Way Off-Key: Regina Public Schools Remodel Band Program

Way Off-Key: Regina Public Schools Remodel Band Program

Written by Hannah Wildman

Imagine a world where children don’t have a sense of belonging. Where children will lack a safe space. Where children don’t have a creative outlet and a place to explore their emotions. This is the reality students will face if we don’t have band programs in our schools.

Regina Public Schools recently announced a “restructuring” of their elementary band program. On the surface level, it seemed shiny, new, and exciting. But upon digging deeper, what they are actually doing is creating an unsustainable instrumental music program that is destined to fail.

The new MusicCentre@Dieppe program is unsustainable for a number of reasons. For starters, Regina Public Schools has yet to define if instrumental music means classroom instruments such as ukuleles, recorders, and drums, or if they mean wind band instruments. If wind band instruments are not introduced properly at Grade 6, that means band won’t truly start until Grade 7, which will lead to detrimental results as they will not have built up the foundational skills required to perform at a proper middle years level.

If the program is to truly succeed, the program should start even younger in Grade 5, as per the recommendations of John Benham, a school band consultant who helps school divisions develop sustainable band programs across North America.

Another issue with the proposed program is that instruction will be reduced to once a week for a longer period of time. This is problematic for a number of reasons. Young students will be at risk of injury as they simply can’t play for that long of a time with their underdeveloped muscles. Their attention span won’t last that long either – professional orchestras don’t have rehearsals longer than 2.5 hours, and that 2.5 hours includes a twenty-minute break. If professionals only have rehearsals of no more than slightly over 2 hours of playing time, how can we expect children to?

Regina Public Schools frequently cites that 60% of those who start band in Grade 6 will quit by the start of Grade 8. This argument that the attrition rate is so poor is fundamentally flawed and distorted. They believe that having mandatory music instruction in Grade 6 will result in a decrease in attrition rates by Grade 7 and 8. If students haven’t been properly introduced to wind band instruments prior, why would they suddenly want to in Grade 7? If they want to use the argument of poor attrition rates, it would be in their best interest to show comparisons of the attrition rates of other programs to give context as to whether or not these figures are actually a respectable argument.

Another thought to consider is the effect of increased durations of transportation time on students, especially those with disabilities. If a student requires a paratransit bus service, they could have 8 transfers per day, compared to only 4 in a regular school day. While they may currently have 8 transfers on full band days, the transportation time is substantially shorter, and they still have opportunities to participate in the sectional experiences at their home schools.

Doubling the amount of transfers, combined with double to triple or more transportation time, will be incredibly hard on someone with physical disabilities. Paratransit services also have a lower threshold for operating in cold weather, which could result in those students missing band more frequently during the winter months.

There are also many students who have invisible disabilities or are neurodivergent that struggle with multiple transitions and long transportation times. If a student struggles with behavioral problems, will they be allowed on a bus? What accommodations will be made for students with sensory issues who find bus rides overwhelming? Transitions are also a struggle for neurodivergent students, so how is creating a program that creates more transitions a better, more equitable option?

When considering these facts, it appears that the new model of a central hub for music education is actually less accessible and equitable and creates barriers to accessing music in schools, especially for the most vulnerable population of students. While these barriers are present in the current model, why, if we are creating a new model of instruction, are we adding even more barriers, instead of designing the program in a way that removes them?

There is more to band than simply learning to play an instrument. It is an opportunity to learn teamwork, collaboration, patience, and empathy. Band is a place where students can increase their literacy and numeracy skills, learn an entirely new language, and be immersed in an experience where screens, technology, and AI are not needed.

Band is one of the few areas remaining in school academics that is untouchable by AI. In a world where students are constantly bombarded with fake images and videos, and unable to decipher reality from false narratives, it is imperative to save the spaces that students can have real, hands-on, authentic experiences. Using our hands to manipulate real instruments in real time is extremely beneficial for our brains in more ways than one. It activates the reward system in our brain by releasing dopamine (Zatorre, 2015), it changes our brain’s white matter neuroplasticity (Imfeld et al., 2009), and it helps with working memory since so many things must be examined and executed at once (Nichols et al., 2024).

Taking away the opportunity for students to play in a proper band experience not only hurts their cultural experiences at school, but also prevents them from unlocking their full brain potential. It is hard to imagine that a school system that proclaims to be designed for the children, would get rid of programs that actively stop those same children from becoming all that they can be.

After examining the barriers created with the new program and the benefits of having robust band programs, the question becomes; what do we need do to create change and make a lasting, sustainable program?  Realistically, to eliminate the barriers created by having the central hub, music instruction needs to stay in the home schools. Band class needs to start no later than Grade 5. There needs to be instruction in smaller increments of 30-45 minutes at least every other day. There needs to be a smaller student-to-teacher ratio. The program needs to be created using neuro-affirming practices and any spaces made must be renovated with universal design practices in mind.

Band is so much more than simply reading notes on the page. When looking at the science, social benefits, and more of the importance of playing an instrument, it shows that it is one of the few ways we can create more capable, empathetic, and smarter humans. There is a way for band programs to be robust and sustainable, but this new model is not it. It is hard to believe anyone, let alone a school division, would want to take the opportunity and joys of music away from a child.

From the Press

CBC News: Music and arts organizations urge Regina Public Schools to pause music program overhaul

Regina Leader Post: Former Dieppe School to be hub for Regina Public’s revamped band program

CTV News: Regina Public Schools to open dedicated music centre in former Dieppe School

CBC News: Parents cautious about new music program for Regina Public Schools