Music as Infrastructure: How to Pitch a High School Band Program to Administration in a Title 1 School

For directors across the country, the lesson is clear. The language of music advocacy must evolve. A comprehensive pitch includes a dashboard of enrollment, attendance trends, leadership development, teacher development, performance visibility, and fiscal accountability. It articulates a specific ask with a defined timeline and measurable outcomes. It anticipates operational obstacles before they arise. In Brooklyn’s Northern Geographical District, District 32, nearly 10,000 students attend public schools. For those 10,000 students, three high schools offer a comprehensive and sequential concert band program. EBC High School for Public Service in Bushwick is one of them.

In a Title I setting, where resources are limited and institutional priorities are tightly measured, music education cannot be supported through inspiration alone. It must be articulated as integral to the school’s ecosystem. Music is not simply enrichment layered into the day; it contributes directly to student engagement, belonging, and school stability.

The majority of music educators understand this instinctively. But administrators operate inside a different framework, and rightfully so. They measure attendance, graduation rates, student retention, safety, budget compliance, staffing efficiency, and much more. When pitching a music program, especially in an urban public school, the central question should not be whether music is valuable; it is whether your music program advances the institutional goals of your school. At EBC, the Music Department is framed as a sequential, measurable program designed to support attendance, community building, academic identity, and long-term sustainability. When pitching or defending your vision, the most direct way to lay this out is to break it down into three points:

Alignment, Sequence, and Clarity.

The first principle is Alignment. In simple terms, how does your program align itself to the values and priorities of the community, school, and district? Administrators must see music as a solution to problems they are already responsible for solving. In title 1 schools, we often see the following in sometimes severe cases: Chronic absenteeism, disengagement, loss of school culture, food insecurity, transient students, and minimal access to equitable arts programs. However, it is worth noting that arts pathways are not abstract challenges in Bushwick, Brooklyn. We are in New York City, the Freelance Capital of the world. The daily realities of art and culture thrive in Bushwick. All that is needed is a well- structured music program that inevitably provides a voluntary reason for students to show up, stay late, and identify with the school community. It is our job as music teachers to advocate fiercely for our vision. The alignment question is broad and purposefully vague. Who are you serving? What is the vision? What does the administration want? What do the students want? Why does instrumental music matter to kids who are going through things a lot of us can’t even fathom?

The second principle is Sequence or the implementation of the program. The program at EBC operates as a three-tiered sequence consisting of beginner, intermediate, and advanced wind bands. This type of system is generally accepted to be the most widely used structure for urban music departments. Students enter as freshmen in a fundamentals-based ensemble that barrels through music notation, brief history, and the setting of expectations. They then progress through increasingly demanding music classes and wind up enveloped in this new world. Every school operates differently. We as educators are expected to teach to the school and or district. Equally important within this implementation model is the educator’s own commitment to growth. Administrators rightly expect that teachers are invested in refining their craft. That means engaging in meaningful professional development, seeking transformative pedagogical training, studying emerging research in music education, and collaborating with professional musicians and master teachers who challenge our instructional approach. Professional development signals to leadership that your program is not static but evolving with intention. It is important to note that this is not a “club model.” It is a pipeline. Sequential instruction creates predictable enrollment patterns, cultivates peer mentorship and student agency, and allows administrators to forecast staffing and resource needs. Sustainability is VERY persuasive.

The third principle is Clarity. Most band directors know and agree that enthusiasm without logistics collapses quickly. Budget and funding transparency is therefore nonnegotiable. Too many times, I hear colleagues say, “Well, I spend until I can’t.” At EBC, repair contracts are documented, instrument rentals are tracked annually, auxiliary inventory – including reeds, ligatures, mouthpieces, oils, and percussion equipment is rationalized before purchase whether the rationale is asked for or not. How The Department of Education handles their budget practices is worthy of another frank article. However, you, as the band director, have a responsibility to learn how to write and apply for grants, fundraise, and solicit the funds needed to run a band program. Without this skill, the program will undeniably suffer. Every dollar has a justification. Clarity is also needed in repertoire acquisition. All repertoire must align with the students’ level, their input, state standards, and, on occasion, competition requirements. It is important to note that directors who choose music for their own benefit will have a hard time teaching it to the students. When administrators see departmental stewardship, their confidence and willingness increases.

Student programming and scheduling conflicts represent one of the most significant threats to high school band programs nationwide. In Title I schools, students are often removed from electives for remedial courses. In high-performing academic tracks, Advanced Placement (AP) scheduling can produce similar erosion to your ensemble. It is without a doubt that the more academically advanced students will often be in band. The tradeoff is that in a small (sometimes even large) school setting, those kids need to be programmed into high-level classes. The damage is subtle but cumulative. One might relate this to pulling LeBron off the Lakers, or Piazza off The Mets. Ensemble balance deteriorates, planning becomes speculative, and culture weakens. The solution is not to confront the administration, but rather to collaborate with them. You, as the band teacher, must be invited into scheduling conversations that protect the rigor and integrity of your ensembles. This includes the periods in which your most advanced performing ensembles are scheduled to rehearse. You must understand the ins and outs of how your school programs its classes, state credit requirements, and school staffing needs. Develop a great relationship with each grade’s designated guidance counselor. Their input is arguably the most important as they are the ones who will often oversee student tracks and their academic needs.

The remaining topics below highlight the frequent struggles of urban band and instrumental directors when advocating for their programs.

The first, and maybe the most important, is this: be thoughtful when administration tells you something is not possible. Do not assume the first answer is the final answer. If you do not understand the rationale, or if an explanation feels ambiguous, ask more questions. Seek clarity. Just as importantly, when you approach leadership, go in with solutions, not only problems. It is easy to present what is not working, but it is far more effective to propose concrete alternatives, revised schedules, or creative compromises that demonstrate shared ownership of the challenge.

There is almost always a way to accommodate everyone’s needs if all parties are willing to think flexibly. If there is an actual mathematical scheduling, programming, or budget constraint that multiple minds have genuinely tried to resolve, acknowledge it and move forward with professionalism. Never forget, struggle is not exclusive to the music department. At that point, it falls on you, the school’s Band Director, to deliver the highest quality program possible within the parameters that exist.

Visibility is another strategic asset. Since 2022, The EBC music program has qualified for many festivals and competitions, earning top-tier ratings. Students have participated in citywide honors ensembles. Professional musicians and educators regularly conduct masterclasses. Partnerships with local arts organizations extend the program beyond the classroom. These are not vanity metrics. They elevate the profile of the school within the district and the community. Administrators respond to programs that enhance institutional reputation.

Physical space, too, communicates value. Sharing a multipurpose room with physical education or another activity-based class may be manageable in the short term, but it constrains growth and, most importantly, signals impermanence. Advocating for a dedicated music space is not an “aesthetic indulgence”. It is a conversation about sustainability, instrument preservation, instructional consistency, and student dignity; it is their band room. It should be a space where all students feel accepted, loved, and seen, no matter what. If your space looks disjointed, the warmth of the room is immediately sucked into a void.

Perhaps one of the most persuasive statements a director can offer an administrator is that some students attend school simply because of band. In urban low-income communities, structured artistic identity can anchor a student to the building. It is not just an elective; it is a needs-based retention strategy. A strategy that will arguably save lives. This leads us to the main idea of our programmatic approach: Music programs survive and grow when they are treated not as extracurricular adornments but as institutional pillars. In communities like Bushwick, high school music programs are cultural beacons. The work requires discipline, documentation, and strategies to frame the seriousness of the program. When presented as infrastructure rather than indulgence, a concert band program becomes difficult to dismiss.

There is, however, an important caveat. At some point, a director must ask an honest question: What is the bare minimum I need for my program to be even moderately successful? If, after sustained effort, thoughtful alignment, documented planning, and good-faith collaboration, a school’s leadership remains unwilling to provide meaningful support, it may be necessary to reflect on the long-term viability of building that program within that environment. In other words, look elsewhere for employment. That is not a failure. It is a professional reality. Sustainable growth depends on at least a baseline level of institutional commitment. Recognizing when that commitment is absent requires courage and is often a hard pill to swallow.

The charge to educators, then, is not merely to teach well. It is to present the band program with the same rigor, coherence, and foresight that we demand from our students. No matter the obstacles.

Matthew Mantione is a New York based musician and educator whose work bridges performance, teaching, and arts leadership. A trombonist with roots in both classical and jazz traditions, he holds a Bachelor’s degree Music Performance from SUNY Purchase College Conservatory of Music, Master of Music in Trombone Performance from The Mannes School of Music and a Master of Arts in Music Education from Hunter College School of Education. He currently serves as The Director of Bands and Music at EBC High School in Bushwick, Brooklyn, where he leads a growing, fully sequential concert band program focused on access and excellence in a Title I community.