At a March 2 workshop meeting the Onaway Area Community Schools Board of Education discussed band being one of the programs to cut as it works to balance the budget. No formal decisions were made on the issue, but it certainly drew a crowd to Tuesday evening’s school board meeting.

The media center was packed with interested students and parents who were there to support the band program as they saw it as a valuable program. Thirteen different individuals stood up to talk about how they felt the band helped them or their students and almost every one of those who took the opportunity to speak had nothing but praise for the leader of the program, teacher Lexie Signor.

Nervous students stood and told the board members how helpful they found the band program, not only now while they are in high school but helpful in getting them into colleges as well. Many students see band as a resume builder when applying for colleges and jobs.

Andrew Mullins, an Onaway High School alumni who was very active in the band program during his years as a Cardinal, spoke of how band gave him the opportunity to attend a fine arts camp at Blue Lake, meet people from all over the country, as well as many other opportunities. “It is important to keep arts in the schools, it allows students to be creative. Through my involvement in band I was able to take advantage of a lot of opportunities I wouldn’t have had otherwise,” said Mullins.

David Barnby, the father of Jacob Barnby, who has been selected to perform with the Sound of America Honor Band and Chorus this summer, spoke about the change he saw in his son, the maturity gained when he became a member of the band. “My son went from a student who was good at doing things to student who is proud of what he is doing,” said Barnby, a change he attributed to his involvement in band.

Jacob will be traveling to Europe in July with the honors band where he will participate in 10 performances in some of Europe’s finest concert halls and major cathedrals during their 24-day concert tour. Jacob would not have this opportunity if he wasn’t given the opportunity to participate in high school band.

Band director Lexie Signor was called on to speak, but asked board president Mitch Winfield to allow her students and their parents to speak before she did. Many students and parents talked about how band was the spirit of the school, how it taught determination and self-discipline. Some spoke of how band, much as sports sometimes do, gives some students a reason to go to school.

Many continued to support not only the program but to praise Signor for what she has done. Some spoke about not only the things she has taught their students in music but how she can relate to them and help them with many things in life. Signor finally took the opportunity to speak and based her argument for keeping band on her life story. Signor spoke about how her life growing up wasn’t the best, her parents could have never afforded to send her to arts camps or colleges, however, through her love for the trumpet and a kick in the butt by her band director Signor participated in Interlochen Fine Arts Camp and was able to attend college and get a degree in her passion, music.

The board heard the points of all those who took the opportunity to speak but no further action was taken on the issue of whether or not band would still exist at Onaway next school year.