News of Note

Seen in the Howard County Times this week:

Howard hires Ross Hannon as head varsity football coach

I believe they also covered the story when the previous coach stepped down.

Hmm.

I don't remember any story when, say, River Hill High School hired Katie Geiger as their new Vocal/Choral director. And what about when Nick Marini came on board at Oakland Mills High School in Band?

Hmm.

Think for a moment. Do you ever see celebrations in high schools when a musician commits to pursuing their interests in college? "Three cheers for Suzanne B. who has signed to play flute for Indiana!"

Hmm.

Sports programs benefit many of our students and it's great to pay attention to them and celebrate them. But so do music and arts programs. Are we only going to care about hiring and firing and college signing if we can rack up wins and losses? Is that all that matters where our children are concerned?

March is Music in Our Schools Month. HCPSM, the parent advocacy group (of which I am a member) has a request:

Nominate a teacher for HCPSM Music Educator of the Year. It's easy to do. You can find all the information you need here:  http://hcpsm3.wixsite.com/music/music-educator-award

Being a music teacher is not about racking up winning seasons. There won't be a whole section in the newspaper dedicated to what you and your students are doing. And that isn't why teachers are in the field of education anyway. But once a year, in Howard County, we stop and shine a spotlight on the many ways that music teachers touch lives and make a difference.

You can help. Nominate a teacher and tell HCPSM why they're great.