This is nothing to do with music, it's a clear-cut case of bullying. Use you greivance procedure and get your trade union involved ASAP.

Derek is correct. You need to enlist your union or teachers' association and follow your grievance procedure. It would be beneficial to compile data regarding what is developmentally appropriate (e.g. State standards, district curriculum, journal articles, information from music educ professors).  Good luck!

Derek's right - this has absolutely nothing to do with music - or at least not about the music program you're doing.  This, at the risk of doing psychoanalysis at a distance (and by an unlicensed practitioner - me!) sounds like another instance that I ran into as a church musician.  This may be a case of someone who, as a kid (or maybe even later) desperately wanted to be a musician, and either ran into a reality check or, unfortunately, ran into a "snotty" musician (we all know them) who told her "she had no talent" - and this is how she is eking revenge.  Yes, take up the grievance process - and you ALL have to take it up, it has to be a united front - and your trade union has to stand with you from the start.  Questions about personal lives are utterly inappropriate, and the only time I could even think that this could be raised is if this is a religiously-affiliated school (seen too much of that lately, too) and usually that's addressed at the beginning of the hiring process, not after.  The comment about the concert atmosphere and its formality, etc., etc. leads me to think that this is not even about you folks - it's all about her, and what people see she's doing, etc. (the politicos?  really?  for 3rd graders?)

 

The sad truth is, it's beyond proving things to her - she is among the "invincibly unconvincible" - those who, in spite of terrific arguments to the contrary of hers, is in (1) a position of power, and (2) is not listening and will not.  Yes, we should be prepared to speak "truth to power" - but there are times when it is not only pointless, but useless.  It is overdue time to rein this woman in, or preferably, get her out of there.

 

A thought which occurs to me, though:  what pressures is she under from HER bosses?  It might be useful to pursue that ground.  If indeed it's the school board that's pushing this (though why only here and not elsewhere) then perhaps that might relieve some of the pressure.  Yet another thought is that she has the agenda of driving you all out - without having to fire you (which brings up the question of grievance, etc.)  The problem is, she may get what she's after - a ruined music department - and she truly doesn't appear to have the knowledge or background to make a music program, even after her own (twisted) model.  But the bottom line is, this is a sad and mixed up human being, who has no business doing what she's doing to the music department at your school - and, questionably, even being a superintendent in any event.  The legal recourse is all you have left - and I wouldn't waste any more time, energy, or emotion on her - she needs to either (1) back off completely, or (2) be replaced.

 

Ron

P.S.  Professional programs, newspaper notices, etc. sound like a great idea. Let the superintendent know how much all that will cost for the year and tell her you'll need her office to cover that cost. Also send your press releases to an administrative assistant in the superintendent's office and ask him/her to distribute to the media as well as take care of getting the program information to the printing company.  

Shannon - keep us advised.  This is important for all, especially those in school music circumstances.

 

Ron

YAY, Derek!!!  Nothing else to say about this one. That's what you pay your union dues for.

 

Phil Michéal

It seems that your superintendant has been exposed to the concerts which end  with all the students performing together.  I, too, have seem many of these, both as parent of a string player, and as choir director.   I have done this with choral concerts that spanned 6-12th grades, but we modified the parts for the lower grades, using Finale or Sibelilus or other means, and wrote simplified music that was within the range and capabilites of the younger students, and also sometimes kept them tacet during certain parts that were difficult harmonically, much like a concerto grosso with large group, small group, in this case, letting 6-8 or even 6-9th graders be tacet during a small portion sung by 10-12, and the effect is quite nice and appreciated by both singers and audience when the large group re-enters.  

     For orchestra, that might mean writing out very simple parts perhaps, or finding the modified parts in other simplified arrangements to use as a model.    Your Superintendant has a vision of the final piece of these concerts, but is letting the music teachers work out how to do it.   You used the phrase "exposed to" which does not mean that every 10 yr old is playing the adult string part, n or every 6th grader singing Handel's original vocal score.    The younger students can be exposed to master works without playing the original scores.  Their own level music is (beginning string books) are full of famous themes and tunes of the masterworks which have been arranged for their level. This would be one way to make a success of your situation, and you might even end with a product that you offered to a publisher, to be marketed for this very purpose.

      One of the earliest K-12 concerts I witnessed, was an all-district Choir Concert in Pennsylvania where the theme of the concert was 'opera' and very young children sang famous opera melodies in a singable range,  in unison in their separate choirs, and likewise appropriate arrangements for middle school and high school.   The combined finale with several hundred choristers was Verdi's 'Libiamo' from Act I of La Traviata.   K-12 sang the chorus part (in an English translation), with we two University teachers serving as the Alfredo/Violetta soloists.  All the choirs joined us on the chorus (there are 2 verses) and  high school choirs sang in 4 part harmony, younger choirs simply sang the chorus melody.  Even the youngest students were exposed, and sang capablly in this upbeat concert closer.

      If you know in advance what piece is to be combined, then the push is to create an arrangement for each level needed, and the rehearsal experience will have its own value, learning to use rehearsal numbers/letters, and coordinate tempo, etc.  

      In Plano, TX I saw District string concerts that filled a huge gymnasium floor with elementary, middle school and high school orchestras, and the concerts always ended with a combined number.  I suspect they are still doing this, and have 20 years of programs.  (PISD)

     The key is that not all grades are playing/singing the original part.  They are playing parts modified to their ability levels.   Another question, possibly, to post on this site could ask for suggestions of pieces that others of us have used successfully for combined grade final choral numbers.  If you can get out ahead of this challenge, then the Superintendant won't have to be the one naming the selections.   It would only take a few new arrangements for the first few years, and then these could be recycled as families love to recognize music that their older children performed, now being performed by their younger children.

Wishing you all the best,

JA

Thanks Ron for your message - I feel you're right about the fact that she's in a position of power and chooses not to listen. The problem with this is two fold: 1) I work for a charter school, and she is the ONLY boss...and truly the only problem with this amazing school. 2) We have no union or teacher representation, only the support of parents, other administrators and staff, and the only people she answers to is the board of trustees, an unpaid group of community members that really have no power and simply advise her. 

 

Our school has music in it's charter, thus why she is so involved. You're right that she truly has no music experience, and that she is making some very poor decisions. I have two choices: outwit and manipulate to get her on my side, or leave. I love this school and it's students and teachers way more than I should...I don't want to leave. I'm stuck with trying to figure out how to make her see the light...even though she's clearly blind.

 

Thanks Ryan - we have done this, and she still tells us it's not good enough. Moreover, she has now taken the task of creating our concert programs away from us, and given it to her assistant, which is a problem since she then inadvertently decides the order of the pieces and ensembles - a huge problem logistically.

No union :-(.

 

No union :-(.

 

Thank you all for your replies - it is comforting to find support with this issue. I will keep you all posted. :-)

Jolyne - Wonderful, practical solutions - but it begs the fundamental problem:  What is this superintendent doing micro-managing her music staff, to the extent of doing things as described?  Is this acceptable, in your view, because she is the ONLY source of educational power (as Shannon has described to us - there is no school board with executive authority, only an advisory board - because this is an independent charter school; no union; nothing!), and so the only thing to do is to do it her way?  Is that right for the students?  Is that right for the teaching staff?  Clearly, some do not feel that way, because Shannon tells us that the head of the department resigned in frustration.  If Shannon and her colleagues accede to what this woman is looking for in the ways that you suggest, do you think it will stop there?  Is it not more likely that she will view this as proof that she's ABSOLUTELY right, and thus whatever wild notion seizes her must also be ABSOLUTELY right?  This is more than the music - it's about trusting your staff to want to do a good job, and doing what's necessary to insure that it happens, both for the students AND for the staff - developmentally, intellectually, artistically.  Answer me this:  since this seems to be limited only to the music staff, why?  "Why" is usually a question I avoid, because it's emotionally based, but in this instance seems appropriate.  How is it there is no apparent (reported) instance of 3rd graders being required to learn AND DISCUSS the Constitution, as would be appropriate to a 11th or 12th grade history or government class?  How is it that 2nd graders are not being required in this school (as reported) to doing algebraic equations, something not to be encountered (in most schools) until rather later?  It's because, I would offer, it's not appropriate at that level.  "Yes," I would hear you say, "but certainly at that point the 3rd graders are learning something about the Constitution."  Surely; but they are not expected to find themselves in some grand forum with the junioirs and seniors entering into a discussion about it - they might attend a debate on some constitutional issue, but I seriously doubt most of them would grasp the essentials of the points being made.  In other words, it's not appropriate at their age.  Yes, exposing the younger ones to great music at an early age is wonderful and appropriate - but to have to jump hoops to be able to satisfy this woman's frankly egocentric views that the little guys and gals should be playing Brahms AT THE SAME TIME as the older groups without somehow reducing the exercise to pablum for the older students - I'm just at a loss to understand how that is ultimately valuable, and does not risk the interest of the older kids.  How much time do you think can or should be dedicated by the teachers to the doing of this?  This has far less educational value, in my judgment, than focusing on obtaining fundamentals of performance and musical knowledge in a graduated fashion over time.  Yes, require them to come to a concert done by the older kids; have discussions about what happened (and I wonder what a 3rd grader would say about performance practice, intonation, rhythmic exactitude, etc.); but please, just because other school districts have been doing this sort of lamentable exercise as a universal "opportunity" doesn't make it right as an educational approach.  I live here in Fairfax County - frankly, one of the better public school districts nationally for music education - and I am aware of very few instances of such an approach being taken in any of the pyramids.  One might see a 1-6th grades final piece for a chorus concert, say; but I am just not aware of anyone doing anything that you suggest is done in Texas on a regular basis.  It might be worthwhile for Shannon to check it out, and then talk to the teachers involved off-line and see what they say.  If they support it, and enthusiastically and sincerely so, then maybe it's a solution - but I would be suspicious of such answers, to be honest.  I suspect it'd be a bit of "Be brave, and think of England!" offered as a notion to young Victorian women as they got married and faced their wedding night.  And it still seems, somehow, to validate the micromanagement of this superintendent who isn't listening to her staff - she's "God," at least in this area; she knows it; and by golly, she's going to exercise the function fully.  Sorry, that's a religion I'm not interested in being a part of.

 

Ron

Not my religion either, Ron :-)

 

I think you bring up a totally valid point...my colleagues and I could feasibly do what this woman wants, and give in, but I feel that it would be at the expense of the older students, who have earned their way to difficult music the old-fashioned way. I know that myself and my colleagues firmly believe in this, to quote you, that students need to focus "on obtaining fundamentals of performance and musical knowledge in a graduated fashion over time." It seems like such a no-brainer to me - students should learn gradually, not all at once. Why can't this "educator" see that?

 

I have an idea that may not apply at all where you are. In Australia, schools are legally classed as workplaces, which means all workplace safety laws apply. It is possible here to challenge persistent bullying (of/by staff or students) as a lack of provision of a safe workplace, and to sue schools for failing to provide a safe workplace if they were made aware that the bullying was happening and failed to stop it. If that is the case where you are, a formal warning from a legal representative that music department staff feel they are being bullied, and that legal action will follow if she doesn't desist, might do the trick. The paper-trail may also give you legal recourse if you end up having to leave/being fired over the issue.

 

Also, who DOES have the power to fire this woman? Somebody must have surely? (Sorry I'm not sure how this charter school thing works.) Threat of legal action may be enough to make whoever that person/group is feel she's not worth the risk and get rid of her.

Thanks Jean - it does apply here in the US as well, but the problem is that the people who have been made aware of this are the very same people who would also have their jobs threatened if this were to take a legal route. I could ask them, but I would be signing my own resignation letter for doing so. It is a difficult situation, and I'm thinking that it might just be best to make this upcoming school year my last, unless major changes are made and/or this person leaves. As for your second question - the board of trustees (an advisory board) is responsible for hiring the superintendent of this school. The good part of that is that the president of the board and many of the board members have children in the music department, agree with us, and have made it known that they agree with us. They are appalled that my department head is resigning, since he was one of two people that built the entire program. There are other issues that could add to our case of replacing this person (like, for example, her hiring of personal friends for positions they are clearly not qualified for or good at) but I'm concerned it's just not enough. Our school's charter was just renewed and we passed with flying colors, so this person looks like a saint...my only hope is that she will change her tune (pun COMPLETELY intended) or get out. Otherwise, I'll have to do what I don't want to do which is leave...

 

 

Thank you for your advice!!!

Jean - Not being a labor lawyer or "expert" (one of that dreaded tribe!) I answer based only on my very limited knowledge.  Here in the states, labor laws are a state-by-state affair; some permit unions, others are "open-shop" - meaning unions need not apply - ANYONE is entitled to a job, even if not union shop-organized.  Of course, that keeps costs down (you don't have to pay a reasonable wage, just enough to keep the work going) for the employer - and folks are usually desperate enough for work to do it for the going wage, even if others of us wouldn't consider it adequate.  Now, the suggestion that an unsafe workplace was created by bullying would, in my opinion, be a very difficult thing to have enough material to take to a labor law court (which tend to be administrative, therefore concerned only with the absolute application of any law governing the specific issue, rather than "making" law, if you catch my drift).  Similarly, mandatory arbitration is a lengthy and frequently unsatisfactory process, because ultimately it ends up being something of a balancing act, unless there is an overwhelming evidence of wrong-doing on the part of one of the parties.  Again, not knowing what state Shannon is in, it's difficult to reach any conclusions about arbitration or grievance procedures, and it's further complicated by the charter the school is under.  The fact that she tells us there is no union representing the teachers leads me to suspect she's in a right-to-work state, and her and her colleagues' case is thus much more difficult.  Any smart labor lawyers out there to help pro bono, at least with some sensible advice?  Shannon, without revealing too much, what state are you in?  This may seem to the administrators of the site to be rather off-topic, but it's not, really:  this is important to too many of those of us who are teaching and who are not covered by a union shop.

 

Ron

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