high school music programs which deter students from becoming well rounded people. [redaction to protect youth identity]
I have a current fhs student and an incoming one. With marching band required my kid will quit music after 3y in middle school band, sad. I'd love to see other opportunities.
My son is a jazz musician, has no interest in marching band, and was denied an exemption by Mr. Keller. It has been very difficult to support his music without school support.
I do fully agree that this requirement should be relaxed. Our son loved music so much and played all the time and was in all-state band. We were told prior to enrolling at Fairview that he could play a fall sport and also be in marching band. This, of course, is very much not true. You can not be in a fall sport with any level of seriousness and also do marching band practice. We thought that was very deceptive. So now he can't play concert band or jazz band, and has stopped playing his instrument, which is really sad. Please rethink this!
Our son was not able to do band because his sports (not in school) activities overlap with marching band. Because he is not in band, he cannot be in any of the youth bands outside of school, he cannot audition for all-state and similar. He is still taking private lessons, but his opportunities to play with other people are close to zero. He has played his instrument since the first grade in various in and out of school bands. Music education should be available to all who want to participate. These restrictions are doing nothing but hurting students (and in the end, the marching band too). music should be there for students, not the other way around.
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MUSIC FOR EVERYONE: ELIMINATE THE MARCHING BAND PREREQUISITE AT FAIRVIEW HIGH SCHOOL (Boulder, Colorado)
Are you a current, former, or future Fairview High School (FHS) student or a parent/guardian? Please sign this petition!
For many years, FHS in Boulder, Colorado, has required students to enroll in marching band as a prerequisite to participating in other bands. Marching band at FHS entails a heavy commitment, including:
- Two weeks of full-day practice (40 hours/week) in the summer before school starts.
- An average out-of-school practice/performance commitment of fifteen hours per week, for ten weeks. This is the equivalent of an extra high school class, requiring evening, and sometimes late night, attendance that is disruptive to academic work, meals, and sleep.
- A financial contribution of $600 dollars.
FHS students who cannot meet these commitments, or are not interested in marching band, must give up all other high school band education opportunities.
We do not seek to harm the FHS marching band, but do want to ensure that high school band education is accessible to all.
Eliminating the marching band prerequisite would allow more students to participate in music at FHS!
Need more information? You'll find it here.
I support eliminating the marching band prerequisite so more students can participate in music at Fairview High School!Updates
January 11, 2023
I was looking at the screen and realized things are actually moving now which is honestly such a surreal feeling because I remember sitting at my kitchen table just hoping one other person would read this thing. It is wild to think about how many people care about music access in our schools and I am just really grateful that you all decided to jump on board with this idea.
46 Comments
I am currently in both marching band, and the bike team, and was told race at multiple occasions with some 3 hours of sleep - totally unsafe! In addition to the 8 hours a week after school, marching band takes over many weekends as well.
It seems rather unreasonable for the marching band being a gate keeper of all other music opportunities. There are students who'd love to be in a music program but may not be interested in a marching band or able to make the time commitment. This all-or-nothing policy does not serve students and their families well.
I love jazz band, but have to stay in marching band despite countless efforts to get out. It has drained my, and countless friends mental health during the fall and also out ability to take health or other required classes if we want to do Jazz band.
My daughter was unable to play [instruments] in the jazz band because she chose mountain biking over marching band. I spoke with Travis Keller about his policy at the time. He is a prime of everything wrong in high school music programs which deter students from becoming well rounded people. [redaction to protect youth identity]
I have a current fhs student and an incoming one. With marching band required my kid will quit music after 3y in middle school band, sad. I'd love to see other opportunities.
My son is a jazz musician, has no interest in marching band, and was denied an exemption by Mr. Keller. It has been very difficult to support his music without school support.
I do fully agree that this requirement should be relaxed. Our son loved music so much and played all the time and was in all-state band. We were told prior to enrolling at Fairview that he could play a fall sport and also be in marching band. This, of course, is very much not true. You can not be in a fall sport with any level of seriousness and also do marching band practice. We thought that was very deceptive. So now he can't play concert band or jazz band, and has stopped playing his instrument, which is really sad. Please rethink this!
Our son was not able to do band because his sports (not in school) activities overlap with marching band. Because he is not in band, he cannot be in any of the youth bands outside of school, he cannot audition for all-state and similar. He is still taking private lessons, but his opportunities to play with other people are close to zero. He has played his instrument since the first grade in various in and out of school bands. Music education should be available to all who want to participate. These restrictions are doing nothing but hurting students (and in the end, the marching band too). music should be there for students, not the other way around.
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I am currently in both marching band, and the bike team, and was told race at multiple occasions with some 3 hours of sleep - totally unsafe! In addition to the 8 hours a week after school, marching band takes over many weekends as well.