What are pBANDs?
Charles L. Perkins, Sr. Director-Coach-Owner
“The one who was larger than the universe became a
microscopic
embryo.” This is a direct quote from page 21 of
one of my favorite
books, The Gift for all Peoples by Max Lucado of
San Antonio. All of
Max Lucado’s books center on Jesus Christ and are
reader friendly as
well as easy to understand. I am convinced that
there are other
gifts originating from God which are merely
microscopic exhibits of
God’s amazing love for us. And if you have seen
the phrase music &
math, then you have a hint that they too are
included in what James
1:17 declares: “every good gift and every perfect
gift is from above,
and comes down from the Father of lights.”
As a secondary band director and math educator, I
am compelled to tell
anyone I teach that music and math are two such
gifts that have been
underappreciated for centuries. (Many things come
into focus more
clearly after experiencing them personally.)
Indeed, teaching music
and math over the years have exposed me to the
amazing benefits God
intended for these two gifts.
Give me a few minutes to explain an approach that
I believe could
relieve our public classrooms of some of their
academic woes. This
approach is a major benefit that has been
unwittingly applied in
virtually every successful school district
throughout this country.
Moreover, it is important to note that this
approach is sensible,
realistic, and affordable so that every school
district might
systematically use it to change their own
educational outlook.
My startup business, called Music & Math Masters
Studio, came on the
scene in Woodway, Texas, on 7 September 2013. I
am convinced that its
two essential components are at the heart of this
approach.
Teaching band and math at Aquilla ISD, over the
past six years, helped
me to realize that music and math ought to be used
synergistically to
significantly transform student attitudes,
behavior, and conduct
(ABCs) with respect to their educational
environment. Carefully
examine those school districts that have placed a
great amount of
emphasis and finances on building collaborative
improvements in their
academic curriculum, both musically and
mathematically. They are
easily identified.
Any school district that truly takes music
seriously ought to invest
resources that start music education programs at
the earliest possible
ages. Early music training (that is pragmatic and
theory based) ought
to be coupled with early math education to
undergird and nurture an
improved academic environment and state of mind.
A well-planned music
program that enriches the academic environment
should be addressed and
emphasized at the same intensity level as math,
for all grade levels.
From my perspective, this level of intensity is
facilitated best by
introducing pBands in the elementary grades. The p
stands for
‘plastic’ and merely reflects the predominate
instruments used in this
musical group made up of beginners and amateur
musicians. Children as
early as third grade can be taught to play in
harmony, in various keys
(other than C-Major), music theory, and how to
care for and handle
plastic instruments which duplicate those commonly
used in middle
school and high school bands. Each instrument of
a pBand is
ultra-lightweight, easy to play, carry, and will
produce sounds of an
authentic quality. Heretofore, a traditional
elementary enrichment
program uses recorders, ocarinas, and song flutes.
P-Bands can boost
the musical experiences of children and offer them
a broader, colorful
musical palette to choose from.
My studies reveal that music plays a vital role in
reducing academic
pressures resulting from intense classroom testing
and serves to
counterbalance stresses commonly associated with
other subjects
(including math). This notion is clearly implied
by David in
Scripture. It is David who deserves credit for
putting so much
emphasis on music. He not only composed numerous
psalms but organized
praise groups and choirs and even designed musical
instruments for
sanctuary orchestras (consisting of 4,000
singers/musicians based on 1
Chronicles 23:5). Also, David used music early on
during his life as
a shepherd boy and customarily played music on his
harp to “refresh”
and heal King Saul during his periods of
depression caused by an evil
spirit (1 Sam 16:23).
Elementary classrooms need to receive a similar
dose of refreshing
tranquility and discipline. Music training not
only contributes these
two factors as well as many others besides. I
happened to bring a
list of ten benefits that are derived from an
elementary music
program. It 1) promotes group harmony and
teamwork; 2) projects
self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-worth; 3)
strengthens cultural
ties and school spirit; 4) serves as a catalyst
for making everyone a
winner; 4) reinforces positive behavior and
conduct; 5) facilitates a
learning environment; 6) keeps stress under
control; 7) provides an
emotional escape from turbulence and anxiety; 8)
trains children in
the meaning of self-discipline and self-control;
9) offers pre-band
practical training; and 10) it will significantly
improve the academic
performance of any school system.
That said, music and math, along with the
employment of skilled
educators, are two vitally important ingredients
for successful
academic performances. Why? Because each
component separately
benefits the brain’s thinking processes in ways,
one alone cannot.
Math provides the necessary mental calisthenics
essential for creative
thinking whereas music activates the brain’s
relaxation properties to
help soothe, restore, and rejuvenate the brain.
They in essence
constitute a full complement, and therefore are my
favorite catch-all
phrase for summarizing or characterizing my point
of view.
To be effective, music and math must be used
evenhandedly throughout
the early stages of childhood educational
development. Since math is
already considered a core subject, music training
must catch up to it
as a parallel mandatory activity for purposes of
classroom balance.
P-Bands will not only provide elementary students
with an enrichment
program that uses better quality musical
instruments but will motivate
their interest and enthusiasm as well. Most
importantly, p-Bands will
accelerate weaning children away from electronic
whiz-toys,
television, and social media devices, which in my
opinion are
detrimental to educational goals.
P-Bands consist of realistic sounding musical
instruments (made of
polyurethane materials) such as clarinets,
saxophones, flutes,
trombones, U-bass ukuleles, and trumpets.
Although each instrument,
on an average, weighs less than 10 pounds, each
merits praise for
sounding strikingly authentic. These instruments
are not toys! But
will enhance the dimensions of music appreciation.
As a result,
children will no longer be limited by their
physical strength,
stamina, or hindered by parental concerns over
replacing costly
instruments due to accidental damage. Music
training should be fun
and exciting on a routine basis. Our elementary
children deserve to
be in an environment where they can learn to play
musical instruments
much like those in middle and high school bands.
To my knowledge, not a single pBand has been
established in the
country. On the other hand, this is not that
surprising since there
is not a single business functioning as a Music &
Math Masters Studio
either. Therefore, I urge parents reading this
article to insist that
their public school administration officials put
more emphasis and
resources to modernize elementary music programs.
P-Bands are unbelievably pocketbook friendly and
fall well within the
parameters of any school budget. My small
business is a prominent
promoter of this approach. Please visit my studio
for pBand musical
supplies, information, and other band and
orchestra accessories.
Submitted by:
Charles L. Perkins, Sr.
Director-Coach-Owner
(254) 235-6662
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