I am an MIHS band alumni and I believe that cutting staffing for the band program would be detrimental to the success of students and the music program. The MIHS band program provided me with an environment, education, and opportunities unparalleled to any other educational program the MIHS provides. As a high school student, the band program was a place that I knew I was appreciated and valued in. The instructors supported and encouraged me in every lesson. They fostered an environment that met students where they were and only expected our best effort in return. All of my lifelong friends I have from high school I met through the band program. Instruction was adjusted to the learning skills of each student, and even though the student to instructor ratio was strenuous, the directors always made time for individual instruction. The MIHS Band teachers not only taught me how to read music and play my instrument, they taught me how to give a professional handshake and how to properly thank parent volunteers. The band program at MIHS is a resource for students educationally, socially, and emotionally. Not only was I given a quality music education, but the MIHS band program also furthered my education through different leadership roles. I was given opportunities to serve in various leadership roles in the band program every year of high school. By my senior year, I had musical, logistical, and student government leadership experiences that were not accessible anywhere else at MIHS. The directors encouraged me to make courageous decisions and reach for opportunities in the program I never imagined myself capable of. As a college student and corporate professional today, I use the leadership and interpersonal skills the band directors taught me daily. The financial integrity of the MIHS band program must be protected for the environmental, educational, and leadership resources students rely on.
~ Jazzlyn Rowland, Class of 2019
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