Date: Fri 10-Apr-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: MICHEL

Quick Words:

NHS-Band-credit-music

Full Text:

NHS Band's Burgeoning Size Will End Its For-Credit Status

BY MICHELE HOGAN

The highly successful Newtown Marching Band is growing by leaps and bounds.

Already the largest or second largest in Connecticut, Newtown's 169-member

band could grow to two or three hundred students if only half the students who

are taking music at the middle school continue at the high school level.

The band would be unwieldy to say the least.

The solution, reached after discussions among Jim Dumas, band director at the

high school, Michelle Hiscavich, music director for Newtown Schools, the

executive board of the Band Parents Association, the PTSA and high school

principal Bill Manfredonia, is simple.

Make the marching band an extracurricular activity. This, they foresee, would

keep the band at a manageable size.

Of the 169 band members surveyed, 135 said that they would remain in the

marching band if it were extracurricular.

Starting this fall, band classes for school credit will focus on instrumental

techniques, concert music and symphony.

Students in the for-credit band class will have the option of joining the

marching band which, it was suggested, would practice two evenings a week.

Mr Manfredonia said he expects this will avert the problem of too many kids in

the band before it becomes acute.

At the same time, it will give kids options. Mr Manfredonia said, "Some kids

may want to learn music, but may not want to march."

Even with this change, he expects that the Newtown marching band will remain

one of the largest in the state.