Fourth Grade Orchestra Hangs In The Budget Balance

By Tanjua Damon

School administrators know they have to cut $400,000 from the 2003–2004 budget, but there is concern for programs that could be considered if the April 22 referendum fails. The prospect of losing one of those programs –– fourth grade orchestra –– has evoked special concern in the district.

The program is just at the edge of the $400,000 potential cuts that Superintendent of Schools Evan Pitkoff and Board of Education members presented to the Board of Finance and Legislative Council during budget discussions. Fourth grade students across the district are offered the opportunity to take a string instrument. When they enter fifth grade students can continue with their string instruments, start a band instrument, or do both. But parents and teachers worry that if the fourth grade program is cut from the budget, the demise of orchestra will occur because they feel students are more apt to select a band instrument than select a string instrument in the fifth grade.

“The students would continue to have the option later on,” Dr Pitkoff said. “However, the sense of the music coordinator and teachers is students are most likely choose band and not orchestra.”

The $61,000 to cut the program is mostly the salaries to pay the two teachers that educate fourth graders at the four elementary schools and intermediate school. Director of Music Michelle Hiscavich fears if the fourth grade orchestra is cut, eventually the high school orchestra will have too few students.

“I think that will be the end of orchestra in Newtown. It will take a little time,” she said. “I think students will select band. It’s a band town. Students are already asking at the intermediate school why the band has two teachers and a bigger classroom.”

Ms Hiscavich has been in Newtown for 15 years. When she began there were only 24 students in the orchestra. Now 256 fourth graders play string instruments. There are 111 at Reed Intermediate School and 178 at Newtown Middle School that play. Newtown High School has an orchestra with more than 60 students and a full symphony with about 70 students. Next year the high school is implementing a second section for the orchestra to accommodate the influx of students playing stringed instruments.

“If it goes, that will be the end of it. That will be a very sad day because we are a well rounded program,” Ms Hiscavich said. “Two years ago we were named one of the top 100 music programs in the nation. This is ripping my heart out from everything we’ve done to build this program.”

It costs fourth graders about $250 a year to rent their instruments. The program allows for lessons, festivals, and concerts. Many high school and middle school students are selected to participate in music programs such as Western Regional High School Music Festival, All-State Music Festival, Fairfield County String Festival, and All-Eastern Honors Orchestra.

Parents fear their children will lose the enrichment that the orchestra provides, allowing students to learn in another way or build their musical talent.

“I am just so thankful my children can be a part of this program. It’s become an important part of their lives,” said Nancy Copeland, mother of three children, two who are already in the string program and one who wants to participate in fourth grade next year. “My youngest is extremely disappointed she might not be able to play. We’re a musical family and place a lot of importance on that.

“It’s the foundation for the entire string program for the district,” Ms Copeland added. “We have such an outstanding program, to cut this is the wrong place to do it.”

Lauren Provost is a member of the Newtown Orchestra Parents Association and has a daughter who began playing piano in the first grade and picked up the cello in fourth grade, but now plays the violin in the high school orchestra.

“She is considering making music her career. Without the school program in fourth grade she would not have had exposure to the fine music program in Newtown,” Ms Provost said. “How these children are exposed to the arts is phenomenal. It’s very, very troubling that that [elimination of the fourth grade strings program] would be considered. It’s very important to the students.

Ms Provost explained that she believes it is important that students are introduced to the orchestra at a young age because it is not an easy task to learn an instrument, but if students are provided the opportunity to play an instrument when they are younger it helps them to be more focused later.

“This is the crux of this program,” Ms Provost said. “However, it does help them think on so many levels. For them to loose this program would be a disaster for this district and the town.”

Alice Mascher also has three children, two who participate and one who will next year. She feels the program offers students skills that they can use whether they continue to play an instrument or not .

“Foremost they can cooperate as a team on a basic goal. It’s the same concept as a sport,” Ms Mascher said. “It’s so important for students to get together outside of the classroom on a common goal. If you start taking away from our schools, your property values will go down. It’s a no brainer. You’re getting a bargain here.

“If we didn’t have these programs in the school we would go to private or parochial schools. Look at the schools around us, they all have these programs,” she added. “The more you can enrich a child when they are younger the better off it’s going to be for the children. Before you go hit our schools, you need to look into bringing business in to town. It’s an insult to our children.”

Jack Zamary once was the band director at Newtown High School and now works for Region 15 and is the president of the Connecticut Music Education Program. He still lives in Newtown.

“It’s really unfortunate that Newtown is considering that kind of cut,” Mr Zamary said. “Newtown provides average resources for the string program yet the product is far above average.”

Mr Zamary explained that across the state the average grade to start the string program is fourth grade, while districts such as Farmington start in second and Darien begins in third.

“The unfortunate fact of the matter is once the cut occurs it won’t be back,” Mr Zamary said. “It’s an exceptional program. I think Newtown is getting a great deal. I don’t think they should take it for granted. They shouldn’t be going backwards. It would be deplorable.”

Dr Pitkoff has also included funding for a resource teacher at Middle Gate School, closing the high school pool after school, as well as clubs, the marching band, and athletics as part of the gradient of potential cuts if the budget fails April 22 and the district is forced to make additional cuts beyond the $400,000.

Voters will be able to go to the polls on Tuesday, April 22, at the Newtown Middle School gymnasium from 6 am to 8 pm to decide the $80,741,962 budget for 2003–2004.