Should we have to rely on parents and fundraising to run a modern BOJC program?

I believe there are three parties of almost equal importance that determine the success of a student in elementary school learning a new instrument.  The first is the student him/herself.  The second is the teacher, and the third is the parents.  If one of these three isn’t invested, then the student isn’t likely to continue with their instrument.  Although the teacher is responsible for what the student does in school, the only way the student will improve is if he/she practices at home.  A lot of kids aren’t totally self-motivated, so the parent’s job is to keep their children on track, and making sure that they practice.

            By the time students get to high school, they have hopefully become more self-motivated.  However, I believe parents are still important.  Even if they don’t have to actually sit down with their kids when they practice anymore, they still need to be supportive.  They should attend the concerts, they should help transport their instruments, and they should pay for private lessons.  In this way, parents need to be relied upon to run a successful BOJC program.  If the parents stopped sending their kids to private lessons, for example, the students will not be able to improve as musicians, and their ensemble at school will suffer.

            However, I don’t necessarily think a BOJC program should need the financial support from parents or fundraising to be successful.  I think it really depends on the school.  There are certainly schools that may require fundraising because they have limited recourses, which are put into things other than music.  There are many other many school districts however, that do provide enough already.  I really think it needs to be taken on a case-by-case basis.