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Second chances Playoff expansion proposal debated By PETER CONTRERAS Director of Public Information

The UIL's Legislative Council gave approval early last month to a plan that would send to the high school playoffs the top three teams from each Conference $A district in four additional sports.

Joining football with three teams in the playoff would be volleyball, boy's and girl's basket­ball, soccer and baseball.

The proposal is currently being presented to district superinten­dents statewide on a referendum vote for implementation during the 1992-93 school year. If approved by the schools, the plan would go to the state board of education for final approval.

Introduced by Spring Branch Independent School District administrator Wayne Schaper, the proposal passed by a 14-6 vote.

Under the Schaper proposal, three teams from each Conference 5A district would advance to the playoffs with one state champion being crowned in each sport except football. Conference5A football districts already send three teams to the state playoffs under a format adopted this past season.

However, another proposal approved by the Legislative Council on that same day was a format to change the Conference 5 A playoffs beginning with the 1991 season.

The new format would call for the largest enrollment team of the three district representatives would enter a 32-team bracket, preliminar­ily labeled "Division 1," to play for the state title. The remaining teams would play for another champion­ship in a 64-team "Division II" bracket.

Last month's proposal to send three teams to the playoffs in the additional sports came from a January plan adopted by Schaper to send four teams from each district to the playoffs in t wo separate divisions. Schaper introduced the four-team plan again at the meeting, but it was defeated, 14-6.

Hands Up! CLARKSVILLE'S Vergi l Richardson, a 6-2 senior center, stops Joel Nolte of Hardin-Jefferson In the 3A boys' state basketball finals, won by the Hawks, 75^58. Nolte, a 5-10 senior guard, scored 14 points for Hardin-Jefferson, which finished the season at 37-1. Richardson scored 22 In the game, and both were chosen to the all-tourna­ment team. For full tournament results, please turn to page 11.

Photo by KIRK CRIPPENS.

TILF to award $600,000 in scholarships All UIL Academic Regional Meet win­

ners should receive the following items in the winners packets: 1991-92 Scholarship Opportunities, a brochure from the Texas Interscholastic League Foundation, and an application.

Graduating high school seniors who compete in the UIL Academic State Meet either this year, or in previous years, may apply for TILF scholarships between May 1-15,1991. Dr. Rhea H. Williams, Executive Secretary of TILFreports that the foundation will award 500 scholarships in June for the 1991-92 school year, 300 new scholarships and 200 renewals totaling $600,000.

There is one additional listing and one correction for the 1991-92 Scholarship Op­portunities. The additional award is:

Red Oak Foundation Scholarships 3 awards of $4,800 each, payable $600 each se­mester for four years. For contestants in any UIL academic event who delcare an edu­

cation major at the University of Texas at Austin. Recipients must show a financial need and maintain a minimum 2.75 GPA while attending The University.

The correction for the bulletin should read: Keitha Morris Memorial A ward $1,000 annualaward,payable$500eachsemesterofthe first year. This scholarship will be awarded to the Outstanding Actress in Region IAA One-Act Play Contest.

Scholars' grades impressive

Dr. Williams reported that during the 1990 fall semester, 363 scholarship recipients attending 54 colleges and universities in Texas compiled some impressive GPA sta­tistics. Approximately 22 percent of the students made a 4.0 GPA, 54 percent made a 3.5 or better GPA, and 76 percent made a 3.0 or better GPA.

"These students are typical of the qual­ity of students that apply for and receive TILF scholarships," Dr. Williams said. "Though not everyone that applies can re­ceive a TILF scholarship, certainly those who are eligible to apply should do so."

Students who have participated in the UIL Academic State Meet during any year in high school are eligible to apply to TILF during their senior year. Qualified stu­dents may write for 1991-92 Scholarship Opportunities and an application by en-closinga self-addressed, stamped (58cents) envelope to: TILF, Box 8028 - University Station, Austin, Texas 78713-8028.

Recipients must begin school by the fall following graduation from high school and must attend school at aTexas college or university. Applications must be post­marked by May 15,1991. Announcements will be mailed to all applicants on June 21, 1991.

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Statistics stress importance of education By DONNA A. LOPIANO. Ph.D. Texas Women's Athletic Director

All 50 states, the District of Columbia and the United States Congress have de­clared April 6 Student-Athlete Day in the hope of encouraging young people to stick to the books while pursuing dreams of athletic stardom.

The track record of educational sport has not been impressive. Only 33 percent of Division I basketball players graduate in five years. Only 37 percent of Division I-A football players graduate in five years.

According to estimates by The North­eastern University Center for the Study of Sport in Society:

• 20 to 30 percent of high school foot­ball and basketball players are illiterate.

• 67 percent of all National Football League players do not have their degrees.

• 80 percent of all National Basketball Association players do not have their de­grees.

• 84 percent of all major-league base­ball players do not have their degrees.

• 92 percent of all National Hockey League players do not have their degrees.

The average career expectancies in these pro sports are: 3.5 years in the NFL, four years in the NBA, 4.5 years in major-league baseball and four years in the NHL.

We cannot allow our young people to continue the dream of becoming sports stars in high school, college or the pros and allow them to participate in sport without a demonstration of academic achievement. The truth is that the odds are better for a high school athlete to become a doctor or attorney than a professional athlete.

Fifty-nine percent of the one million high school football players and half-mil­

lion high school basketball players believe they will get a college scholarship. Forty-four percent of the black high school play­ers believe they will play in the NFL or NBA.

The cold facts are that only one out of 100 high school athletes will ever play Divi­sion 1 college sports and only one out of 10,000 high school athletes will play in the NBA or NFL.

There is widespread concern that stu­dent-athletes are being exploited in colle­giate sport, but what is happening at the high school level seems to go unno­ticed. Only six states - Missis­sippi, Texas, West Virginia, Hawaii, California and Massachusetts -currently have a mandatory "C" requirement for participation in athletics.

In spite of the fact that 79 percent of high school students support the concept of "no pass, no play," 44 states allow high school athletes to participate even if they never earn more than a "D" in any course. Even in the six states with no-pass, no-play rules, the ethical conduct of teachers and administrators eager to support winning teams has, at times, been questioned with regard to awarding unearned passing grades.

An NCAA study of athletes enrolling in 1981 predicted that more than 50 percent of all high school athletes entering their freshman year in college would be ineli­gible to compete if Proposition 48 ("C" av­erage in college preparation core courses

We cannot allow our young people to continue the dream of becoming

sports stars in high school, college or the pros and allow them to participate

in sport without a demonstration of academic achievement.

and minimum Scholastic Aptitude Test score of 700) had been in effect then. How­ever, only 13 percent of college basketball players and 10 percent of football players have been ineligible since Proposition 48 went into effect in 1986. These results appear to indicate that most student-athletes have attained the new academic performance standards.

We must enforce those standards even if it means losing a game. Our education sport system cannot be permitted to exploit student-athletes.

What more must be done?

1. Student-athletes must be educated about the facts and the enormous odds against attaining the professional sport ranks. Even

if they do make it to the pros, the chance of making a living for more than four or five years is very small. All student-athletes must have required insurance - an education.

2. Our high schools and colleges must enforce no-pass, no-play rules. If student-athletes are not performing academically, they must spend extra time developing their educational rather than sport skills.

3. Too many institutions of higher edu­cation deliver eligibility, but not education, to their student-athletes. The athlete contin­ues to play, but all too often makes little progress toward graduation. We must bring this to a screeching halt.

4. We must applaud academic achieve­ment of our student-athletes as vigorously as their athletic accomplishments. Coaches,

teachers and parents must ask about aca­demic performance before raving about performance on the playing field.

5. There are those who support the elimination of interscholastic and intercollegiate sport. We cannot throw out the baby with the bath water. Sport is an integral part of American life. 3.3 million boys and 1.8 million girls - one out of every three high school students - annually par­ticipate in athletics. Athletics provide valuable lessons and experiences for play­ers. The very characteristics that make a great athlete - dedication, discipline, hard work, the ability to perform under pressure, goal orientation, teamwork and the ability to deal with victory and defeat - can also make that player a great student or a great citizen. However, we must be committed to reinforcing the connection.

We must understand that the athlete as student and player demonstrate these characteristics. If the athlete is too lazy to demonstrate these characteristics in the classroom, he/she should not be allowed on the playing field. These demands must be made by coaches who care rather than by rules and policies.

Ultimately, the ethical conduct of the business of educational sport comes down to the coach and the principal, with the support of parents and community mem­bers, or the coach and college president with the support of the alumni and fans, who must reinforce clear academic and athletic performance demands.

To do otherwise is a decision to cheat society out of the productive future of one-third of all American youth.

(Reprinted from the Austin American-Statesman. Sunday. March 31.1991.)

The Leaguer (ISSN 0897-4314) is the official publication of the University Interscholastic League. The Leaguer is distributed to Texas public school administrators, contest directors, coaches and sponsors, the media, and to other interested parties. The UIL office is located at 2622 Wichita/Austin, TX 78705 (512/471-5883). Letters, inquiries and changes of address should be sent to UIL, Box 8028. UT Station. Austin, TX 78713-8028.

The Leaguer Is published eight times yearly by Texas Student Publications. It is published monthly, September through May, with the exception of a combined March/April issue. There are no issues in June, July or August.

One year's subscription is $8. Second class postage paid in Austin, TX.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Leaguer, Box 8028, UT Station, Austin. TX 78713.

EDITOR....... Dr. Bailey Marshall MANAGING EDITOR Bobby Hawthorne

STATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Chairman: Dr. Bob Caster, Supt., Palestine ISD; Alberto Byington. Supt. Brooks ISD. Falfurrlas; Dr. Marion Czaja. Supt. Glen Rose ISD; Dr. Teresa L. Long. Austin; Ms. Carrie McAffee. Principal. District 9, Houston ISD; Dr. Marianne Reese. Supt, Johnson City ISD; Mr. Greg Sherwood, athletic director, Lubbock ISD;. Mr. Travis Spears, school board president, Levelland ISD; Mr. George Vaults, Supt. Calvert ISD.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

Chairman; Chairman: Victor Ro­driguez. San Antonio ISD: Vice Chairman. Larry Butler. Spearman ISD.

Bill Graves. San Angelo ISD; Richard Cohagan, Gunter ISD; Ben Gilbert, Stephenville ISD; Eddie J. Uttle. Kilgore ISD; Hugh Hayes. Katy ISD; Bob Hawes, Joshua ISD; Sam May, Sinton ISD; Kenneth Judy. Crawford ISD; Johnle Reeves, Chrlstoval ISD: Dan Owen. Holliddy ISD; Robert Ryan, Dlmmltt ISD; Paul Curtis, Uvalde ISD;

Enjoy

Trade - mark @

Coca-Cola is the official corporate sponsor of the UIL

Wayne Schaper. Spring Branch ISD. Houston; Walter Sears. Mt. Vernon ISD; Bill Shaver, Bellville ISD; W. V. McAlpin. Sudan ISD; Bill Alexander. Frankston ISD; and Bennie Wolff. Stockdale ISD.

At large members: Maurd L. Reyna, Ysleta ISD, El Paso; Jill Shugart, Garland ISD: Charles Herbert, Houston ISD District 10; Dr. Yvonne Katz. Harlandale ISD. San Antonio.

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

Dr. Bailey Marshall, director; Dr. William D. Farney, assistant director and director of athletics: Janet Wiman. assistant director and academic director; Bobby

Hawthorne, director of journalism activities. Leaguer managing editor and ILPC director; Richard Floyd, director of music activities; Bonnie Northcutt. assistant to the director; Gina Mazzolinl, assistant athletic director; Bob Young. assistant athletic director; Peter Contre-ras, waiver and public Information officer; Treva Dayton, speech activities director; Lynn Murray, one-act play director; Diana Cardond, spring meet materials director; Dr. B.J. Stamps, assistant to the director; Susan Lenlhah, special projects director; Dr. Rhea Williams, TILF secretary.

I Page 2/OPINION: April. 1991

The School Band: Clarifying Priorities Famed conductor puts band in music education context

The College Band Directors National Association held its biannual conference in Kansas City on February 20-23 of this year. One of the major topics on the agenda for that meeting was the current status of the school band programs in many regions of our nation. There is growing concern within the membership of CBDNA and other professional organizations that many fac­tors, both within and outside the ranks of music educators, are gradually eroding the foundation of the school band and the music curriculum as we know it.

As a springboard for discussion of this timely topic, CBDNA President Richard Strange asked each living past president of CBDNA to preparea paperaddressing some facet of "The Problems Confronting Music In Our Schools." During the next several issues of the Leaguer, it will be my intent to share someof the thoughts contained within these papers with you.

The following statement entitled "The School Band - Clarifying Priorities" was written by Frank Battisti, 1979-1981 CBDNA President. Mr. Battisti is presently the Wind Ensemble Conductor at the New England Conservatory. He is an international leader in the wind band movement and also en­joyed a broad array of successes as a high school band director. His wisdom speaks not only to band programs, but to all other music disciplines as well.

• The School Band: Clarifying Priorities There should be great concern about

what IS happening and what IS NOT hap-peninginmanyof theschoolband programs throughout the United States. We should not lose sight of the fact that the band pro­gram must be a part of the music education component of the total educational cur­riculum.

We could say that the goal of a music education program should be to help each student develop a deep understanding and lasting appreciation of the art of music. Students must be provided opportunities to have intimate experiences with music of high quality. Teachers must be sensitive musicians who have excellent performance skills, and a thorough knowledge of high quality music in their teaching area.

It is unfortunate, but currently there are school band programs geared toward entertainment and the short term reward of competitive recognition, ratherthan toward the development of musical skills, under­standing, creativity, and the long term ap­preciation of great music.

Today, much of the literature being performed by school bands emphasizes the commercial and popular elements in American society—TV theme music, movie theme music, rock music, and so on. Band directors should be able to make qualitative value judgments concerning the literature they require their students to learn and play.

The objectives of the music curriculum

Richard Floyd

Music matters

in our public schools must be oriented to­ward developing listening skills, musical knowledge and sensitive performance skills in concert and chamber music activities. A curriculum emphasizing these objectives will assist students in the development of musical taste and discrimination.

It is important that the musical expe­riences in which students are involved clearly focus on the music and this music must be of high quality. Music is the subject we teach — it is not band! Band is the vehicle through which we teach music and students develop their musical potential. How we do it, and the kind of musical experience opportunities we provide in band, are very important factors. Students taking "band" should be studying and ex­periencing music in the context of aesthetic education. They should be excited, not by just the activities of the band, but also by the good quality music the band is performing. With the skills, knowledge and sensitivity gained through their band experience, they also should be able to appreciate good quality music when performed by other individuals, bands, orchestras, jazz en­sembles, choirs, etc.

In high schools thatcontinually expand marchingband activities, thereisfrequently a gradual loss of emphasis on the concert music activities. Often the instrumentation of a concert band is very restricted and reflects the needsof the marching band and not the demands of the "concert music." When one sees a marching band equipped with an extensive amount of field type per­cussion instruments, special "corps style" brass instruments, flags, etc., and then sees a depleted instrumentation in the concert band component of the band program, one has to question the philosophy and priori­ties of this part of the school music pro­gram.

The practice of eliminating some or all of the woodwinds from the marching band and expanding the number of brass and percussion instruments has contributed to the decreasing number of students study­ing woodwind instruments. This emphasis on the brass and percussion instruments makes woodwind instruments less attrac­tive to students.

The music performed by marching bands does not offer students a rich and broad musical diet. The use of quality music in various styles is needed to aid students in the development of instrumental technique, comprehensive musicianship skills, and aesthetic sensitivity.

Twirling competition still in music plan

This past summer the TMEA/UIL Advisory Commit­tee voted to recommend to the UIL Legislative Council that twirling be deleted from the UIL music contest plan.

In September, the proposal was placed on a survey circulated to all school superintendents. The results of that survey indicated that the majority of school administrators were in favor of the deletion of the twirling contest.

However, public testimony heard during the Legisla­tive Council meeting in October resulted in the defeat of the proposal. Consequently, twirling will remain a part of the music plan for the foreseeable future. Twirling competition will continue to be held at both the district and state level.

The arts are clearly an integral part of life at Harvard and Radcliffe, important for their value to the college environ­ment and also for the potential they provide for lifelong enrichment. In addition to academic criteria, there­fore, we always consider extracurricular talents and personal strengths when we evaluate a candidate's credentials. We look for students whose previous partici­pation in the arts shows that they can make a substantial contribution to our community.

William R. Fitzsimmons Dean of Admissions

Harvard University

Even in the concert band area one often hears performances of music calculated to make bands "sound good," as opposed to the performance of music which has the potential to assist students in the develop­ment of skills, (both listening and per­forming) and a deeper understanding and appreciation of high-quality musical art.

An instrumental program which fo­cuses on musical skill development and the aesthetic growth of every student should offer a broad and balanced program of musical activity. The concert band and/or wind ensemble should be the primary and central experience within this curriculum. Only in this ensemble may the students be exposed to the great music (both original and transcribed) from the 17th through'20th Centuries.

A good instrumental program will in­volve students in solo, small ensemble and large ensemble experiences. Through these experiences students may be exposed to a

rich diet of music from the past and present and offered an opportunity to learn about music - its history, literature and traditions, and develop good performance skills. It is also important to give students opportuni­ties to create and arrange music which will expand their use of musical knowledge and skills.

Those of us providing music learning activities for students through a band pro­gram should desire to stimulate and chal­lenge students musically, intellectually and emotionally. Hopefully, we can motivate them to be creative and assist them in their understanding and appreciation of music and the development of good musical val­ues. The development of musical taste and discrimination should enhance the quality of their life and assure a future "adult age" society that values the benefits of music in education and strongly supports the inclu­sion of music in the public school curricu­lum.

I Page 3/MUSIC: April. 1991