Last night we attended the Durham schools Spring Musical and we really enjoyed it. Not because of the music; it was good, but because of the school music program itself. I estimated the numbers for the audience to be around 300 plus. That’s 300 or more parents and grandparents who left their televisions to come and to hear 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th graders play. And each of those classes had 45 or more students participating in the band. That’s 200 or more students. Why is that? The Durham school district is small and has all 3 schools, elementary, middle school and high school on the same general campus. It’s a school complex that is “owned” by the citizens of Durham. And they are proud of it...
I would say that is the reason for the success of the music program. Durham schools are not a part of some huge school district, where parents have lost their voices…and their interest. In Chico, 15 minutes from Durham, the schools are in crisis. The parents in Chico would do well to look at Durham schools as a model. They should take their schools back from the district administrators and make them their own again.
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