AB 351 Sample Support Letters - with CV Data
http://www.ab351.org/

March 25, 2009

RE: AB 351 (Salas) Physical Education – Support

Please support AB351 to allow Marching Bands, JROTC and Drill Teams
classes to count as Physical Education in high school.

I was a member of marching band at Santa Monica High School in the late
1970’s (and at UCLA after that) and now my oldest daughter is a senior at
Crescenta Valley High School and has been in the marching band for 4
years.

Marching band and drill team are physically demanding. The students daily
stretch, run laps, do sit-ups, push-ups etc. These daily exercises and
warm-ups are designed with the state PE test in mind. The pass rate of the
state PE test for the Crescenta Valley band members is very high, over
95%. Last year I believe every band member tested by the PE department
passed the test.

Crescenta Valley’s marching band practices approximately 8 hours a week of
actual marching (5 hours during class time plus twice a week after
school). They run or march an average of 2-3 miles a day. This is in
addition to the 40 hours they practice marching during band camp in August
before school starts. The band also marches at every home football game
(and some away ones) and competes in several Saturday half-time
competitions and parades each season. A friend with a son on the football
team has joked that the band kids are on the field practicing more than
the football players.

Besides the cardio work out of marching/running, the students build upper
body strength. Holding an instrument (even a flute) properly for 5 minutes
at attention is not easy. I challenge you to try for even a minute; your
arms and back will surely ache after that short period of time. Students
learn proper posture, control of their bodies and fancy dance steps; all
while having a great time and making lifelong friends.

If marching band did not count for PE, my daughter would not have been
able to participate every year; it simply would not fit in her schedule.
Marching band, at Crescenta Valley, is open to any student who wishes to
participate. This inclusiveness is very important for high school
students, who need to find a “home”, especially in a large high school.
Marching band becomes that home for many students. The bonds formed there
are such that even on your worst day of high school, you can always find a
friend to eat lunch with near the band room. Take away the PE credit for
marching band and you lose participation and a “home” for a hundred
students!

Please support the continuation of Marching Band as a viable class for
hundreds of students. A class that keeps them physically fit, while
creating a friendly community that is so important to students in our
large public high schools.

Thank you,

Joanna Vose
La Crescenta, CA

Dear Honorable Assembly Education Committee,

We support Assembly Bill 351. Our child has participated 3 years in the marching band at Crescenta Valley High School in the excellent Glendale Unified School District of Southern California. Not only is this strenuous work - you try carrying around a 30+ pound tuba in a 10 - minute field show, much less participate in hours & hours of practice and training to do so, while making music!

Our children spend 10 - 8 hour days (15 for drum line) in the dog days of summer prior to the start of school, plus every school day Fall semester morning in zero period just rehearsing. They march in 5 - 8 half-time shows, as well as 5 - 8 field show and parade competitions, some of which add up to one mile of marching. Think about the physical activity taking place in the marching alone, much less carrying an instrument. I believe the football players have one "hell week". Marching band has two or three, depending on your instrument.

Additionally, the students combine musical performance with this activity. This requires mental & physical coordination equal to or beyond any athletic sport. The team approach requirement is absolutely necessary in executing the field show choreography & parade block precision. Does the football team have to use their brains and technical skills this hard?

I haven't even mentioned the wool uniforms the band wears while at work. The band easily goes through as much water at a field show or parade competition as any football team from the strenuous activity and loss of fluids from sweating in the uniforms.

These field shows & parade competitions are just that - competitions. In addition to the physical & musical attributes, the children are learning valuable skills including team building, self-discipline, leadership, and self-respect.

Please vote for AB 351. After reading the comments I've made, you must agree that these children should receive PE credit for the time they spend in marching band! The collective parents of California marching bands will be very disappointed if the legislators fail to pass this bill.

Sincerely,

Beth & Randy Drake, taxpayers and active registered voters
Parents of Austin Drake, CVHS class of 2010, aspiring professional musician