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Whither School Bands?
A Town Hall Meeting

Friday, October 9, 2009

4:00-6:00 pm

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Public schools in Rhode Island, like schools across the country, are responding to fiscal constraints by making significant cuts in the staffing, scheduling, and budgetary support of instrumental music programs; yet the No Child Left Behind Act specifies the arts as one of the required "core" subjects to which each child must have access. In fact, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has specifically addressed the importance of the arts to students, emphasizing its status as a core subject as defined in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (click here to view Secretary Duncan’s memo).

In order to meet this challenge, a panel of regional and national experts will convene in a "town hall meeting" format, responding to issues highlighted in a national survey of music educators, as well as questions from a live audience and simultaneous webcast viewers. Audience members will include band directors from public schools and higher education, music teacher preparation faculty from area institutions, public school music students, parents, and administrators. The panelists include nationally recognized experts from higher education, public school music education, and public school administration.

Admission is free to this event.

Rhode Island College is the natural setting for such a colloquium, given its strong reputation in music teacher preparation, as well as the current financial crisis many Rhode Island school districts are facing.

All attendees will also receive complementary admission to "A Young Person's Guide to the Band," a concert by the Rhode Island College Wind Ensemble at 8:00 pm that evening. The concert will feature exemplary works written for young musicians by some of the greatest composers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Select high school instrumentalists from the region will join the RIC Wind Ensemble for a portion of the concert.

Whither School Bands? A Town Hall Meeting

4:00-6:00 pm

This event will be streamed live via Ustream.com for those who cannot attend in person. The URL for this broadcast is http://www.ustream.tv/channel/whither-school-bands-a-town-hall-meeting. Viewers will be able to send questions and comments via live chat to the panelists during the event, making this a truly interactive experience for all.

A Young Person's Guide to the Band

8:00 pm

Rhode Island College Wind Ensemble
Edward S. Lisk, guest conductor

Panelists

	Edward S. Lisk Retired public school music educator, author, conductor, internationally-recognized clinician Edward S. Lisk is an internationally recognized clinician, conductor, and author. He is a graduate of Syracuse University School of Music...read more.
	Dr. David Neves Coordinator of Fine Arts, Needham (MA) Public Schools David Neves has been the Director of Fine and Performing Arts for the Needham Public Schools, Needham, Massachusetts since 2005. Prior to this, he served 29 years as a music teacher...read more.
	Frank L. Battisti Conductor emeritus of the New England Conservatory Wind Ensemble, author, former public school music educator Frank L. Battisti is Conductor Emeritus of the New England conservatory Wind Ensemble. Under Mr. Battisti's leadership, the Ensemble has established a national and international reputation...read more.
	Dr. Robert Franzblau (Modorator) Director of Bands, Rhode Island College Dr. Robert Franzblau serves as Associate Professor of Music and Director of Bands at Rhode Island College, a position he has held since 1997...read more.
	Richard L. Pearson Principal, Medway (MA) High School, former music educator Richard Pearson has been the principal of Medway High School in Medway, MA for 6 years. He began his career as a high school and middle school band director in Walpole, MA....read more.