BHPRSD Music and Arts Programs Defy the Odds, Find Ways to Shine

Over the years, the Black Horse Pike Regional School District has experienced a steady decline in the amount of funding given to the arts programs at each high school. Despite these cuts, each school is doing what it can to provide programs for the students. During the fall you see and hear the marching bands at parades and football games, but this activity does not stop on Thanksgiving Day. Indoor programs provide students with a training and conditioning platform which is required for growth and success.

While each program's survival plan differs from school to school, I found many similarities between how they are “making do” in an already stressed economy. I made the rounds, called old friends, and toured all the schools in one night to find out what my alma mater and sister schools are doing to provide for their students. Here’s how it all shakes out, starting in the north:

At Triton, the indoor arts programs consist of two units; a percussion ensemble which will compete in the Scholastic Open Stationary class, and a color guard which will compete at the Scholastic A level. Both of these units are funded jointly by the Triton Band Parent Association and the BHPRSD. Reduced funds will limit the groups to participation in fewer and more local shows to keep down the cost of busing. But they knew this going into the season, only fueling the need for students to raise their own funds. There will be two to three shows this season where both groups share transportation. The indoor guard has garnered 15 South Jersey and six Atlantic Coast Tournament Indoor Championships, as well as a Mid-Atlantic Indoor Network championship in 2010. This nine-member unit is known for its high-energy, gymnastics-styled shows, and this year will be no exception with a show titled “Vanishing Act.” Triton has never had a large performing ensemble, but for alumni and staff member Angelina Coppola she works with what she is given and strives to produce an entertaining show for all involved.

The percussion ensemble has accrued 13 South Jersey and 11 Atlantic Coast Tournament Indoor Championships. The ensemble also won the Mid-Atlantic Percussion Society (MAPS) Championship, the United States Scholastic Band Association (USSBA) Championship, and placed sixth in the WGI National Competition in Dayton, OH. This year's unit takes the floor with a familiar show, playing music from West Side Story, and will host a show at Triton on March 17. For seasoned band director Bob Adams, his main goal is “to provide a meaningful musical education for his students.” Both of these small units that prove that size doesn't matter...as long as there is an interest, hopefully these programs will stay available.

Highland will continue to have an indoor drum line program run by Rowan University student and Highland grad Anthony Graves. The line, which last year placed second in the Scholastic Intermediate A Class in TIA will compete at the next level this season Scholastic A, with their primary local competitor coming from Haddon Heights High School. Both units were promoted to the Scholastic A class after successful seasons last year. What surprised me the most about Highland’s drum line was the sheer size—a full 30 students. Highland did not put out a competitive marching band unit in the fall, and the renewed excitement I saw at practice certainly surprised me. As with Triton, the Highland band boosters have found themselves needing to raise more money than ever. Joe Evans, president of the boosters, has found that they have had to increase the number of fundraisers from one or two a season to one a month to make up for the money no longer provided by the board. Evans continually looks for the support of his band parents and also frequently shares ideas with the Triton boosters. One unique idea the Highland drum line used was selling Krispy Kreme donuts...mmmm, Krispy Kreme. Now don't you want to go support the Highland drum line?

Highland color guard does not exist...or does it? Three season ago, HYPE was born as the brain child of Ed Downs, Cherie Cole and GT native Sam Brooks, when Highland's color guard program became too big for the school to handle. Since then it has morphed into a mini monster of color guard in the South Jersey region. Completely independently funded, HYPE boasts four guards starting with Cadets, a Junior Varsity program (mainly middle school), Co-motion A and Co-motion Open class. Starting as young as elementary school, these programs find rehearsal space where and when they can, and struggle to fundraise just as much if not more than the other programs. Jess Delorenzo, a Highland alum, continues to march with the HYPE program as a member (and captain) of the Open guard. She has managed to almost completely pay off her dues for this season by working in between college classes, marching in parades and fundraising candy and other goodies.

This year the HYPE program supplies over 40 young men and women of all ages the opportunity to perform, no matter what the cost. Each student pays dues, which are tiered to reflect the amount of involvement in the program. (For example the Open guard pays more than the JV/ Cadet groups). The Open guard will also travel to Dayton, where WGI (World Guard International) host World Championships... on their own dime. These students provide their own transportation to practices and shows, and pay dues to cover the overall cost of the season, and additional fees for special trips to out of area shows (Trumbull, CT, and Wildwood). This program has grown so much over the past few year and has managed to win two WGI Regionals in 2011 and were silver medalists in their class at championships last year—all despite being an underfunded program.

Timber Creek opted to go yet another direction with this season's indoor programs. Timber Creek “Essence” Guard has been independently funded since 2010. Erin Leifer has always worked with underfunded units but recognizes the importance of providing students with the opportunity to have an outlet for performance. As a result of her limited funding, Leifer tries to schedule shows mainly in the South Jersey area since she relies on the girls to provide their own transportation. Julie Hunter, a senior at Timber Creek, has been spinning since eighth grade. As the captain of Essence this year, she said it was scary knowing there was a chance that the program may not exist. To raise her own dues, she picked up a job that works around the indoor schedule and (of course) fundraises on a regular basis.

The biggest financial hit this program took this year is that they will not get the opportunity to perform on their home turf—with no scholastic drum line to host a show, students that go to Timber Creek won't perform once competitively in their own gym. Typically when a school hosts a show, the band's parent association makes a small profit on various things such as tickets, food and merchandise. This brings me to my most disappointing discovery of my night—Timber Creek opted not to put out a drum line this year. A program which competed and WON at the national level has been shut down due to lack of funds. Dan O’Neil, Timber Creek's band director, is obviously sad to see the program go dark this year, after four very successful seasons in the MAPS and WGI circuits. To continue to provide the students the same level of program that they have come to expect—competing at a world-class level, traveling to WGI sanctioned events, etc.—would cost approximately $18,000. (Yes, I know this is the first real number I have thrown into this blog. Big one isn't it?) Now, I am not saying that $18,000 is what you need to exist. Rather, it's what you need to keep a program performing consistently at the highest levels. The dollars spent on these programs are not so kids can just bang a drum for a few minutes—costumes, musical arrangements, props, floors to protect gymnasiums, and, of course, staff are all needed for these groups to function. Music programs in our area do not consist of 200 students or have half-million dollar budgets. They are small. They struggle. But they survive.

If you have gotten anything out of what I have written here, it should be that students are able to cover quite of bit of these costs via fundraisers; most, if not all, students are smart enough to understand that the program is underfunded; and the students overcome.

Timber Creek’s drum line was a prime example of a program on the rise...and it seems the most extravagant program in the district took the biggest hit with the recent cuts. (Cuts were 25 percent from '10-'11 to '11-'12) The students at Timber Creek were obviously unavailable for comment, as no drum line program exists for them to comment on. Much like Highland's indoor programs saw a renewed interest after skipping the marching season, we can hope that may turn out to be the situation at Timber Creek.

All three (6? 8? I stopped counting...) of these programs have seen their budgets decrease over the past few years, and as sad as it is, programs that have better funding often find themselves in a better position to win. All of these students may put in their best efforts, but who knows if they are even being given a fair shot at being as competitive as a school that can fully support its arts programs. I cannot deny the amount of talent that still shines through the students and the effort put forth by the staff despite tough times. Keep voting to cut that budget, but I can assure you, these programs will not go down without a fight. There is something about these programs that keeps them alive, and it's NOT the money.