CA: Santa Maria, Bands feel the budget blues

22-Dec-2011 SantaMariaTimes.com

From tall pillars, mega wattage beams of light flooded Huyck Stadium.

The sound of 6,000 football fans infused the stadium with electrifying energy; the CIF-Southern Section championship game between the Lompoc High School Braves and the Cabrillo High School Conquistadores was minutes away.

Lompoc High School junior Harrison Brown, 17, readied himself for the biggest performance of his young adult life.

On a podium on the stadium track, the junior drum major straightened himself, and for four quarters of the game, led a section of the 48-person marching band in songs, such as "Louie Louie" and "Eye of the Tiger" in rhythm with the ebb and flow of the game.

"It was awesome to perform," Brown said. "There was so much energy."

On the opposite side of the field was Cabrillo trombone player Daniel Fraats, passionately performing for his audience.

Spectators might not have noticed any difference in the bands from years past, but state budget cuts have dictated significant changes in the operations of the two programs.

LHS band teacher Julie Anderson said the school had three music teachers in the late 1990s, but those days are long gone.

The band program has been squeezed down to Anderson, and funding for tournament expenses is largely dependent on fundraising from students and their family members.

The challenges have been especially acute for the programs of late.

Discretionary funding for the program has decreased, but the reduction in staff might be the most significant impact to the program.

In the mornings, Andersen and her counterpart at CHS, Garson Olivieri, teach at their respective high schools before shuttling off to a middle school in the afternoon.

When Anderson arrives at Lompoc Valley Middle School (LVMS) to teach two periods of music, she's greeted by advanced and beginner students - both groups in the same class. The music budget doesn't have room for separate advanced and beginner classes. "I have to find the happy middle where I can push everyone along," Anderson said.

Olivieri described running two programs as holding down two full-time jobs, considering the tournaments and prep work for concerts. "Performance is the driving force behind music," Olivieri said. "It's only music when it's shared."

Middle School students trained in band become a valuable pipeline of talent for the high school programs. Those program suffer when the ability to enroll in these classes is disrupted by cuts in the number of available music classes.

The way Anderson looks at it, the 1990s are long past and students today might not have an opportunity to put their hands on an instrument for free until the seventh grade.

Funding issues have affected all programs because of state budget cuts. As a result, fundraising has become critical and the work has fallen on the shoulders of volunteers - or at CHS the booster program. At CHS the booster program has raised $14,000, but the goal is to get $25,000 by year's end, said music booster president Alice Fraats.

At LHS the music booster program has raised $8,000, Anderson said. Low revenue at LHS means that the music program will compete in one less tournament, three instead of four, than last year. The fundraising pays for expenses that include busing, and, at CHS specialized music support staff.

The challenges are stacked against the music programs, but CHS' Olivieri said the thrill of competition in tournament is "what a music program is supposed to be about."

Winning first place in competition, like Cabrillo did at a November competition in Bakersfield, is an invaluable memory - one worth working for.

"It's a way for me to express myself. It's important to me," said CHS junior Daniel Fraats, who wants to study music after graduation.

"For me music is a way to connect with other people and it's a different form of communication. Some people paint and write books. It's another form of communication that really enriches the community."

The same love for music is what drives Harrison to wake up every morning at 7 for zero period five days a week at Lompoc High.

He's pulled some valuable lessons, especially this year when he was named drum major.

In competition, he's learned to keep his nerves loose and enjoy the spotlight. The leadership role he's taken on in the band has taught him valuable lessons about working with people.

Not everyone is going to be happy about going through marching drills at 7 a.m. in the frosty chill. "It's how you handle a situation like that," he said. Brown has learned not to call people out in public, but work with them.

He is more conscious about his composure, like standing straight. He works hard to keep his facial expression in check while leading the drum line because "Your band (section) will notice your facial expression."

All of those elements came into play at the Cabrillo-Lompoc High School CIF championship game.

When the Braves won, the band was thrilled about possibly playing before a national audience in a bowl game.

Then Monday came around and the team learned that Lompoc was not selected for the bowl.

"We were just as bummed as the football players," Harrison said.

Nearby, his band teacher Anderson said, "No way, not as much as the football team."

Harrison would have liked to play on national television, but not going also means that the team doesn't have to worry about finances.

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CA: Santa Maria, Bands feel the budget blues

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