Posted by Ben Swenson on 3/11/2008, 5:11 am, in reply to "What every happen to the best band in va wilson high marching band "
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Standing in a stuffy band room after school, the student musicians finally struck the right chord. "We're getting it together now," Woodrow Wilson High School band director John Jenkins assured his charges. "Now let's pick it up some." Jenkins, 49, was preparing his students for a concert that would include a medley of classics called "Motown Revue" and the sprightly march "Stars and Stripes Forever."
As head of Portsmouth's smallest high school band, Jenkins knows the challenges of building a strong program - especially in a city where bands from crosstown rival I.C. Norcom have achieved national recognition. In 2005-06, his first school year at Wilson, band enrollment struggled to reach double figures. Yet Jenkins remained undaunted. "We began with 12 and it doubled the next year," he said. "Now I tell the students that it's our time to triple."
Jenkins, who has worked with other school bands in or near Portsmouth, is on his way to meeting that goal. Enrollment has reached 30, with still more students showing interest in the program. Students and parents cite Jenkins' teaching style and commitment, which often translates to taking band members to visit colleges and working along them at fundraising events. "Mr. Jenkins takes a special interest if he thinks a child is coming under bad influences and keeps close contact with the parents," said Rhonda Harmon, whose son Mark plays drums.
"He really goes above and beyond the duties of a teacher and exposes students to all sorts of things that are good for them," Harmon said. " When I couldn't take my son to band practice because of my work schedule, Mr. Jenkins would pick up my son and other students on his own time with his own vehicle." Jenkins also leads by example, Harmon said. "When the band has fundraisers, such as car washes," she said, "he is always doing the dirty work."
The results of Jenkins' efforts can be sparkling. Last year, a Wilson band member successfully auditioned for the United States Marine Band, a position that made the student eligible for a $50,000 scholarship. Also, junior clarinetist Brooke Consolvo was one of 200 high school students in the U.S. who were chosen to be part of the Great American Marching Band which participated in the 2007 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.
Since Jenkins began teaching at Wilson, the band has marched in the popular Portsmouth Memorial Day Parade and has entertained at special events hosted by local businesses and civic groups. Always well dressed, Jenkins projects a strong presence in the classroom through his soft-spoken but confident air of authority. Without raising his voice, he commands the attention of students who are making a cacophony of noise with their instruments.
But Jenkins also tries to teach that life if more than making good music. "I'm looking for many opportunities for the students, " he said. "Music can be a springboard that can get them into college." Jenkins often invites speakers to his band room to give students wide exposure to options after high school. Guests range from college admissions officers to professionals to tradesmen from the Norfolk Naval Shipyard.
While many of his students hope to pursue music after graduation, Jenkins said they also "discover that they have another niche in math or science." And they learn how to maintain dual interests. "The students realize that they don't have to stop playing music even though they might have different interests," Jenkins said.
Jenkins also extends his lessons beyond the band room. He has taken band members to visit colleges or to professional symphonies - places that they might otherwise not have an opportunity to go. He also encourages students to be involved with extracurricular and community activities.
Jenkins, too, does not limit his opportunities. He is also an assistant track coach at Wilson, jazz band director of a citywide student ensemble called Porte Towne Magic, and assistant minister of music at his church, St. Mark Missionary Baptist on Frederick Boulevard. Band members welcome Jenkins' individual attention and say his teaching has improved their lives.
Trumpet player John Williams said Jenkins' mentorship has helped him boost his grades and aim for college. "If he wasn't my band director, I'm not sure that I would be a senior right now," he said. "He has encouraged me all along." The 17-year-old Truxtun resident said Jenkins took him and several other students to visit Virginia State University. Now he wants to attend that college and major in sound engineering there.
Jenkins said he decided to become a teacher because of his experiences as a student in Philadelphia years ago. He remembers one elementary school instructor who taught by mostly handing out worksheets and having the pupils silently complete them. "I knew that there had to be a different way," he said. "I wanted to be a teacher to show people that every educator isn't like this."
Jenkins, a 1981 graduate of Norfolk State University where he received music scholarships, said he strives to be like the best teachers he had while growing up. But he said he cannot do it all by himself. "One of the things that made my transition here easy and laid the groundwork for me to be successful here was the parents," Jenkins said. "When there is a strong band parent association, that is an enormous help."
In turn, Rhonda Harmon said parents like her appreciate Jenkins' efforts for Wilson's band members. Said Harmon: "He helps prepare them not only for college, but for life."
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