In August 2021, our beloved and hard working director left his Director of Instrumental Bands position at Oak Park High School in Oak Park, Michigan to become an Assistant Professor and Director of Bands at a university in Ohio. Leaving the Oak Park Marching Legion without a lead and our music program in jeopardy.    A posting was made and three applicants made it to be interviewed. Neither director have everything that we needed, but parents, students and assistants to the program made it clear…Do Not Change the Culture of the Band (HBCU Show-style).
The posting suppose to be left up, but we heard nothing. Without any classroom interaction with our children, and the district’s need to have a person in a seat has hired a person (pending a yes vote from the district), and potentially changing the culture and marching style that has defined our band for over ten years.  Over the last 2 years, we’ve already seen changes that have impacted our district negatively, showing that they are more concern with the bottom line and not our children, especially concerning our rich music program  and potentially taking away millions of dollars in full music scholarships from our students and stripping our great music program to nothing more than a high school pep and orchestra band.  The district won’t even answer parents’ concerns when it comes to the COVID 19 protocols for marching band and problems with the ventilation system. The madness must be stopped!