Music Cuts

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are there before and after school classes? That doesn't seem like it should be allowed. How do kids get home? Does high school have a late bus, too?

I believe every IB high school in the county offers the required IB course, Theory of Knowledge, after school. Students who do the full IB diploma are unable to take a band, or music class (or another non IB elective) and get the diploma because there aren't enough periods in the day. Therefore, the schools offer a section of TOK after school so the students can fit it all into their schedule. Another reason why IB is more expensive than AP.

More reasons why IB should be canned by FCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are there before and after school classes? That doesn't seem like it should be allowed. How do kids get home? Does high school have a late bus, too?

I believe every IB high school in the county offers the required IB course, Theory of Knowledge, after school. Students who do the full IB diploma are unable to take a band, or music class (or another non IB elective) and get the diploma because there aren't enough periods in the day. Therefore, the schools offer a section of TOK after school so the students can fit it all into their schedule. Another reason why IB is more expensive than AP.

Fcps should eliminate IB at your school and keep the music classes.

[Anonymous]

I don't know how any other school teaches music. I will say that Jazz Band, Marching Band, and specialized choirs at my HS in the 80's were all after school activities with no grades. They were treated like sports. We had our own competitions and activities, it was great, but we were not graded.

The school should offer different levels of band and choir at the school that are graded but adding additional music classes as after school activities strikes me as wrong. And I ahve never agreed with kids in a certain band being forced to participate in marching band. Marching band is it's own activity and should be treated like a sport. Kids should join because they want to and should not be required to participate in order to participate in the highest-level band. Maybe that means a smaller marching band, but it would be full of kids who want to be in marching band. And I know that this is not unique to this area, family members in different states have had the same issue with marching band.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are there before and after school classes? That doesn't seem like it should be allowed. How do kids get home? Does high school have a late bus, too?

I believe every IB high school in the county offers the required IB course, Theory of Knowledge, after school. Students who do the full IB diploma are unable to take a band, or music class (or another non IB elective) and get the diploma because there aren't enough periods in the day. Therefore, the schools offer a section of TOK after school so the students can fit it all into their schedule. Another reason why IB is more expensive than AP.

Fcps should eliminate IB at your school and keep the music classes.

Very few kids complete the IB program so most kids are not taking the theory of knowledge. One reason people don't take IB is because you have to give up too many electives and it removes some of the fun classes from a kid's schedule.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know how any other school teaches music. I will say that Jazz Band, Marching Band, and specialized choirs at my HS in the 80's were all after school activities with no grades. They were treated like sports. We had our own competitions and activities, it was great, but we were not graded.

The school should offer different levels of band and choir at the school that are graded but adding additional music classes as after school activities strikes me as wrong. And I ahve never agreed with kids in a certain band being forced to participate in marching band. Marching band is it's own activity and should be treated like a sport. Kids should join because they want to and should not be required to participate in order to participate in the highest-level band. Maybe that means a smaller marching band, but it would be full of kids who want to be in marching band. And I know that this is not unique to this area, family members in different states have had the same issue with marching band.

FCPS usually offers a minimum of 4 choirs at the school:

Some sort of freshman/open enrollment choir, usually soprano, 2nd soprano, alto voices

Some sort of open enrollment mens choir for tenr, baritone, bass voices

Some sort of audition required soprano, second soprano, alto choir

Some sort of audition required mixed choir of soprano, 2nd soprano, alto, tenor 1, tenor 2, baritone and bass voices.

Usually, the audition based mixed choir is the top choir that does e tra performances, but at some FCPS with less developed male singers, the female audition choir is the top choir.

Some FCPS have additional ensembles for things like show choir/musical theater, or other performance groups.

When those choirs are for credit, they are held during the school day.

When they are after school extracurricular activities, there is no credit.

It is highly unusual to give students credit for their atfter school music activity.

This might be the only school that does this.

They are probably breakung some district policy, that has nothing to do with DEI.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are there before and after school classes? That doesn't seem like it should be allowed. How do kids get home? Does high school have a late bus, too?

I believe every IB high school in the county offers the required IB course, Theory of Knowledge, after school. Students who do the full IB diploma are unable to take a band, or music class (or another non IB elective) and get the diploma because there aren't enough periods in the day. Therefore, the schools offer a section of TOK after school so the students can fit it all into their schedule. Another reason why IB is more expensive than AP.

Fcps should eliminate IB at your school and keep the music classes.

Very few kids complete the IB program so most kids are not taking the theory of knowledge. One reason people don't take IB is because you have to give up too many electives and it removes some of the fun classes from a kid's schedule.

Fcps needs to eliminate IB.

It wastes taxpayer money and does not benefit students

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are there before and after school classes? That doesn't seem like it should be allowed. How do kids get home? Does high school have a late bus, too?

I believe every IB high school in the county offers the required IB course, Theory of Knowledge, after school. Students who do the full IB diploma are unable to take a band, or music class (or another non IB elective) and get the diploma because there aren't enough periods in the day. Therefore, the schools offer a section of TOK after school so the students can fit it all into their schedule. Another reason why IB is more expensive than AP.

Robinson offers it during the school day, not after school. They still have 20% of the school graduate as diploma candidates, having done the whole thing. Many are also in music classes or on a sports team or in high level art. They aren't mutually exclusive.

You also can absolutely take IB a la carte the way you do AP and still take a zillion music classes.

I hate IB for a bunch of reasons, but it is not restrictive. It is absolutely as flexible as AP if you take individual courses vs. the whole diploma.

[Anonymous]

Our private school does something similar with music (there are during the day classes, but the most advanced opportunities are before school). If the teacher is willing and not getting paid extra, what's the point of cutting it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our private school does something similar with music (there are during the day classes, but the most advanced opportunities are before school). If the teacher is willing and not getting paid extra, what's the point of cutting it?

The teacher is getting paid.

Fcps has spent its 4 BILLION dollar budget into a huge deficit.

FCPS does not offer credit for after school clubs.

That school likely got caught violating district policy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our private school does something similar with music (there are during the day classes, but the most advanced opportunities are before school). If the teacher is willing and not getting paid extra, what's the point of cutting it?

The teacher is getting paid.

Fcps has spent its 4 BILLION dollar budget into a huge deficit.

FCPS does not offer credit for after school clubs.

That school likely got caught violating district policy.

This.

[Anonymous]

Those who are saying that offering classes outside of the school day for credit is unique to Westfield are 100% wrong.

My DD has been taking a choir class for credit at another FCPS school for 3 years and there are definitely plenty of others who offer before or after school courses for credit.

When it comes to the fine arts, its the only way many students can take the classes that they want with the few electives that they have at their disposal. It also allows kids to go more in depth with their fine arts education - for instance, taking both choir and show choir, marching band and jazz band, etc.

[Anonymous]

I think cutting all Journalism classes and the newspaper is really pathetic at a school with 2800 kids. Don't we want to encourage kids who want to research, write, think critically and learn about reliable sources of info beyond propaganda and tiktok?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those who are saying that offering classes outside of the school day for credit is unique to Westfield are 100% wrong.

My DD has been taking a choir class for credit at another FCPS school for 3 years and there are definitely plenty of others who offer before or after school courses for credit.

When it comes to the fine arts, its the only way many students can take the classes that they want with the few electives that they have at their disposal. It also allows kids to go more in depth with their fine arts education - for instance, taking both choir and show choir, marching band and jazz band, etc.

Those are not supposed to be for credit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those who are saying that offering classes outside of the school day for credit is unique to Westfield are 100% wrong.

My DD has been taking a choir class for credit at another FCPS school for 3 years and there are definitely plenty of others who offer before or after school courses for credit.

When it comes to the fine arts, its the only way many students can take the classes that they want with the few electives that they have at their disposal. It also allows kids to go more in depth with their fine arts education - for instance, taking both choir and show choir, marching band and jazz band, etc.

Those are not supposed to be for credit.

How do you know? Seems like you're just mad because you don't have the opportunity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those who are saying that offering classes outside of the school day for credit is unique to Westfield are 100% wrong.

My DD has been taking a choir class for credit at another FCPS school for 3 years and there are definitely plenty of others who offer before or after school courses for credit.

When it comes to the fine arts, its the only way many students can take the classes that they want with the few electives that they have at their disposal. It also allows kids to go more in depth with their fine arts education - for instance, taking both choir and show choir, marching band and jazz band, etc.

Those are not supposed to be for credit.

How do you know? Seems like you're just mad because you don't have the opportunity.

I would be interested to see how Westfield is paying for this extra credit. Does FCPS pay for summer school where kids get extra credit?
But, I guess when kids can retake a test that others passed the first time, we do have a double standard.