b"ects and building his knowledge base.rienced faculty to ensure that no music We started with three or five tracks,studentisleftbehind.TheSOMSD going to ten tracks.should strive to provide our students Music Technology is a one-semes- with access to the highest level of qual-ter course that fulfills a practical artsity music education. requirementforgraduation.ThereIt is becoming impossible to even isnoprerequisiteotherthanhavingsustain reasonable class sizes and pro-some background with music, wheth- ductive teaching by only three music Reserve today for erformalorinformal.Buttherearedirectorsand they are the best in the space limitations and only half of thebusiness so to speak, declared Holow-Valentine's Day! H N O O N A F D U P Y U D R - A D C E U U Y B N S Y R R D E SI S A E S T N N N 150 students that registered for it inczak. We dont take our tasks lightly the 2019/2020 school year were ableand wouldnt be pushing so hard for to get in.this if it wasnt necessary. TheLabisnowmodernbutitsFor some students, Music Technol-alsorelativelysmall,andsinceitsogy can also provide a means to explore taughtbyMr.Bauerwhorunsthefuture careers. Several of the more ad-entire CHS band and marching bandvancedstudentswhohavetakenthe program,itcanunfortunatelyonlycourse have gone to college to study B L I A I A E A C P N V T V A R P E A V S T E E EL beofferedfortwooutofnineclassdigital music, production, and compo-periods, says Manno. This is symp- sition. In the future, Bauer hopes to of-tomatic of our broader issue of havingfer a Music Technology II class so that only three music directors [for chorusserious students can gain the tools and and orchestra, in addition to band] forskills they need to pursue a career in more than 700 students. this field. Heres where the CHS Music Par- Some,suchasLopez,whowill ents Association (CHSMPA) comes in.graduate in 2021, may be on this path A nonprofit organization comprised ofalready. When I get absorbed by one parentvolunteersthatsupportstheof my projects I feel like Im working CHS music program, CHSMPA hasin a professional setting and could be been lobbying the SOMSD board ofanywhere, she says. educationtofundatleasttwo-and- Then the bell rings and onto the next a-half more full-time music teachers.class, but the music making never ends. AtameetingwiththeschoolboardinOctoberof2019,CHSMPAco- RebaAuslander-StevensownsRAliance presidents Yvette Holowczak and Jen- Communications,LLC,ahealthcare nifer Meusel made a compelling pleapublic relations firm. Ellen Dreyer is an for more resources, saying, The CHSeditor and writer whose publications in-music faculty is at its maximum capac- clude the young adult novel The Glow ity, so expanding class sizes is not anStone. Both Reba and Ellen are board option. Our band, orchestra and choirmembers of CHSMPA (Columbia High should have the right number of expe- School Music Parents Association).5 Highland PlaceMaplewood, NJ 07040 973-761-7600WWW.RESTAURANTLUNASTELLA.COMCHS band director Peter Bauer gives students direction in the Music Technology class.22/ matters magazine / winter 2020"