Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Minnesota > Minneapolis - St. Paul
 [Register]
Minneapolis - St. Paul Twin Cities
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 03-07-2012, 09:30 AM
 
9,678 posts, read 11,048,593 times
Reputation: 8397

Advertisements

Quote:
Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist View Post
I would amend Golfgal's statement to add that personally I would not waste too much time worrying about "district" and focus instead on specific schools, as while there are some districts where all the schools are decent, there are some districts with both top-notch schools as well as some schools that are struggling (or, for that matter, some schools that you simply find to be a better fit than other). Around here things really come down to the micro-level, and for the most part looking at district itself isn't useful, at least when looking at the larger districts.
Agreed. In the Anoka-Hennepin district for instance, Rum River elementary (many more involved parents) trump Lincoln Elementary that have a lot of single parent families that are more worried about making ends meet. So with Lincoln Elementary, the teachers have to parent and teach. But there are plenty of average performing students that drag down the scores at Rum River. The goal is to be in the upper math and reading classes. My kids scored in the highest percentiles on their MCA's tests because they were in the higher classes. So as a parent, I was doing my part.

My view is that you need a better than average MN school and simply be involved. Mysteriously, the involved parents have "smarter" higher performing kids. I'd expect no measurable difference if I compared the "best" students in the highest rated districts to the "best" students in the better than average districts. Both are going to get into the best colleges and have incredible opportunities.

That being said, I would expect to have higher music skills (on average) in a school like Rosemount High school as compared to Maple Grove High School. So there will be difference. My kid's were in band but it wasn't a priority to take band in high school. Off the topic a bit but in 2012, band in high school takes a way for other key subjects. There isn't enough hours in the day to cover every subject so tough decisions have to be considered.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 03-07-2012, 09:54 AM
 
20,793 posts, read 61,111,316 times
Reputation: 10691
Quote:
Originally Posted by MN-Born-n-Raised View Post
Agreed. In the Anoka-Hennepin district for instance, Rum River elementary (many more involved parents) trump Lincoln Elementary that have a lot of single parent families that are more worried about making ends meet. So with Lincoln Elementary, the teachers have to parent and teach. But there are plenty of average performing students that drag down the scores at Rum River. The goal is to be in the upper math and reading classes. My kids scored in the highest percentiles on their MCA's tests because they were in the higher classes. So as a parent, I was doing my part.

My view is that you need a better than average MN school and simply be involved. Mysteriously, the involved parents have "smarter" higher performing kids. I'd expect no measurable difference if I compared the "best" students in the highest rated districts to the "best" students in the better than average districts. Both are going to get into the best colleges and have incredible opportunities.

That being said, I would expect to have higher music skills (on average) in a school like Rosemount High school as compared to Maple Grove High School. So there will be difference. My kid's were in band but it wasn't a priority to take band in high school. Off the topic a bit but in 2012, band in high school takes a way for other key subjects. There isn't enough hours in the day to cover every subject so tough decisions have to be considered.
Your marching band still has the coolest uniforms in the state though

It is hard to fit everything you want into your schedule. What has given us the most grief in our school is the PE credits. I wish they would move to a system where you could get credit for PE for participating in marching band and sports, honestly, you get a much better workout from either of those then you ever will in PE class.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-07-2012, 10:16 AM
 
10 posts, read 13,196 times
Reputation: 14
humm. What age/grade do students begin instumental music instruction in school? We aren't there yet in our home. I wonder if we would already be eligible for that in your schools. It is an aspect I really had not considered thus far.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-07-2012, 10:26 AM
 
Location: Mahtomedi, MN
989 posts, read 2,950,997 times
Reputation: 329
Quote:
Originally Posted by 5coconuts View Post
Humm. It's been our relocation experience to find out which are the very best schools and then factor in commute and price range. Generally with the compromise coming in either or both of the latter two in favor of the best possible schools - when possible. But it has also always been as another poster stated where there are "schools which blow away their neighbors or which are underperforming."

It sounds as though you have a very different education structure there - so I really need to understand. I am used to residential areas largly being defined - and often priced - based on school value.

Again - I really appreciate everyones input.
I think your approach is pretty common. Find best house you can in a desirable location with good schools. This market tends to force people into choosing newer larger homes that are further out vs older smaller homes that are closer in. There is plenty of good schools scattered all over the place, so it comes down to how much you can/want to afford in terms of location. School district does have some part of housing cost, but it is one of many other factors. It can be tricky to sort, but I am sure it will make more sense as you read more and start looking at homes.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-07-2012, 01:12 PM
 
20,793 posts, read 61,111,316 times
Reputation: 10691
Quote:
Originally Posted by 5coconuts View Post
humm. What age/grade do students begin instumental music instruction in school? We aren't there yet in our home. I wonder if we would already be eligible for that in your schools. It is an aspect I really had not considered thus far.
Usually 4th or 5th grade. Often schools will start strings in 4th grade and band instruments in 5th.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-07-2012, 01:27 PM
 
10 posts, read 13,196 times
Reputation: 14
@Golfgal That is exciting! They don't begin until JH here. Do the children and their families have a say in which instrument is played or are they assigned?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-07-2012, 01:35 PM
 
20,793 posts, read 61,111,316 times
Reputation: 10691
Quote:
Originally Posted by 5coconuts View Post
@Golfgal That is exciting! They don't begin until JH here. Do the children and their families have a say in which instrument is played or are they assigned?
Usually. In our experience what happens is in 4th grade (or 3rd if they start in 4th) the band directors have the kids come in and try various instruments. The kids then make a list of which ones they like. Percussion and trumpet are always the most popular so the director does need to balance out the band some. I know when our kids were sampling instruments, if they couldn't produce a sound they couldn't put that on their list. Also, percussionists had to have at least 2 years of piano to put that on their list. The teachers were open to options if you already had instruments at home, etc. too.

I know in our schools the top high school band goes to all of the elementary schools and gives a concert and high school kids talk to the elementary kids about what they like about their instruments, etc.

French horns are always in demand as they play melophone in the marching band . Interest in double reed instruments (oboe, bassoon) are highly incouraged but they limit what you can do if you want to do marching band. Most schools start those kids off on the clarinet.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-07-2012, 02:20 PM
 
9,678 posts, read 11,048,593 times
Reputation: 8397
Quote:
Originally Posted by golfgal View Post
Your marching band still has the coolest uniforms in the state though

It is hard to fit everything you want into your schedule. What has given us the most grief in our school is the PE credits. I wish they would move to a system where you could get credit for PE for participating in marching band and sports, honestly, you get a much better workout from either of those then you ever will in PE class.
I'm with you on the PE credit statement. My son participates in three varsity sports and he had to take PE. He would of rather taken another quarter of foreign language.

That being said, I was in marching band. That's not a substitute for sports. Well maybe if you play drums. But as a former mellophone player (we called it a "frumpet" because it was a trumpet in the key of F), that's not necessarily quality exercise. We did sweat because of the wool uniforms (not the exercise).
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-07-2012, 03:22 PM
 
20,793 posts, read 61,111,316 times
Reputation: 10691
Quote:
Originally Posted by MN-Born-n-Raised View Post
I'm with you on the PE credit statement. My son participates in three varsity sports and he had to take PE. He would of rather taken another quarter of foreign language.

That being said, I was in marching band. That's not a substitute for sports. Well maybe if you play drums. But as a former mellophone player (we called it a "frumpet" because it was a trumpet in the key of F), that's not necessarily quality exercise. We did sweat because of the wool uniforms (not the exercise).
Marching band has changed and the kids at our school our out there marching and practicing 5-8 hours/day from mid July until school starts and then about 10-20 hours/week after school starts. They do field shows and it is a LOT of work. The football players come watch during their breaks and comment on how hard the band works. It very much is more of a workout than PE.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-08-2012, 04:40 AM
 
9,678 posts, read 11,048,593 times
Reputation: 8397
Quote:
Originally Posted by golfgal View Post
Marching band has changed and the kids at our school our out there marching and practicing 5-8 hours/day from mid July until school starts and then about 10-20 hours/week after school starts. They do field shows and it is a LOT of work. The football players come watch during their breaks and comment on how hard the band works. It very much is more of a workout than PE.
Back in the early 80's, we had the same summer schedule and we called it "spat camp" (I suspect they still do). There were several days that we started in the morning and didn't stop till dusk. It also started in mid July exclusively for field show development. We worked on a new show back then for every home game. Now-a-days they have the exact same artsy-fartsy show at every single home football game. BORING and they don't know their crowd! Other than the drummers, I cannot imagine anyone's heart rate rising. There is a lot of standing around in Marching band while other sections work out their details. I've lived it for all three years in high school.

That being said, most gym classes sessions don't exactly get your heart rate up all the time either. But there are weight lifting sessions, volleyball, basketball, mile runs etc. IF they every lift the mandatory PE requirements in favor of athletics, I predict marching band won't be a substitution to PE. Surely sports like hockey, track, basketball, cross country, and soccer have more exercise than PE can ever match. We agree that lifting the PE requirement is LONG overdue.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Minnesota > Minneapolis - St. Paul
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top