A&E

The Legacy of the Band Program in SOMSD

By Louise Kern-Kensler
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Photo Credit: The Village Green

Columbia High School (CHS) is known for the arts, and especially the band program. The CHS band program is a well thought out and complex system of leveled ensembles that intend to teach students musicality, music theory, and technique. Up until recently, the CHS bands have been wildly successful in competition, however it is evident that there has been a shift in the amount of successes encountered by the band. In 2016, the Wind Ensemble (the top performing ensemble) won Gold at the region festival and was accepted into the State Gala. Similarly in 2017, the Wind Ensemble won Gold again. However, this year, the ensemble was not even able to attend the festival due to a lack of preparation. This trend may not be the fault of the teachers at CHS or even the students, but maybe the fault of education at a lower level.

The middle school band programs are also experiencing a downward trend in successes. For the past multiple years the 8th grade band has been participating in the High Note Music Festival and consistently being awarded Superior (the highest award). However, this last year, the band was unable to obtain the award. Amelia Cintron-Birch, ‘19, attended Maplewood Middle School before CHS and says, “It could be better. There’s no culture of practicing and there’s no real substance to anything that is taught which leads to problems in the high school.” Similarly, Grace Healey, ‘19, who attended South Orange Middle School says, “Mr. Tighe is the best, however there is an influx of so many students so makes it hard for him to teach effectively. Also, no one really wants to get better and there definitely isn’t the same passion for playing that there was when I went to SOMS.”

The solution to these problems is generally accepted to be the hiring of an assistant band director to manage the large number of students and private lessons for students in the high school in order to improve individual technique. CHS has already taken steps to give private instruction to all members of the band program. The school has a partnership with John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State where professors spend a day at CHS once a week giving free lessons. This gives students hope for a more successful future in the arts.