In the storm of emotion over the possible departure of Live Oak
Emerald Regime
’s Director Jeff Wilson, several aspects of the situation strike
a sour note.
In the storm of emotion over the possible departure of Live Oak Emerald Regime’s Director Jeff Wilson, several aspects of the situation strike a sour note.
First of all, though there is talk of building a world class program, the message Wilson is sending is mi, mi, mi, mi (me, me, me, me) – and he’s not vocalizing a scale. If he has a plan to greatly improve the current program, why did he wait until he received an offer from another school? This way, it appears that he gave the district an ultimatum, non-negotiable, that administration could not comply with in order to be able to tell all the band supporters, and, worse, the band members themselves, that the district made him do it.
It is perfectly acceptable, especially in the current economic climate, to accept an offer, with appropriate notice, that will further a career, will pay more, will be a better fit, etc. But this way, Wilson can tell his supporters that the district let them down, not him.
Wilson has done a fine job with the Emerald Regime, continuing a tradition of excellence, all the way to a Western Regional championship in its division this school year. He has pulled together excellent bands at Martin Murphy and includes Murphy in his plan for an even better program.
And it’s obvious how the students and their families feel about Wilson: the level of emotion in the school library during the emergency band meeting, particularly the tears of the students, demonstrated that Wilson is treasured by those he works with.
But, on some level, the emotion was also about the rumor that there would be no more band at Live Oak. Students and parents alike were keeping the phone lines humming. One was that the program had been cut as a result of the budget-slashing the district is engaged in. Another had Wilson fired, one of those teachers who received a pink slip that didn’t get rescinded. Another rumor was that even if the band program wasn’t cut, if Wilson left, there would be no program next year.
Although it will be difficult, if Wilson accompanies his verbal agreement to the other school with a signature, to get things up and running for next year at this late date, Principal Nancy Serigstad has committed to keeping the marching band program intact. It would have made life for her, indeed for all concerned, if there had been more notice from Wilson about his plans.
But despite what students and their parents and other band supporters were told, the Emerald Regime will not end with a whimper if Wilson walks out the door. It will take time, perhaps, and much effort on the part of the students, parents and administration, but the band will march its way to excellence once again.
