I really could use EVERYONE'S help right now. Would you please review and consider who might be able to help?
I have copied a parent's letter below, George ...it really says it all. I know it's short notice and your people can't drop things to fly to Chicago, but can you maybe write a well-placed email for my music students' sake? I wouldn't ask but it really is important because they are looking to music studies in college.
QUICK BACKGROUND: My wonderful District 214 Buffalo Grove High School voice students have been permitted to attend the IHSA Solo & Ensemble contest the last 3 years but now have been told that they can't do it anymore. IT ONLY COSTS $4! Parents and I have previously transported and chaperoned the event as the choir director was involved in showchoir competitions. Yes, the showchoir gets the funding in this district and these choir/voice students, who are neither in showchoir, cheerleaders, athletes or in the super-elite group in school are left out of other school-sponsored IHSA events (over 500 high schools in IL are in IHSA!) The choir director has never offered them an equally enriching or competitive inhouse event either. And imagine how much it would cost to hire professional vocal adjudicators or to put on the event - more than the IHSA's $4.
These students have been studying voice with me for the last 3-5 years and have always brought home great comments and gold. Don't ask me why there is such a decision to deny them this opportunity to audition, get comments and build towards college scholarship. EVERY opportunity for them to try their wings in an audition, will help them gear up for college.
EVERY MUSIC OPPORTUNITY MATTERS! Just in August, Allison (my first generation Vietnamese-American) performed the audition of her young life and received $9,500 from Eastern IL for her tuition expenses. Her little Vietnamese Mom, divorced and with two other high school-aged children, couldn't imagine helping Allison with any college costs. But now, Allison, because of her previous experiences auditioning and preparing, is in school, happy and it's costing her $10,500 for an education.
Every professional singer and NATS colleague I have spoken with has been positively touched by their youthful experiences with Solo & Ensemble contest. And this is both emotional and professional for me, not financially as my husband brings home our income, but in regards to passing on any of the classical vocal arts to the next young ones who ARE interested and gifted.
If you can, please can you write a personal, professional email?
This is what information I have so far about the meeting:
Thursday, Oct 15
7 p.m.
Forest View Educational Center
2121 South Goebbert Road
Arlington Heights, IL - near Golf & Arlington Heights Rd.
Parking available
Know that I am very, very grateful either way!
Yours,
Donna Galloway Chung
Please SEND supportive correspondence to:
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RE: BGHS MUSIC STUDENTS NOW DENIED IHSA SOLO & ENSEMBLE CONTEST!
Date: Sat, 3 Oct 2009 10:00:08 -0500
Dear Mr. Schuler,
As a parent of a student who has competed successfully in the IHSA Solo and Ensemble competition for the last 3 years, I am at a complete loss as to why there is such a strong opposition to allowing my student another opportunity to expand her experience and education through a state sanctioned body of which district 214 is a member. I have never heard of a School district mounting such a strong opposition to an educational activity as I am seeing here. Throughout this entire ordeal, I have not yet heard a defensible or specific reason for denying my student this opportunity. I have heard the vague generalities such as we have determined that this competition has no value, but I have not been privy as to the specific reason that this decision has been made by the people at Buffalo Grove High School. My child has represented BG at a very high level, and has received absolutely zero support. I have spoken with highly respected music teachers in other local school districts that can not understand the stonewalling and refusal of the school administrators to allow my student to participate in an activity such as this IHSA sanctioned competition. The football team, basketball team, baseball team and all other sports team are allowed to participate in their IHSA sanctioned competitions, why not the choir students?
Because of the strong opposition and the complete lack of information forthcoming as to why the students are not being allowed to participate, I can only conclude that there is a political ego contest going on between administrators that has resulted in my student being denied an opportunity that I pay large amounts of taxes to provide her with. Buffalo Grove has promised an in house solo and ensemble contest the last 2 years and it has not taken place. If I had believed in the false promise from the administration of Buffalo Grove High School, not only would my student have missed a valuable performance opportunity on the state level, she would have had no opportunity to perform due to the empty promises given her by the very people who attempted to deny her the chance to compete at the IHSA event.
Your statement that competitions such as the IHSA Solo and Ensemble competition have no bearing on college opportunities is also not entirely true. Most if not all colleges ask for performing experience out side the school when applying for scholarships and entrance to the school. They weight the outside experience more heavily due to the fact that in house contests are often biased and do not provide the exposure to other criteria (often subjective) that make up the "real world" experience. This type of exposure is impossible to provide with an in house competition, especially one that does not even take place. When at the competition last year, Hersey High School had three pages of students competing at the event. While these were instrumentalists, why do they find it to be of value when the choirdirector at Buffalo Grove does not?
I am respectfully requesting that my student be allowed to compete in the IHSA Solo and Ensemble competition in this her senior year. I am further requesting that she be allowed to do so with no interference from the school administrators or teachers, and that she not is singled out for reprisals by the teachers as a result of her participation. I am also requesting that any student who desires to do so be allowed the same opportunities. The total amount of time and money being spent on the Expressions show choir runs into Thousands of dollars and hundreds of man hours for a project that only a few students are allowed to participate in. Allowing a student to participate in the IHSA competition costs $4.00 and literally a few minutes of the teachers time to fill out a form. As a parent, I provide all the transportation and supervision for my student.
Buffalo Grove High School gets a great deal of positive publicity and the support of the community as a result. How is this not a positive experience for the student, school and community? Your refusal to provide such a positive experience at such a low cost is confusing to me. It would appear to me that the political wrangling and egos of the district as a whole have caused you to lose sight of what this is all about in the first place. The obligation we as parents and a community have to provide our students with all the opportunities to expand their educational experience should be the over riding factor in all the decisions we make regarding the future of our community and nation.
Thank you in advance for granting my request on behalf of my students continuing educational experience.
George
