Band Competition Promotes Music Education

Ninety-four bands from around the country were in Indianapolis over the weekend for the Bands of America Grand National Championships at Lucas Oil Stadium. 

The annual event is not all fanfare, it also provides an enriching educational experience through music making. A 55-member band from Monrovia High School, a small Morgan County school, about 30 minutes southwest of Indianapolis, took the field Thursday to perform their piece based on the "Diary of Anne Frank."  Band Director Brian Willett says the story has inspired interest among the students.

"The kids that haven’t read the 'Diary of Anne Frank' have gone out and done so.It's important for kids to know how music relates across the culture," says Willett. "I feel it adds depth to their performance and depth to their personality."

And adds depth to their education experience. 

Music For All is an educational nonprofit based in Indianapolis.  Every year it hosts the Grand National Championships, which are considered by many in the field to be the nation’s premiere high school marching band event.

James Stephens, Music for All’s Director of Advocacy and Educational Resources, says he learned this after going to college for music education.

"I realized that a lot of the strongest programs across the nation look at this organization as a standard to meet,"  says Stephens.

Inspiring music program standards is something that Music For All works towards every day partnering with other groups advocating arts education. Stephens says the group’s music events and competitions, like Nationals, provide an educational environment.

"Our judges, their background is in music and visual performance, so not only are they giving scores but they are also giving amazing feed back and commentary that band directors and students can take home and they are learning from those things," says Stephens.

It’s widely believed that music programs like band can increase other types of learning.  Some studies have shown a link between music programs and higher graduation rates and higher standardized test scores.

Band Director Brian Willett says in his experience, arts education helps young people navigate their educational environment.

"It remaps the brain a little bit in allowing them to understand both physically and cognitively what they do," says Willett.

Monrovia senior Betsy McCrary says her band experience has inspired her plans to study music education at Marion University next year.

"My goal is to be a high school band director and I do believe it's because of my experience here at Monrovia," says McCrary.

McCrary and her bandmates placed fifth in their class after Thursday’s performance.  Tarpon Springs High School (Fla.) took home top honors. Four Indiana high schools – including Avon, Carmel, Homestead and Lawrence Township – also placed in the top 12.