Marching Bands

I'm hearing rumblings that the Lancaster "back to school" parade may be as much a protest march as a celebration.

Apparently parents who paid to buy shiny uniforms for their high school students to parade in, haven't gotten either those uniforms, or a consistant story regarding what happened to the uniforms -- or the money.

The kids -- young ladies, I gather, the majorettes -- will be marching, if they can be persuaded, in black gym shorts and white t-shirts.

Sort of reminds me of a parable ...

The Music Man.

Anybody in Lancaster who missed the Cedar Valley College production of "The Music Man" this past summer missed not only a great show, but a vital education in how a local school district works.

But there are now two movie productions of the play, either of which offers a 2nd chance to catch up. Readers who have the time are advised to skip reading this post and go learn directly from the source.For the rest of you, let me recap the high points.

The school board in River City, Iowa is bitterly contentious. Then a fast talking good looking stranger comes to town. He makes sweeping promises. He charms parents and community members to buy into a dream. And he distracts the school board from both their duties and their differences. The board now accomplishes nothing except literally singing together in sweet harmony. Meanwhile the stranger extracts hard cash from the community for physical stuff -- musical instruments and elaborate uniforms. But people aren't buying the stuff -- they're buying the dream. They've believed that the stranger, the Music Man, will match their cash investment with his own investment of time, sweat, training and talent. They believe the Music Man can and will teach their children disciipline, cooperation, pride, and, of course, music.

Ah, but the Music Man is a fraud. He can't tell one note from another. He blows into town, collects cash, and leaves. The town is left with lots of shiny brass horns and, if any "band" at all, only an angry band of disappointed parents. (Typically, The Music Man also seduces and abandons -- saddens and wisens -- a girl or two in the process.) There's never been a trained and happy band of child musicians. The Music Man not only never teaches a single lesson himself; he alienates or distracts the actual music teachers -- old maid piano teachers, mostly -- making the music situation worse for every town he has ever worked.

Until, in River City, one courageous librarian stands up to the fraud. She by-passes the negligent school board; does her own independent research, and in the end forces the Music Man to stand and deliver on the promises made.Because this is a show rather than real life -- he does.

Alls Well that Ends Well.

There are more priceless lessons in the parable than I care to explore right now. Let me get away with three:

First, beware of a school board that sings together in sweet harmony. Harmony means they're not sufficiently independent, or skeptical. They are somehow under an influence that prizes the sound over the substance.

Second, dealing with a fraud doesn't depend on elected officials, anyway. And it doesn't take a huge committee. One person, patiently doing some basic research, can quickly learn all she (or he) and the entire community really needs to know. Provided the community cares to listen ...

Third, a dream can never be sealed to a contract. Buying tangible stuff, sure: sign on the dotted line, empty your pockets, and collect the delivery off the Wells Fargo Wagon. But beware when promised a dream. Beware a promise of a vision-statement, a mission, a strategy / process / character-development / community-improvement intangible. Beware the boys' band. Beware, especially, when you are promised a dream "for your children" . (Did you bother to ask your children about their own dreams?) Promised visions may live only in your incomplete memory of beautifully slick, fast, talk.

Marcellus Washington has settled in Lancaster and apparently intends to stay. But when Cambridge CEO Scott Milder arrives in town, we get to meet Professor Harold Hill himself. And the school board found sufficient harmony to sign on the line for the promise of better days to come. For the children.

Marion Librarian really has her work cut out for her this month.