Return on Investment

Tonight, the Seventh & Eighth Grade Band held their annual Holiday Concert. The Band, consisting of over 120 musicians, is divided up into a Concert Band and a Symphonic Band. My daughter, Evelyn, an Eighth Grader, plays the Euphonium in the Symphonic Band.

Each group played four pieces. The music was wonderful. While I know that I am biased, these kids sounded as good as any high school band. I have been listening to them for the past 4 years; they are quite talented.

In addition to my pride and pleasure at seeing and listening to my daughter play, there was another reason I wrote about tonight's concert. I am sure you have read a lot about the F.A.I.R. plan and the effects it may have on schools. I have written about that topic both here and on the Gates blog. I have indicated my belief that Gates-Chili is a wonderful district for our kids to be going to school and that we should not be reluctant to pay the tax bill that goes along with getting a quality education.

My belief that the money we spend on school taxes is largely well-spent was justified again tonight. First, the sight of so many kids being able to experience the joys of playing music is awesome. Also, the families of those kids are clearly being enriched by that experience, as well.

Tonight, though, I want to focus on the Band conductor, Christopher Oldfield. His love of music, his enthusiasm, and his energy, are infectious. He clearly loves music and he loves teaching and conducting young musicians. We all hear stories about jaded teachers who really feel that teaching is just another job. Well, spend a night at one of these concerts, see a Chris Oldfield giving a heart-felt, enthusiastic effort, and you will agree that if there are a few teachers like him at Gates, then our investment in our schools is being returned many-fold.