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Avon Band Together – One Parent’s Perspective

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Written by Dr. John Sparzo

Admittedly, I was a pretty nerdy kid. For three years in grade school I chose the same blue suede sneakers with white stripes (that I wore with tube socks with a variety of different colored stripes). I read every book at the local library with Dewey Decimals beginning with 599.xx–twice. In high school I re-founded the Chess Club, but jazzed it up with the addition of Trivial Pursuit. But, even I had the audacity to call high school band kids “geeks.”

So, when my first child, Nick, started in the marching band program the summer after his 8th grade year, I carried with me all my outdated recollections and misguided generalities about band and band kids. In fact, despite our son’s protestations, my wife and I extended our summer vacation that year by a week, unknowingly putting him behind the other incoming freshman who were learning the finer points of marching.

Other than terrible news like the death of a family member or 9/11, there are few times your worldview changes in an instant. My changed on an afternoon in the summer of 2009 when I first saw the Avon Marching Black & Gold perform. The fact that the kids were in mismatched shorts and sweaty t-shirts didn’t stop my jaw from dropping as I was concussed by a wall of sound as the horns turned toward the crowd. I simply could not believe that 275 KIDS were capable of producing the music and the level of showmanship displayed. There were no band geeks on that field. On the contrary, there were, instead, teenagers who devoted much of their summer vacations to becoming elite performers.Summer Band practice

It was from that moment that I began to understand all that the Avon High School marching band program (and the intermediate and middle school programs that prepare kids for it) contributes to our community, our school and most of all, our children. It is one thing to point out that over the past 21 years, the Avon Band program (including the drumline, the hornline, and the color guard) has won an incredible 7 national/world titles and 35 state championships because it says so much about the quality and commitment of Avon’s instructors to music and marching. However, what means so much more than the string of 21 consecutive years of championships is how it develops our children into the resourceful, hard-working people we want them to be.Drawn to the Flame--the 2014 show--featured butterflies and moths throughout

Tom Edwards, Sr., whose boys both marched for Avon, wrote in a letter to Director Jay Webb: “You have reinforced, and thereby added credibility and validation to everything we have tried to teach at home—honesty, integrity, politeness, hard work, self-discipline, and respect for others.” Doug Elmore, 1987 graduate and former drum major, resides in Avon. He has served the community both in town and township leadership positions. He recently observed, “The lessons learned in marching band have guided me throughout my entire career. I cannot think how many times I have been able to progress [in] or advance my career because of the skill sets like teamwork, discipline, and work ethic that were all fostered during my time in band.”Synchrony

A few years ago, a group of like-minded band fans and band alumni founded a group called Avon Band Together (a subsidiary of the not-for-profit Band Boosters) to raise funds to support the program. Band is not cheap. To march in the hornline, it costs a student $950 in fees. For drumline (which has two seasons—marching in the fall and winter competitions), the fees are approximately $1700. And for color guard that also has two seasons, the fees reach $2000. It is easy to understand how participation could be out of reach for some families in Washington Township. However, I cannot overstate the life-long educational impact that participation in the Avon Marching programs will have on every member – an absolutely priceless and unique experience.

I invite you to join Avon Band Together to help ensure that ALL of Avon’s kids can participate in the life-changing, character-building experience that band provides. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or visit us on www.avonband.com/band-together.

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