Published: May 08, 2008 09:37 pm      

FALLS SCHOOLS: New schedule mutes music enrollment

Preparatory school students now have to choose between music and sports

As far as the Niagara Falls School District’s music teachers are concerned, the new schedule at the preparatory schools is hitting a bad note.

With music program enrollment for seventh and eighth grades dropping by dozens of students at Gaskill and LaSalle schools, district music teachers are pointing to a schedule change implemented for this year. The change, as part of the transition from middle schools to prep schools, was designed to improve busing arrangements and accommodate longer classes.

“Because of the way the schedule is at the prep level and that they have to perform with music groups after school,” said LaSalle Prep music teacher, Duncan Hollinger, “it has had a severe impact on the number of students who are able to be involved.”

When the former middle schools removed sixth grade to become preparatory schools, class periods of 45 minutes were replaced by 58-minute periods and the school day’s start was moved from 8:15 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. For music students, that meant “zero period,” or a class before first period, was no longer an option.

Now music is competing with afterschool sports and losing, according to Paul Wos, music director at Niagara Falls High School.

About seven years ago, Wos was getting about 80 freshman students joining band. A survey of eighth-graders currently in band shows he can only expect about 22 freshman joining next year, he said.

“It’s important for me to make sure we have the freshman coming in as their own group,” Wos said. “... But if 22 is the best we’re going to be doing, there will be no freshman band. And there will be a huge disparity in the ability levels of the kids.”

Hollinger said students also perceive staying after school as more of a penalty than they did coming in early.

But board member Kevin Dobbs said students have to set their own priorities.

“There’s sacrifices and commitments they have to make,” he said. “I think district heads have tried to make as many compromises as they can. For a person who has a passion for it and committed to it, I wouldn’t think one hour would make much of a difference.”

Another board member, Russell Petrozzi said clubs already meet during sports and conflicts will exist.

“Something’s got to give either way,” he said.

Superintendent Carmen Granto said when the schedule change was selected, it was apparent it could cause conflicts with some extracurricular programs, but state requirements are becoming more demanding and it’s getting harder to fit the arts into regular instruction time.

Increasing instruction demands have been straining arts programs long before the prep school schedule change, Granto added.

“No one’s got a solution other than extending the school day,” he said.