We get lots and lots of letters-

We have received several letters over the last few days.  I am posting here all of them for which I have received the author's permission for your review.  I had to reformat them for this forum, so i apologize if anything got mangled in the process:

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Dear School Board Members,

I am writing to urge you to keep 4th grade strings and specifically Jill Jensen on board in our schools. I know how difficult and painful the process of making budget cuts is—if anything, we would all like to see more programs available to our kids, let alone cut what we already have. I am fairly new to Monona, having moved here a year and a half ago, and have been extremely impressed by the 4th and 5th grade performances organized by Jill. It is obvious that she puts in many extra hours and goes far above and beyond her duties as a classroom teacher, because it is one thing—and hard enough—to teach a group of kids the mechanics involved in learning to read and perform music. It is another thing entirely to connect with children so closely and so well as to inspire obvious the joy and enthusiasm for performing that I have seen bursting forth in every one of their concerts that I have attended.

Without ever having met Jill Jensen, I was very pleased to discover that the Monona schools had an elementary music program at all. We moved from a district in California which had no music teachers, no art teachers, no P.E. teachers, no guidance teachers, no teacher’s aides, and no school buses at the elementary level (sadly, all very typical for California). Both my older kids were so excited to start an instrument, and Jill helped them individually get up to speed, as they are of course at a disadvantage, having had no formal instruction and just jumping in here with kids who have had that advantage. She has always been very sensitive and caring towards my kids, who have had difficulty adjusting to our move on many levels. I find her very approachable for parents and kids alike, and she obviously cares about the kids in her classes.

Although Monona is not in quite as dire straits as the district we came from, I know it is still very difficult to be in the position of having to cut programs for budget reasons. Because I know firsthand what it is like in a school with no music, no art, no PE, nothing extra, just a bare bones curriculum where already overburdened classroom teachers have to take on anything and every extra thing themselves if it is to happen at all, I urge you to keep Jill Jensen and 4th grade strings in place here in the schools. As a parent I would willingly forgo busing and provide my own transportation for my kids, or increase my volunteer time at the school in order to make up for other cuts if it would keep the music program in place.

Thank you for your attention to my letter and your service to the schools,

Sincerely,

Laura Hartog

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Dear School Board,

I realize that the issue of closing Maywood has been on the agenda for some time, but I'm getting the sense anecdotally that this option is gaining traction. It's ironic because I went into my e-mail drafts folder and found a draft of a message to Susan Manning about this very same subject, only it was written last year. This is my second year with a child in Maywood and it's my second year facing losing the school.

My husband and I were talking about it, and he asked why the district can't sell the Nichols building and move offices into the extra space at Winnequah. I figured the school board had explored the option, but I still thought it worth bringing up. Someone mentioned that there are issues that could prevent the sale of the building--or at least make it more complicated--but I still wonder why it hasn't been fully explored or formally studied the way closing Maywood has been.

Also, if a sale isn't possible, then why not close Nichols instead of Maywood? After all, if we're going to spend a lot of money to renovate Winnequah to accommodate younger students so that we can close Maywood, I can't help but wonder if the expense wouldn't be the same or less to move the offices and close Nichols instead. There's a renovation and move either way. We'd still have to maintain an empty building either way. What I keep coming back to is that if the school district is going to own four buildings in Monona but only operate three, it makes sense that those three should be schools.

I realize that Maywood is not without its problems--I've encountered some of them this year. Yet I still passionately believe that it is a prime example of a school that works well for the majority of the students. I'm tired of seeing the vultures circling overhead. This is exhausting for the community and divisive for the district.

Best,

Jennifer Garrett

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School Board Members-

I am extraordinarily aware of the challenges you face ahead in this budget situation- and I don't envy you. All the things you are considering cutting are important and it is hard to think that we are even considering some of these cuts. But we are- and it will be tough.

I am writing to you tonight to simply say that I hope you can find a way to keep Jill Jensen employed in the district. I know that cuts throughout the music department will have repercussions throughout the music staff. But having kids gone through elementary school, middle school, and now high school, I can tell you that Jill Jensen is hands down the best music teacher in the department- bar none. Her commitment to music and her desire to have kids experience music, her ability to motivate all kids to sing and dance--(my daughter sang a solo in Schoolhouse Rock in 5th grade--absolutely amazing!).

Even more important, though, Jill truly believes that music should be available and accessible to all kids regardless of academic ability and family/financial situation. If a kid wants to play an instrument at Winnequah and cannot afford it, Jill makes it happen. If a kid has a concert and does not have a family who can get him there, Jill makes it happen. This deep belief that music should be accessible to all is not a belief held by the entire music department of MG schools- but for Jill- everyone counts.

I know this an issue of seniority, and that the rules of union are not flexible. But if there is a way to keep Jill at Winnequah, I urge you to do so- she is the hardest working teacher I know and has meant soooo incredibly much to my kids.

I know that you have heard from many folks about this and other issues- a form letter response is not necessary--- I just wanted you to know how I feel.

Good luck with these decisions- and thanks for your service to our schools. It is much appreciated.

Sue Carr

Dear Monona Grove Board members,

My name is Ami Yamamoto, and I have recently graduated from Monona Grove High School last May. I was so shocked to hear from many of my fellow graduates, current students, as well as my former orchestra teacher, Mr. Carl Davick, that the board is going to be removing the fourth grade string program. I am very, very against this. Because I have started playing violin since I was three, and because I am currently a private violin teacher for beginners, I understand how critical it is to start playing an instrument, especially strings, at an early age. The younger the better the students will absorb more materials.

From the very start of the orchestra class in fourth grade, I enjoyed being in a group where my colleagues and I got together to make music, whether it was in a classroom setting or in a small group that met once a week before school. I felt very home-like whenever I was in a musical group setting. I would hate to see wonderful opportunities that I received when I was in Nichols Elementary taken away. Some of the students who are more musically inclined join Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra, or WYSO. I joined WYSO when I was in sixth grade because Mr. Davick recommended it. I am very thankful for being in an orchestral setting at school before I joined this youth orchestra because I have never done such a thing before. If you see how many students are in WYSO now days compared to ten years ago, the number has immensely increased. This should be a huge sign that more and more students, as well as their parents, are starting to appreciate music and find the importance in it. As for me, I loved playing my violin in WYSO as well as our wonderful school orchestra, that I decided to double major in violin performance and biochemistry.

I've had so many enjoyable memories with the MG orchestra. One memory that instantly pops up is the 4-12 string orchestra concert. Every year, I get to see how many people in our district is in the string program, and I am always so outraged by the size of the student body! As an elementary school student, it was the one occasion that I got to see a whole group of high school kids and play with them. It definitely inspired me to get better. As I got older, I became the one that would go over to the fourth and fifth grades to help them tune. It was so nice to think that they must feel the same way that I felt back when I was their age. When I was first introduced to Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, a piece of our tradition in which every students participate, I was so excited because it was my first famous orchestral piece that I had ever played. To this day, hearing this piece still brings back great memories.

So you may say that even if we cut the elementary school strings program, we can start it from sixth grade, just like the band program. There are so many disadvantages to this. First of all, string instruments are harder to get a grasp on, compared to the band instruments. I understand this first hand, because I had played the flute for six years in MG band. The string instruments require more complex skills in both hands/arms, and the muscle memory plays a very important part in this. Not to mention that the muscle memory works the best at a younger age. Second, if a student wants to start playing a string instrument and a band instrument, like myself, it is nearly impossible to do it at the same time. It's almost like learning two languages at the same time. I just does not work. In addition, not as many students are going to pick up the string instruments because band seems more "popular".

I understand that Monona Grove is having a financial difficulty, but I want our wonderful strings program to keep growing and I will be very opposed to anything that will be in the way of doing so. It seems like music education is always one of the first program to get cut, which is incredibly not fair. I grown up to myself that I am today because of music. Because of it, I was able to be a part of the MGHS pit orchestra, show choir band, a string quartet that was the finalist of the St. Paul String Quartet Competition, and even finding gigs to play at weddings. I hope that you will keep this in mind when you are making this near future decision. I would like to see more people from MG have that same experience.

Sincerely,

Ami Yamamoto

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Thank you for the opportunity to review the discussed budget cuts.

I would be very concerned about outsourcing the custodial staff. Having worked in the corporate environment and have experienced this type of staff change I would be opposed to this option. The current staff does a fantastic job and as a parent I want to know the people that are around my children. Going with the cheaper option is not always the better solution.

The second item I would want you to consider is the walk zone and the late bus. In the world we live in most parents have both parents working and or many divorced homes. Being able to know that you child has a safe way home is very important. Some school districts offer the option of charging for bus services. Have you reviewed the potential to do this? McFarland does this and may be something for you to consider. I know that if I was told I didn’t have the option for my child to ride the bus especially a late bus once they get into high school it would be very concerning. The traffic concerns and the lack of police monitoring the major intersections in Cottage Grove is very much a concern and to have more children walking to and from home doesn't sound like a good idea. I would pay in addition to my tax dollars if I was considered part of a walk zone to provide a safer option for my children and think you should consider it.

I am also glad you are reviewing the Maywood and Winnequah consolidation and believe it should be highly considered. While I understand it is political and difficult for many that have emotional ties we need to look at the best of the worst options when faced with these financial challenges.

　

Kind Regards,

　

Kim Miller

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My name is Nora Germain.

I did not graduate from MG, but I went there my freshman and sophomore year and went to Winnequah, Nichols, and Maywood. I have been playing the violin since I was three years old. When I was old enough to be in the strings program in 4th grade, I was overjoyed. Even though my peers were just starting and I was way ahead, I felt like we were one big team together, and I could help inspire them, and feel like I succeeded. We were all a team in elementary school and in middle school, and we were all a team in high school.

To be able to help my friends learn the music and to encourage them to work on more difficult sections was a great experience for me.

My father, Glenn Germain, was a violinist in the Madison Symphony, and so was my mom. My father is a strings restorer and has repaired and donated so many instruments to the program with help from Jill and Carl. The last two summers, I taught many of the students that were in the program already or were about to enter it. My family has personally impacted the program because we all believe in it. And all of us are professionals.

Music is a fundamental energy. We make music with our heart beats, and we make music when we walk. We walk in tempo, not randomly and unpredictably. Babies crawl in tempo too, once they learn.

Allowing students to be able to express themselves with music within their normal school day is a human thing. It is a vital thing. MG helps the community by supplying it with orchestral musicians! They move on to play in WYSO and in community orchestras at UW Madison and Milwaukee and many other places. My orchestral experience at MG has definitely helped me in my life, and I am currently going for my BFA, studying jazz violin at The New School in New York City! Already so many strings programs have been shut down in the Madison area; there are hardly any left if I am correct. Letting the strings program go will be a horrible decision.

How can we let the kids in the MGSD grow up without music ACTIVELY in their lives, especially when many of them cannot afford to take lessons elsewhere? Getting rid of the program means getting rid of music in their lives, not just getting rid of music at Nichols, and, 4th and 5th graders need to get started THEN, not later, at Winnequah. Those two years of background heavily impact their development, OUR development, as musicians.

Music is one of the ONLY ways in which students in the MGSD can connect to one another without competing, without judging, without knowing about each other's school drama or financial situation or relationship status or any other grounds for feelings to be hurt.

Orchestra is a joy, no matter what your level is, and I can't imagine anyone that has participated in it could agree that getting rid of it would be a good idea.

Imagine if music had been taken away from children a long time ago... Imagine a world without swing music, without jazz music, without classical music, without opera, or broadway, or musicals? Without gypsy music or tango? No Choirs, no Medieval music?! No Hymns?

The reason why popular music is such garbage these days is because there is a severe lack of education for where music comes from, and who Bach was, and what Mozart sounds like, etc. Education is fundamental to students, and to children and young adults who will be the future of the world! Instead of practicing the 1812 Overture, students will be listening to 50 Cent who will talk about getting high and having drunk intercourse. We can do much better than that. We are a school in Wisconsin! We are expected to do much better than that!

Our orchestra is part of the future of music, and if we take that away, we are going to cause a disastrous impact that none of you will see, but I will see, and my peers who care about orchestra, will see too.

Nora Francesca Germain

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Dear School Board--

I wrote a letter to the Herald regarding the potential budget cuts for the music program, specifically the very real possibility of cutting fourth-grade strings. I've included that letter here to make sure that you are all able to see it in all its glory, as I'll likely pare it down for newpaperability. I would like to emphasize how strongly I feel about this; music was what got me through high school. Nothing else had as much meaning to me as the music program, and nothing else remained as relevant to me after I graduated. I fear that not only would a cut be an initial hit to the strength of the program, but it would also pave the way for more such cuts in the future. Thanks very much for your time.

Dear Editor--

My name is Jake DeBacher; I graduated from MG last year. I recently was very troubled to hear that the school board is seriously considering cutting the fourth- (and possibly fifth-) grade strings programs from the curriculum in order to partially solve the district's budget troubles; I sincerely hope that they reconsider this action before depreciating the value of one of our district's strongest programs.

I started strings—cello was my instrument—when most MG kids did, back in fourth grade. I don't remember exactly how many of my peers were also taking orchestra back then, but at present, about 70% of 4th graders are enrolled in the strings program. I can say without any hyperbole that being in the strings program hugely changed my entire school experience, from the time I picked it up in elementary school to the time I graduated.

The representations of the benefits, while subtle, can be easily explained. It's a well-documented fact that musical ability leads to better brain functioning; high school students that participate in musics tend to have considerably higher scores on standardized tests. In one study, second graders who were given just a few hours of piano lessons showed immediate improvement on their understanding of fractions. And while it's true that orchestra would still be available in middle school if the current program is cut back, students may be less willing to start a new instrument when it might interfere with other classes they would want to take. Additionally, students might be intimidated by the prospect of starting two instruments at once, as sixth grade is also the time when band class starts. Orchestra can also be beneficial to team- and community-buildings skills; there is little else in school that so emphasizes the importance of working well with those around you.

The benefits of an earlier orchestra education also manifest in more obvious ways. My senior year, two other Orchestrians and I formed a trio, did a bit of self-advertising, and played some commercial gigs, including a wedding and the Herb Kohl education banquet. If our musical education had started later, this probably would not have been an option. It is not only the fact that our current curriculum starts us early, but also that it is flexible for students: when I was in 4th grade, my music teacher, Jill Jensen, arranged for me to play in a smaller group setting with some other kids to allow us greater experience as musicians. I also—along with many of my classmates—have had the incredible opportunity of playing in the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra, which rewards the highest level of musicianship with an awesome experience in a more intensive playing environment. In fact, Ami Yamamoto—a 2009 MG graduate—was actually selected to play as a violin soloist with the Madison Symphony Orchestra in eighth grade, which was an incredible honor, not to mention an testament to our incredible strings program.

The implications of an early string program still echo in my life today. I played cello multiple years in the pit orchestra for the school musical, which I consider among greatest experiences of my high school tenure. I am currently studying undergraduate music composition, due in strong part to our orchestra program; when I was a senior, I was given the indescribable opportunity to write a piece for our orchestra, which was played at the Spring concert (and I would do a great disservice not to mention the help of the Orchestra director Carl Davick, without whom the piece certainly never would have been realized, and who gives the program as a whole so much of its value).

Music also provides a very valuable outlet for school-age kids. There are numerous opportunities that it provides, both during school and extra-curricular. One of the highlights of my middle school years was playing with the Sizzling Strings, a group that met after school on Fridays. While some people would be skeptical that kids would be willing to stay after school right before the weekend, everyone that participated absolutely loved the group, and it allowed for a large amount of interaction between grade levels that middle school otherwise largely lacks. The orchestra also provides another source of camaraderie between all grades in the annual 4-12 concert, which takes place in the spring; each grade plays a short set, from 4th-grade unison to12th-grade masterworks, and culminates with Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, played by all grades together, a truly awe-inspiring experience. I still remember the amazement I felt in fourth grade, playing with hundreds of other musicians. This concert is an amazing way to really determine the true power of our orchestra program; it shows the immense progress that is made after each year of orchestra.

I could easily go on for many more paragraphs about the benefits of the program. Every music teacher I've had since grade school has provided a valuable role model for me and hundreds of others. Music provides a huge outlet for the development of creative talents. It is an opportunity to make new friends and expand social circles. If you need further proof of how the program is beneficial, just sit in on a rehearsal. I have no doubt that its importance is self-evident.

I understand that the budget issues facing the school board are great. I acknowledge that academics generally take precedence over the music program, and that in the end, a cutback might be the only plausible way to keep the budget in check. But I truly beg the board to consider every possibility before making that decision, as the implications would be unfortunate. Music was unequivocally the greatest aspect of my high school experience, and I cringe to think of how I would have developed differently had it not played such a large role. Cutting the program back now might set a precedent for similar cutbacks in the future, a truly deplorable idea. And kids would likely be less likely to pick up the instrument in the first place if the time for them to do so is delayed. Protect the interests of the students, and ensure that the strings program remains intact.

Jake DeBacher

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Dear School Board Members & Superintendent,

We heard that in MG budget discussions, the school board is considering cutting Jill Jensen’s position.

Ms. Jensen is a passionate and compassionate teacher who does an outstanding job instilling a love of learning music in young children. At the middle school winter strings concert, the orchestra was asked for a show of hands for how many students had come through Nichols Elementary and how many had come through Cottage Grove Elementary. The vast majority (approximately ¾) of the hands raised were Monona children who had learned strings from Ms. Jensen. That show of hands is a direct reflection of Ms. Jensen’s influence on and importance to the MG strings program. And having such a strong strings program is something that sets the MG school district apart from other districts.

Here’s what my kids have to say about Ms. Jensen.

Eli, 8th grade: She was always so fun! Ms. Jensen made learning an instrument enjoyable. She motivated me to practice because I knew it would please her, and in the process, I improved my cello skills. She is so happy, loving and funny. She is one of my favorite teachers.

Micah, 6th grade: She is fun and she puts me in a good mood. I don’t think I would have stuck with playing the string bass without Ms. Jensen. Younger kids coming through Winnequah would really be missing out if they didn’t have her for a teacher.

Sincerely,



Sally Buffat