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Band Parenting and You
Band Parenting is first and foremost about perfecting your child's band
experience. But that does not mean that it can't provide a degree of personal
fulfillment for you.
Rating Band Parents
For classification purposes the commitment and involvement of individual band
parents are measured on the closed-ended Revelli Scale with numerical rankings
from 1 to 7. The Sousa Scale that was the standard for several decades is
obsolete. Its range was too limited for modern band parenting. Old Sousa Scale
rankings can not be converted to Revelli Scale rankings. It is therefore not
easy to compare band parents from different eras. This is the cause of a
simmering intramural feud over eligibility at the Band Parents' Hall of Fame in
Washington, D.C. (the home town of John Philip Sousa).
You want to achieve a personal Revelli Ranking of 3.5 or better.
RS Rankings:
- Nominal- Only band parents in the biological sense (if that). Don't
join BPO or come to concerts or contests.
- Marginal- Pays the BPO membership fee then never attends meetings
or comes to concerts or contests.
- Casual- Attends many band events and some BPO meetings. Makes video
tapes of band but never watches them.
- Serious- Attends every BPO meeting, most band concerts and
contests. Shows marching band videos to visiting relatives.
- Committed- Visits band hall 4-5 times a week. Uses vacation days to
attend almost every band event. Donation to band is largest charitable
contribution listed on tax return. Shows band videos to business associates.
- Fanatic- Accepts demotion at job to have more time for band. Moves
to home closer to band hall. Attends all band events. Shows band videos to
strangers who come to door selling magazines. Lists band as beneficiary on
life insurance policy.
- Ideal- Quits job to focus on helping band. Sells house and takes
small apartment next to school. Lives on band pizza and band fund raiser
novelty food items. Wardrobe consists of 15 band T-shirts and a pair of blue
jeans. Gives band videos as Christmas gifts. Decorates home with band
newspaper clippings. Accepts position of BPO President for Life.
Copyright 1996 by George Yenetchi
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