Annandale Band Director Claims Racism

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He was not dismissed due to social media posts or posting rehearsals. So please take into consideration that parents and boosters get into the ears of principals ALL THE TIME. This was a musician, composer, band director, artist who chose to go into this profession on purpose. He meets all certification requirements and then some AND is working on a doctorate. Like really-when you think about it, without doing something outrageously wrong to a student why would a new admin rate him any less than a year ago? It’s because the evaluation system is set up for admin to be able to do just what they did. Evaluate him out on some BS. IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME. This teacher is just willing to fight back without fear of retribution. He is telling his truth. There are Vet teachers and admin I. FCPS who have f’d up far worse and still have their jobs. He may actually have a point. Someone name or share out any other HIGH SCHOOL black male band director in FCPS WITH AWARDS AND HIGH RATINGS in competitions. I’ll wait…..

How do you know this?

Do you really think he would have resigned if he really believed it was racism?

I've no idea what really happened, and I suspect you do not either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He was not dismissed due to social media posts or posting rehearsals. So please take into consideration that parents and boosters get into the ears of principals ALL THE TIME. This was a musician, composer, band director, artist who chose to go into this profession on purpose. He meets all certification requirements and then some AND is working on a doctorate. Like really-when you think about it, without doing something outrageously wrong to a student why would a new admin rate him any less than a year ago? It’s because the evaluation system is set up for admin to be able to do just what they did. Evaluate him out on some BS. IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME. This teacher is just willing to fight back without fear of retribution. He is telling his truth. There are Vet teachers and admin I. FCPS who have f’d up far worse and still have their jobs. He may actually have a point. Someone name or share out any other HIGH SCHOOL black male band director in FCPS WITH AWARDS AND HIGH RATINGS in competitions. I’ll wait…..

First, there is no evidence this Annandale band director teacher “f’d up” to quote you. He may have been a perfectly fine teacher and excellent band director, despite the cringey social media posts on his personal accounts.

Second, the Washington-Liberty HS band director is African American and has been the director there for some four decades. His band has won numerous awards and he has also been the Washington Post teacher of the year. That band is one of the best in the DMV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He was not dismissed due to social media posts or posting rehearsals. So please take into consideration that parents and boosters get into the ears of principals ALL THE TIME. This was a musician, composer, band director, artist who chose to go into this profession on purpose. He meets all certification requirements and then some AND is working on a doctorate. Like really-when you think about it, without doing something outrageously wrong to a student why would a new admin rate him any less than a year ago? It’s because the evaluation system is set up for admin to be able to do just what they did. Evaluate him out on some BS. IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME. This teacher is just willing to fight back without fear of retribution. He is telling his truth. There are Vet teachers and admin I. FCPS who have f’d up far worse and still have their jobs. He may actually have a point. Someone name or share out any other HIGH SCHOOL black male band director in FCPS WITH AWARDS AND HIGH RATINGS in competitions. I’ll wait…..

Being qualified on paper and being good are two different things. The recording during class and social media posts with students is not acceptable.

[Anonymous]

And, it’s easy to get awards with rich families whose kids are in private lessons and orchestras.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He was not dismissed due to social media posts or posting rehearsals. So please take into consideration that parents and boosters get into the ears of principals ALL THE TIME. This was a musician, composer, band director, artist who chose to go into this profession on purpose. He meets all certification requirements and then some AND is working on a doctorate. Like really-when you think about it, without doing something outrageously wrong to a student why would a new admin rate him any less than a year ago? It’s because the evaluation system is set up for admin to be able to do just what they did. Evaluate him out on some BS. IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME. This teacher is just willing to fight back without fear of retribution. He is telling his truth. There are Vet teachers and admin I. FCPS who have f’d up far worse and still have their jobs. He may actually have a point. Someone name or share out any other HIGH SCHOOL black male band director in FCPS WITH AWARDS AND HIGH RATINGS in competitions. I’ll wait…..

Being qualified on paper and being good are two different things. The recording during class and social media posts with students is not acceptable.

NP. Recording and posting rehearsals is acceptable, or at least, the band director for my DC at a different school does it. It is a covid/post covid hybrid technique for the kids who want to review the rehearsal or missed it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And, it’s easy to get awards with rich families whose kids are in private lessons and orchestras.

Washington Lee is not the wealthy high school in APS...?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And, it’s easy to get awards with rich families whose kids are in private lessons and orchestras.

Washington Lee is not the wealthy high school in APS...?

Washington Lee (now Washington Liberty) is a mostly wealthy school. But not as posh as Yorktown.

So demographics are vastly different than Annandale. But the band director there who is Black leads one of the top marching and symphonic bands.

[Anonymous]

At W&L and similar schools many of not most performing arts students have supplemental private lessons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
A lot of FCPS schools REQUIRE kids in symphonic band to be in the marching band. They can’t get a lot of kids to join, so to go to the higher level classes they have to join. Consequently, their musical performances often outshine schools from other districts who take students at all ability levels. I don’t know the policy at Annandale. But if you’ve got a lot of kids who don’t want to be there in the first place, who are then treated strictly, they will turn on you in an instant.

Every FCPS school, except TJ, requires the higher bands (at least) to be in Marching Band. The Virginia culture of marching bands is all about the bands and not about the kids and what’s best for them.

I grew up in Texas, which has a very strong band culture. And yes, marching band is required for the upper level bands. Of course it is. That's best for the band and best for kids. A strong band is fun for kids, and needs everyone, all the members. Not just some of the members.

It's funny how Republican Freedom and Individual Self Reliance goes out the window when the football team needs to put on a good show.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He was not dismissed due to social media posts or posting rehearsals. So please take into consideration that parents and boosters get into the ears of principals ALL THE TIME. This was a musician, composer, band director, artist who chose to go into this profession on purpose. He meets all certification requirements and then some AND is working on a doctorate. Like really-when you think about it, without doing something outrageously wrong to a student why would a new admin rate him any less than a year ago? It’s because the evaluation system is set up for admin to be able to do just what they did. Evaluate him out on some BS. IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME. This teacher is just willing to fight back without fear of retribution. He is telling his truth. There are Vet teachers and admin I. FCPS who have f’d up far worse and still have their jobs. He may actually have a point. Someone name or share out any other HIGH SCHOOL black male band director in FCPS WITH AWARDS AND HIGH RATINGS in competitions. I’ll wait…..

First, there is no evidence this Annandale band director teacher “f’d up” to quote you. He may have been a perfectly fine teacher and excellent band director, despite the cringey social media posts on his personal accounts.

Second, the Washington-Liberty HS band director is African American and has been the director there for some four decades. His band has won numerous awards and he has also been the Washington Post teacher of the year. That band is one of the best in the DMV.

The POINT is that he didn’t “F” up. He is a good band director and may have been victim to people complaining not being able to handle his methods. ITS THE BAND BOOSTERS and probably only a few people. By the way WL is NOT in FCPS.

[Anonymous]

Mr. Mitchell - Edison
Mr. Thomas - Justice

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He was not dismissed due to social media posts or posting rehearsals. So please take into consideration that parents and boosters get into the ears of principals ALL THE TIME. This was a musician, composer, band director, artist who chose to go into this profession on purpose. He meets all certification requirements and then some AND is working on a doctorate. Like really-when you think about it, without doing something outrageously wrong to a student why would a new admin rate him any less than a year ago? It’s because the evaluation system is set up for admin to be able to do just what they did. Evaluate him out on some BS. IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME. This teacher is just willing to fight back without fear of retribution. He is telling his truth. There are Vet teachers and admin I. FCPS who have f’d up far worse and still have their jobs. He may actually have a point. Someone name or share out any other HIGH SCHOOL black male band director in FCPS WITH AWARDS AND HIGH RATINGS in competitions. I’ll wait…..

How do you know this?

Do you really think he would have resigned if he really believed it was racism?

I've no idea what really happened, and I suspect you do not either.

YES! He would have resigned. HR puts so much pressure on people and basically threatens them that if they do not resign then they will be fired and one should lawyer up quickly, in order to take your appeal to the school board. They also try and make people sign NDS to save face. You can simply be dismissed in your first 3 years if “people” don’t like you. How in the world does a person go from satisfactory to do not reappoint in one year-a change in the evaluating administrator and a few butt-hurt parents. That’s how….

[Anonymous]

He was my band director my senior year and he is my guy. Y’all are just nasty when u don’t get your way

I still wanna know why he was a featured teacher in February and then like 1 day later it was removed which of you uglies had something to do with that?????

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And, it’s easy to get awards with rich families whose kids are in private lessons and orchestras.

Washington Lee is not the wealthy high school in APS...?

W-L is 45% white and 35% economically disadvantaged which puts it above the median mark compared to FCPS. Very similar to South Lakes HS and in the grand scheme of things still a relatively wealthy school. So yes, W-L should be getting far more awards compared to Annandale. It would be concerning if they weren't.

[Anonymous]

As a former student who was taught by Tyron, the article leaves out countless details and spins other details to fit his agenda. To start, the marching band was very diverse and less than a fourth of the members were white. The claims of racism are absurd and it blows my mind how out of touch he is with his own actions. While Tyron was a charismatic guy from the outside, once it came to his students there was constant manipulation, hypocrisy that he was proud to admit to, inability to take fault, and more. During my time as his student I witnessed as Tyron bad mouthed students behind their backs to other students and parents alike, encouraged a fight between students, was aware of harassment that took place in his classroom and took no action. These are only a few of the reasons students of almost every race disliked him and wanted him gone. Not once did the students who went and talked to administration about Tyron’s hurtful and degrading actions do it because of his race. Additionally, there was very little instruction given by Tyron. Yes, the marching band was award winning but that was with the help of outside instructors. It became evident Tyron didn’t contribute much when concert band taught by him alone wasn’t so “award winning.” Tyron gave very little critique and offered very little advice as to how to improve our sound/blend. For Tyron to have blamed his “resignation” on his race is preposterous and unfounded.