Gilroy
–
”
We will be going to LA this year.
”
With those words opening a letter to parents, Brownell band
director Tom Brozene assured families that the orchestra would be
performing at Disneyland next month.
Gilroy – “We will be going to LA this year.”
With those words opening a letter to parents, Brownell band director Tom Brozene assured families that the orchestra would be performing at Disneyland next month.
The letter put to an end weeks of uncertainty and controversy spurred by Brozene’s previous decision to keep the 55-member band from playing because eight students were underachieving. Now, parents and students have been asked to pay the remainder of their deposit and were promised that the Brownell Middle School Symphonic Band will take part in Disney’s Magic Music Days May 17 to 19.
“Of course, I don’t want to disappoint the students,” said Brozene. “I’m working on getting the (underachieving) kids ready. If they can’t we’re still going to have a big hole.”
For a short time in early April, Brozene canceled the trip because two students were disqualified for behavioral reasons and six students were ineligible because their grade point averages were below 2.0 – the equivalent of a C. Without those eight students, chiefly from the brass section, the band would lack musical integrity, he said.
Parents and students expressed outrage at the decision, claiming it was unfair to hold back 47 students because of the problems of eight. As a solution, principal Joseph DiSalvo sat down with Brozene, counselors and the six academically-ineligible students to draft contracts. In these contracts, students promised they would pursue tutoring and move their GPA above 2.0 by May 9.
Two of these six students are on track to meet this goal, enough to give the band an acceptable sound, said Brozene. In total, three or four students could pull their grades up to an acceptable level, DiSalvo said. For all six students, though, the controversy has turned into a learning experience, he added.
“I think it’s a great lesson for these kids that they will now get included if they cross the bar,” he said. “To get special privileges, you need to be at a minimum standing for many things in life.”
Parents are also excited about having the trip restored for their children.
“Brozene has made the right move that will give several deserving children the trip of a lifetime,” wrote Michael Alvarado in response to the news. Alvarado – an outspoken critic of Brozene’s original cancellation of the trip – has a 14-year-old son, Steven, who plays clarinet for the band and is a high-achieving student.
While this year’s drama has been resolved, the school has an obligation to prevent it from erupting in subsequent years, DiSalvo said. This means letting students and parents know early in the year what grades are required and how many underachieving students would cause the trip to be canceled. It also means intervening early to help struggling students make the grade.
“I want it to be very clear next year so we don’t run into this happening again,” he said.
