In New York High Schools, the Sound of Music Is Muted

These same sentiments are true of science lab equipment and all the other physical resources outside of literal classroom space. One fourth of a set of lab equipment makes for a pretty crummy lab. Sharing of the common areas is also problematic where there was one school and leadership structure, but now 4 have to negotiate. Oh, and the number of middle managers (Principals and Assistant Principals) got multiplied by 4, although the number of teachers and class size remained the same. This is all a dream scenario for the kind of business consultants favored by the Bloomberg administration, but hasn't solved the root problem of our schools. "It's the money, stupid." Either hire more teachers, or let higher salaries bring in truly talented people. Having an extra 3 Math Assistant Principals isn't helping anyone.

Having been in the concert band of my Brooklyn high school over fifty years ago, I was excited when in celebration of my high school's fitieth anniversary, a few years back, I attended a rally where the band was to perform! When they came out, I counted nine musicians, led by a majorette. I recall that the band in my day had about eighty musicians! I was shocked. So much is misssing!

As a Columbus orchestra alumnus from the early 1970’s I can say it was very rewarding and not having it is a black mark on today’s educational system. The lack of music,art and shop classes like wood working, automotive repair, or electrical wiring leave students a hole in their education that’s not filled

I don't get it. How does splitting a single high school into 5 while housing them all in the same building as the former school help the situation?

What's interestingly not mentioned is that Steven Oquendo is himself a professional musician and graduate of a specialized NYC high school, the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts (now known as LaGuardia Arts).

I went to a small high school . Our school orchestra met after school, twice a week, for a couple of hours each time. We didn't have deep instrument complements nor higher technique/lower technique divisions--beginners sat next to more experienced. Can't some philanthropist fund after school arts programs for these schools in clusters? Working together as an ensemble under a conductor really taught me a lot about being a team player and working from nothing to build something as a series of small steps with mentorship the conductor and from each other .

One thing not mentioned is how the collaborative music classes (band, orchestra, choir) help kids learn to work together. STEM is good, but not every class will lead to a job. Learning to appreciate the world around us in conjunction with others is one way to a better society.

I hated music and art. And I went to a LARGE high school on triple session. But my high school, Far Rockaway HS competed with Bronx Science for Nobel winners. And we were among the tops in Regents and National Merit scholarships. We also had a major auto shop program, Later, my wife took our daughter to MS 167 M where she was in the band (and performed at Carnegie Hall). Councilwoman Eve Moskowitz never bothered to stay for the performances after she was introduced. Our daughter went on to LaGuardia HS (selected over one of the Bronx Science cohort schools) and Binghamton in 3 years. So, in my dotage, I learned the benefits of music. And, at least under the previous principal, LaGuardia mounted performances on a par with Broadway (my daughter's class had 3 students on Broadway), but not quite up to the Philharmonic. Now, the NYC Bd of Ed hands out diplomas to illiterate "scholars" but no pupils in NYC any more.

The writer of this article fails to mention that these schools are not meeting New York State Graduation requirements. Just like the requirement that students take four years of English to graduate, NYS requires that a student take a full year of Art, Music, Drama or Dance. As someone who taught theatre in the suburbs of NYC for 33 years I can attest to the fact that the Music and Theatre students were dedicated student leaders, often the brightest and often involved in more than one Art form. College was a given. Today, these students are successful in many fields. Some are currently appearing on Broadway, some are screen writers, some professional musicians and some have worked as counsel in the Obama White House. And on the business side, some work for Goldman,Sachs and Google. These students became successful because of the dedication and self-discipline that the Performing Arts demands. Our graduation rate:99.9%

The media needs to stop using the trope "failing schools" in its reporting. It's harmful and derogatory and usually applied to low-income schools.

"Academically, these new schools inarguably serve students better." The article then contrasts the graduation rate of the old Columbus High School (37 percent in 2009) with the current graduation rate of the students in the smaller schools which now occupy the building (81 percent). However, this figure must be looked at critically. Many of these smaller schools lower their standards in order to boost their passing rate and their graduation rate. It is common in these smaller schools to give students a mark of 45 for work never submitted. A student who rarely shows up for class, and who rarely submits work or takes exams, can combine his or her 45s with a barely passing grade on a project or an exam, and end up with an average near passing. Teachers then come under intense pressure from administrators to pass such students--with their 56 or 61 averages. "Let's give this student a chance and bump their average up to a 65 [passing]," teachers are told. This is one way that students can accumulate credits and can graduate. Previously students were held to more rigorous academic standards. So, I encourage reporters to look more critically at the supposed academic success of these new smaller schools. Perhaps their success is "arguable."

It's not just music but lots of other things these small schools deprive students of. And some of these things being taken away from kids are not just extra curricular clubs but many academic subjects. And I might challenge the statements in the article about how successful the small schools have been. What with rigged courses and asinine curves on some Regents exams (28 credits out of 87 credits passes an algebra regents), the small schools are made out to be so wonderful when those in the know understand they are not. And ultimately many of the kids will find out, much too late, that they have had what is supposed to be an all encompassing high school experience taken away from them. By then, it will be too late.

Not for nothing - and I am very glad the Times is covering this long-existing travesty in the city schools - but the article makes not one mention of orchestra programs or student string players, which I fear are even more endangered in the NYC schools. Bands will always be the flashier and more exciting alternative but as an orchestra teacher it is a crime that one of the world's cultural capitals does so poorly in providing a full range of arts education to its children. The new chancellor is a violinist, so at least there's a chance he might care a bit about this (as long as it doesn't get in the way of test scores and other "important" things).

When I was a student at James Monroe HS in the Bronx during the late 60’s, we had a marvelous music program. I was able to learn flute and piccolo and eventually participate in band and orchestra. I made friends in music class that are still my friends today. After school, a jazz band was getting together and asked me to join them as a piano accompanist. That was a possibility because the music rooms were readily available and we were encouraged by the music staff. The theater department performed musicals, the orchestra accompanied them, the art department made the sets, everyone learning to collaborate. It is well documented that students who study music and the arts do better academically across the boards. My objective since the age of 12 had been to attend a music conservatory. While I entered Manhattan School of Music as an organ major, there’s no question my musical instruction at James Monroe laid part of that musical foundation. If some of the funds that go to sports would be shared for music programs, so many students would benefit. The great conductor and violinist, Gustavo Dudamel, showed in his program in Venezuela, what poor children, given a free instrument and free instruction, could achieve. They could become brilliant musicians, themselves.

My father was a fantastic, talented, caring art teacher and head of the music and art department at CCHS in the 70's. Reading his papers and memos from that time period showed the typical stress and frustration for him and his colleagues in terms of budget, staffing, supplies and other struggles. But the program was stellar and he was dedicated. This article makes me so sad. I believe in smaller class sizes, smaller schools and attention to students, but that can be accomplished without sacrificing self-expression through the arts. BTW it is STEAM, not STEM, the A is for ARTS!!! This is also where the jobs are.

When I first joined the NYC BOE as a certified Visual Arts and Science teacher, I was picked up by a small Visual Arts magnet school in East Harlem. It was the era in which middle schools were thematic. The students in our school thrived on having visual arts and graphic arts almost daily and they funneled into High Schools like Art & Design, Fashion Industries, Talented Unlimited and on the rare occasion, LaGuardia (in general they didn't have the test scores for LaGuardia). Additionally, our School Director was an avid grant writer. One of the grants lead to this amazing program with the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the development of an interdisciplinary curriculum. Another grant lead to creating a student made Opera with a curriculum and teacher training offered by the MET. We were a small school and while our test scores didn't peak, the students were in their element. With various shifts in the District, as well as the DOE, our school didn't survive! I then moved on to be an Assistant Principal in a K-8 school in the North Bronx. My former school was located on the museum mile and now I was near the Bronx Botanical Gardens and the Bronx Zoo. We had about 1000 students and I have to say the visual arts were at a minimum and there was no music. Uggg! I brought in Bronx Arts Ensemble as an after school program and we had guitar, chorus and dance. One year, after the art teacher quit during the first month, I literally could not fill the position!

This makes me so sad! I attended a high school of 600 students. We had no football team but the glue that held us together was music. Chorus and band provided the talent for the annual musical that brought everyone from every department together to make each performance, every set, every actor and actress shine. It was magical time of commitment and engagement to a group effort. What it taught us all is incalculable. I was bright but sad and not a good student. I thought about quitting often. Mr Cunningham, our unforgettable music director, gave me a clarinet and hope. My life of achievement is inexorably linked to this experience. I wish it were part of every curriculum.

Smaller schools are much safer, get higher scores, retain teachers better, have higher graduation rates, engage with the local community better, and have more engaged kids—are we really mourning the loss of big band here?? Kids at smaller schools don’t have as wide a range of clubs—so then why are their club participation rates so much higher? Stuart Grauer, Small Schools Coalition