Hannibal Band, Silenced By Budget Cuts, Marches Anyway

by Contributor | August 14, 2009 7:49 am

CORRECTION: The band parents are not fundraising to try to restore the band, at least not yet.  Thank you to Linda Ingison for letting me know. My apologies for the error. – Dave

Hannibal’s high school marching band has always led the fire department’s annual field days parade. But Thursday night, the job fell to the Central New York Fire and Police Band. Hannibal’s school marching band died at the end of the school year, with the new district budget that eliminated money for the band.

But the band marched anyway. The banner in front wasn’t the official marching band banner. Instead, it said: Hannibal “Silent” Marching Band.

Students and parents walked behind the banner. Some carried, but did not play, instruments. Others carried signs. RIP Hannibal Marching Band, said one. When words fail…music speaks, said another.

Band members and parents are trying to raise the approximately $10,000 it will take to privately fund the marching band. (See correction, above)

The marching band cut was literally the last cut made by the Board of Education as it approved a new school budget with a 2% tax levy increase. The board had initially reduced a full-time music teacher to part-time, a move that would have pushed the start of music instruction to 6th grade, from the current 5th grade. The music teachers came back to the district with an offer: keep the position but remove money for marching band.

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/news/fulton/hannibal-band-silenced-by-budget-cuts-marches-anyway/

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