Farmington music teachers, students urge board to preserve in‑school jazz band and ability to take band and choir

Sarah O'Banion, choir director at Bachman Middle School, told the Farmington School Board that middle school music staff are asking the district to preserve two long‑standing opportunities: allowing learners to take both band and choir throughout middle school and keeping eighth‑grade jazz band during the school day.

O'Banion said administrators have told music staff the upcoming middle‑school schedule will either eliminate or greatly reduce those offerings despite music teachers presenting possible solutions. She said those experiences have been available through multiple prior schedule changes and that the current schedule should be manageable. “Eighth grade is the only opportunity from sixth through twelfth grade for learners to experience jazz band without needing to make special arrangements for transportation to school,” O'Banion said, adding that moving jazz band outside the school day would cut rehearsal time from about 100 minutes per week to roughly 30.

The choir director told the board that cutting in‑day rehearsal time would make it impossible to teach the jazz improvisation curriculum she demonstrated recently to music educators at a state convention, and that moving the class out of the school day would change it to a stipend position and increase district costs. She also said preliminary counts show 66 students across three buildings want to take both band and choir next year, and that denying that option would conflict with the district’s strategic framework emphasis on equity and building personal skills for success.

O'Banion framed both in‑day jazz and the ability to take multiple music classes as academic and social‑emotional opportunities that support student growth and said music staff want the board’s help to implement schedule solutions.

The board did not take action on course scheduling during the meeting; the remarks were part of the public comment period and were recorded for board consideration.

Community relevance: the request affects middle‑school schedules, transportation, staffing and potential stipend costs if programs move outside the school day. The presentation included an enrollment request count and references to the Farmington strategic framework.