Canton Middle School
Canton Middle School is one of eight middle schools in Elgin School District U-46. 09-10 is my second year at Canton Middle School, and its surrounding feeder schools. When I started at Canton, there were 20 students in Band, and an average of five students per elementary school being recruited into band. After elementary recruitment, we started 80 students in the elementary programs (band begins in 5th, but we have allowed new students to start in 6th as well), and the Middle School program is currently at 35.
This has presented a variety of instructional challenges. My Middle School band is fairly equally divided between first through fourth year players, with approximately eight of each year of experience. Choosing literature for a group as diverse as this one is quite difficult, but I am also supplementing sections with strong players by giving them small ensemble pieces to continue challenging my fourth year players, and offering soloist opportunities for exceptional students.
The economic climate in Streamwood has also presented its own set of challenges. A number of students and their families cannot afford to rent instruments in a traditional rent-to-own fashion, and either rent school instruments at a highly reduced rate, or are provided an instrument and method book free of charge. Finding families who are willing to say that they can't afford to provide such an opportunity can be difficult, which has strongly developed my skills of communication with both students and parents.
The goal has been to provide the opportunity to every child to participate in the band program. I have had some exceptional experiences due to this open-minded approach. I am currently teaching a fifth grade clarinet player who is blind, as well as a sixth grade percussionist who is developmentally challenged. Teaching these students have brought me some of the most rewarding moments of my teaching career, and these experiences have greatly developed me as a teacher and as an adult.
Given our set of challenges, the band program at Canton has grown 150% to date, and is projected to have doubled by next school year. I've learned that you can't change a community overnight, and that building the reputation of a program takes a great deal of time and effort. It takes a long time to begin a new institution, but I believe that is what is happening at Canton.
Facts about Canton Middle School have been obtained from the Illinois Interactive Report Card (IIRC) from 2009:
- Canton has not made AYP since 2006
- The primary demographics at Canton are Hispanic (45.2%) and White (36.9%)
- 50% of the school population is considered to be "Low Income"
- 60% of the Band is currently receiving straight A's, or is on the Honor Roll (not from IIRC)