How long will this teacher keep his job?
Two years ago a previous band director from Morgan Park pointed the finger at me and said I was standing in the way of progress in a major op ed piece in the Duluth Nip and Tuck. Her successor at Morgan Park better watch out. Zipping your lips in the Duluth Public Schools is a better way to insure your continued employment under the current regime.
East High’s recently retired band director often expressed his unhappiness over his hearing loss in the cramped East High band room. So why is the newly designed Ordean band room going to be so small? It wouldn’t have anything to do with trying to design a proper high school for 1600 students on a postage stamp parcel of land would it? Maybe the new band director could bundle his kids in snow suits this Winter under the open skies in the new Ordean stadium. Vaseline should keep the horns from sticking the the brass players lips when its below zero.
FYI.
Eastern middle school band room design
michael l. roemhildtSent: Thursday, October 15, 2009 11:05 AM
To: keith m. dixon; theresa akervik; greg R. repensky; mary cameron; laura condon; gary e. glass; timothy grover; nancy j. nilsen; judy seliga-punyko; ann e. wassonGreetings!
I want to express my serious concerns regarding the design of the eastern middle school band room. It has come to my attention that the ceiling height of that room will create a cubic volume of only 16,565 CF. If the alternate band room design with a vaulted ceiling is used, the area increases to 20,917 CF.
My reason for writing you is that I want you to be aware that the 16,565 CF is only half of the recommended area for a room this size. According to the Wenger Corporation, one of the nation’s most respected authorities on the subject of music room design, a room with a square footage of about 2000 SF should have a cubic volume of approximately 30,000-35,000 CF. The reasons the this recommendation are both acoustical and safety related. A room with only 16,565 CF will not allow for accurate hearing of the sounds that are produced. The more pressing issue is that of safety. As a musician who has suffered hearing loss from years of directing pep bands in high schools and from playing in confined areas such as the DECC orchestra pit, I am especially concerned about the rehearsal and performance spaces I am exposed to. An improperly designed area such as that proposed for the eastern middle school will place our students and staff at risk for hearing damage. Please note that even the alternate plan with a cubic volume of 20,917 CF falls far short of the recommended volume for a room with a square footage of about 2,000 SF. I strongly recommend that you reconsider the design of this room and explore the possibility of increasing the volume to at least 30,000 CF.
Thank you for your consideration and attention to this critical matter.
Sincerely,
Michael L Roemhildt
Band Director
Morgan Park Middle School
