Save The Wilkes University Band Program

Comments

#602

Wilkes has always been a school with a good music program. Many students came to Wilkes because of the band and the music program. No college should be without the arts or band.

Linda Pineno (Lehman , 2020-05-13)

#603

I was in band for about ten years and it was the greatest thing I ever did in my entire life. Taking away this program will rip the hearts and souls out of the people that partake in band. Band is a family. If you dismantle band you are dismantling a family. Always support the arts.

Rachel Wynings (Berwick, 2020-05-13)

#605

Music is important and Wilkes needs to remember that.

Jessica Miller (Tuscarora , 2020-05-13)

#606

Although, i have not had my own child attend Wilkes. I have throughly enjoyed the concerts through out the past 5 years. Music and the arts are very important part of college.

Kimberly Bassett (Bushkill, 2020-05-13)

#613

Wilkes used to have the premiere music program for preparing professionals. Over the past 3 decades, the program eroded to a non-entity. The artistic needs of the college community and the community-at-large still need nourishment, and the Wilkes Band has always been a part of that buffet.

William Roditski (Clermont, 2020-05-13)

#616

I’m signing this because one of my very good friends is in this music program and I know she would hate not having band anymore.

Asiah Savage (Hughesville , 2020-05-13)

#620

I'm signing because college students deserve to play music!!!

Jessica Hickey (Dover, 2020-05-13)

#624

Because I am a fellow band geek and understand how important it is to have music in our schools!

Katie Rowe (Mount Dora, 2020-05-13)

#625

Best friends daughter is in the band and takes her music very serious ..

Chris Persing (Shamokin Pa, 2020-05-13)

#627

I’m signing because I came to Wilkes specially because there was a marching band program that I could join. It was where I met my closest friends who I still keep in contact with today and it would break my heart to see people not be able to thrive in the arts.

Nicole Olver (Allentown, 2020-05-13)

#634

My cousin wants to join the marching band.

Amanda Hall (Leesburg , 2020-05-13)

#635

My kids searched specific colleges that had a marching band, and they Both ended up at your school!! Music helps the learning experience! It has been proven. Eliminating it will cause you to lose students..

Deb Dietrich (Catasauqua , 2020-05-13)

#637

Even though I no longer go to Wilkes, when I did I was on the cheer team. Without the band the football games and other sporting events just won’t be the same. Band is an outlet for students who find playing an instrument their “home” just like the football players find playing football to be their “home”. Don’t strip that away from them.

Missy Walburn (Hughesville, 2020-05-13)

#642

Music is essential in building people

Jeff Ream (Mechanicsburg , 2020-05-13)

#643

I am signing this petition because a young lady I know is going to be starting her college years with you all and she has been a band member for many years and was looking forward to continue in the band, I f you take this away on e of her dreams will be lost so sad.

Lisa Krammes (Pine Grove, 2020-05-13)

#645

Aariyana Gould!!!

Aalyssa Moyer (Salem, 2020-05-13)

#649

Music is a vital part of the human experience. It brings beauty and joy into life. It builds connections between members of a community and pathways in the whole brain. Cutting opportunities to make music will impoverish the Wilkes experience.

Rebecca Elfman (Kingston, PA, 2020-05-13)

#651

I spent a year at Wilkes and played in the band.

Carolyn Ryan (Philadelphia , 2020-05-13)

#652

Band has given me a place where I fit in and can feel comfortable being myself. It has taught me how to be disciplined while having the best time, and has been my gateway into the arts. Without band, I have no idea where I would be today, it has impacted me every day, from the first day of high school to the coming first day of my senior year of undergrad.

Anna McPherson (Buffalo, 2020-05-13)

#653

Band and other musical ensembles are an essential part of our society. Music is essential to Humanity. It is not something to consider cutting from a budget or removing from a University. This runs contrary to the very essence of higher education.

Daniel McGrogan (Chambersburg, 2020-05-13)

#657

Music is an essential part of building "complete" individuals...it is a creative outlet, a builder of community, and a door to understanding many other subjects. A college without music programs such as band is an incomplete and lesser institution.

Jay Krush (Wayne. PA. , 2020-05-13)

#660

Music is extremely important and allows creatives to perfect their craft.

Aaliyah Rhym (Salem, 2020-05-13)

#661

I’m signing this petition because I strongly believe that music and bands are critical for higher level learning. There are innumerable studies that have found a positive correlation between musical immersion and engagement and cognitive ability. I couldn’t and do not want to imagine my life without a band to play in. Bands, especially at Wilkes University, bring people together. Taking away bands from the university would be a colossal mistake by the administration and would show that their interests are not in their students, nor the community or greater good, but in a false sense of money.

Andrew Faul (Pringle , 2020-05-13)

#663

Music is essential to Humanity!

Paul Cullen (North Wales, 2020-05-13)

#667

I'm signing this because, I know how important it is to have other activities beside the daily classwork. These young people need groups and other distractions to keep them interested in staying in school. Band is a great outlet.

Patrina Widdicombe (Allentown, 2020-05-13)

#669

Support music programs!

Lori Girvan (Forty Fort, 2020-05-13)

#670

Wilkes-Barre is my hometown and I worry that the state of the arts has declined way too much already. Wilkes University should be leading the way to provide more cultural and artistic offerings for the city and region, not the opposite. In my opinion, the arts have been in a steady decline ever since Wilkes dropped it’s music education program in 1995. Wilkes would reinstate its music education and other arts education programs/degrees if it cared at all about the cultural and emotional health of the community. This move, if implemented by the city’s supposed flagship university, would be especially disappointing.

Kevin Gerrity (Muncie, IN, 2020-05-13)

#671

It was very important to me to choose a school that supported the arts, and as a Wilkes student, I am disgusted that cutting a program like band was even discussed as an option.

Veronica Romanelli (Wilkes Barre, 2020-05-13)

#675

I was a band kid and if I was in college still I would probably still be one. I miss it everyday and it shouldn’t be taken away from kids who love music.

Francesco Bellia (Kingston , Pa, 2020-05-13)

#676

I'm the parent of a student at Wilkes and loves band program

JoAnne Gantzhorn (Morriston , 2020-05-13)

#678

Joint marching band in college has been the best decision of my collegiate career. It is where I found my friends, roommates, and my family. Band is what I look forward to every single day, it gets me through the hard days.

Kensley Bullins (Blacksburg , 2020-05-13)

#679

The performing arts, and performing ensembles in particular are an important part of a Liberal Arts education.

As a Music Major Alumnus of Wilkes College, I would strongly encourage the powers that be to maintain this program.

Francis C. McMullen, Class of 1989.

Francis McMullen (Scranton, 2020-05-13)

#683

I'm signing because I have attended multiple concerts and really enjoyed them.

Jeremy Button (Falls, 2020-05-13)

#684

I support all arts in the realm of learning and think it is our children's right to be exposed to such if they wish.

Alysha Spickler (Belleville, 2020-05-13)

#687

I lived in NEPA most of my life. Musical programs had such a huge influence on my life. I wouldn't be there person I am today without them.

Rebeka Piccolo (NORFOLK, 2020-05-13)

#690

I’m signing because my cousin Caroline will be attending in the fall. She is a band Superstar 😀

Scott Ferris (Lake Ariel, 2020-05-13)

#691

Music needs to be part of people’s lives

Krista Dieffenbach (Tunkhannock, 2020-05-13)

#693

Band, music, and The Arts are the most precious things in this terribly dark world. Without these, life won’t go on. You’re making a huge mistake by defunding any arts programs.

Amanda Thomas (Swoyersville, 2020-05-13)

#695

My brother is a graduate of Wilkes with a degree in Music Education

Rick Wygant (Exeter, 2020-05-13)

#698

My best friend is going to this school largely for the marching band. Don’t let her passion go to waste.

Maria Micciche (Dunmore , 2020-05-13)

#700

Band is love and without it many would be lost

Danielle Blair (Pottstown , 2020-05-13)

#706

I support the arts

Courtney Betsock (Lewisburg , 2020-05-13)

#711

The arts are essential to our development as people. It develops discipline, attention to detail, collaboration skills, reading and fluency, empathy, and so much more. No matter the age range, the arts are critical and should not be overlooked.

Kate Brown (Riverton, 2020-05-13)

#713

Music is an essential and perhaps the healthiest outlet for emotions. Don't encourage the decline of education by disposing of Band. Cut corners in sports and build a better future.

Justin Schiess (Rochester, 2020-05-13)

#715

I am signing this petition as a community member of the Civic Band. I have witnessed the growth of the program of the last few years and have seen undergraduates' music ability and love of music flourish. Without the band program Wilkes University will lose part of what makes the university unique.

John Hofmann (Conyngham, 2020-05-13)

#716

Nothing should be sacrificed in these times

Phyllis Monda (wilkes barre, 2020-05-13)

#717

Music brings people happiness.

Alexis Bainbridge (Duryea, 2020-05-13)

#718

Music is absolutely essential in a lot of people's lives and it shouldn't be torn away from them like this.

Katelyn Derby (Hughesville, 2020-05-13)

#719

The music program at Wilkes was a defining factor in my time at Wilkes. Please reconsider funding options. Music is an outlet that cannot just be taken away. The world needs music!

Sherilyn Jones (Whitehall, 2020-05-13)

#720

The Arts has such a huge impact on me and everyone should have the option to continue doing what they love. Without a marching band football games can get boring!

Elizabeth Andrewcavage (Frackville , 2020-05-13)

#723

My supervisors daughter is a part of this band. Music helps people in ways people dont understand.

Eric Roper (Plymouth, 2020-05-13)

#725

I was apart of the band and this is where I felt the most connected, where I made my friends, family and memories. I don't want future college students to loose out on that same opportunity to create something worth coming to Wilkes University.

samantha Reinhardt (Scranton, 2020-05-13)

#727

I am a brother of Kappa Kappa Psi and I know how much a band program can mean for a university and for it's participants

Daniel Smith (Pittsburgh, PA, 2020-05-13)

#729

I'm signing because the Wilkes University Civic Band gave me an opportunity to make music with a talented group of musicians while I attended King's College. The band program at Wilkes is valuable to students at both Wilkes and King's as well as the local community. I would hate to see this program taken away from students and community musicians.

Megan Rosler (Wilkes-Barre, 2020-05-13)

#733

I am a high school music teacher and know several former students who have continued participating in music at Wilkes. I hope they do not lose that opportunity.

Kathryn Stiadle (Lewisburg , 2020-05-13)

#736

I am signing because band is an incredible thing. I am among the thousands of people that was helped by band when they were so down they didn’t think they could be happy anymore. Band is an outlet and a family. Band is an opportunity to be yourself and experience something not everyone can. Band isn’t just some elective to fill a couple periods/hours of your school day, it’s a time that you can truly express yourself in a discreet or nondiscreet manner, to have fun and control feelings and thoughts and sometimes they just melt away. Music is an essential part of life because there’s so many types and elements of it that it in itself is phenomenal. Music is healing and moving and those talented enough to play a piece beautifully had to put in so much work but it always pays off. People love watching a band march on the field and off, they may even give a standing ovation for the halftime show or they may only cheer, but you can tell that people enjoy the band and what it has to offer, whether it be an observer or a member.

Stormie Hughes (Hammond, 2020-05-13)

#737

The greater Wilkes-Barre area is full of talented musicians. Quite frankly, I have never seen an area with such a strong passion for the arts and limited outlets for creativity. This willingness to learn should be fostered as there are so many cognitive benefits to having a music program. It would be a shame to not showcase these students, and I can guarantee that having a music program is the deciding factor for a lot of incoming undergraduates.

Ashlyn Heid (Philadelphia, 2020-05-13)

#739

I'm signing because one of my sister's DECIDING FACTORS for picking this school was the fact it had a marching band.

Tiffany Orlando (Hawley, 2020-05-13)

#743

Music belongs in all schools. It's the one thing of beauty we have in this cold, cruel world.

Judi Hoffer (West Pittston, 2020-05-13)

#745

Music is incredibly important to me and everyone deserves the opportunity to participate in a band program.

Emma Holbrook (Clarks Summit, 2020-05-13)

#746

I believe this is essential to student growth.

Erin Murray (WYOMING, 2020-05-13)

#747

While I have never been part of a school band myself (due to my lack in ability to play a band instrument), I have seen the way band changes people's lives forever, especially in the crucial developing years though highschool and college. In this time, students decide what they want to to, who they want to be, and who they want by their side through it all. In saying this, shouldn't we give these incoming students every chance they can to have a successful and wonderful future full of joy and happiness? Cutting the band program might be financially convenient for the university, but it will be devastating to all those who have built their community and homes around band. In the end, cutting this program will be a loss to not only students and their morale, but to the college itself.

Elizabeth Orlando (East Stroudsburg, 2020-05-13)

#748

Band is so important to so many individuals, and fosters quality traits in students. There is always another way. For some band is the only good thing about their day, dont take that away from them.

Brian Miller (Avondale, 2020-05-13)

#749

I don’t even go here but this is whack.

Kiera Griffiths (Shamokin, 2020-05-13)

#751

My granddaughter will be a Freshman at Wilkes in the fall. She was really looking forward to continuing her passion of playing in the marching band! I think music programs are so important. Not everyone’s is cut out to play sports!

Ann Kimmel (Pine Grove, 2020-05-13)

#752

I’m signing because 3 of my friends from high school are in the program and talk about how much they love to play though they aren’t pursuing it as a major.

Taylor Davies (Philadelphia , 2020-05-13)

#754

I'm signing because band is necessary.

Charlotte Roskowski (Kingston, 2020-05-13)

#757

Music saves lives. Music touches people in ways that nothing else can, and to attack the arts is a disgrace to such a wonderful program and its dedicated students.

Kara Dooner (West Pittston, 2020-05-13)

#759

The arts are important for any student to have access to to express themselves and do what they love, no different than any other sport.

Anyone who can’t see that the arts are one of the biggest things getting everyone through quarantine, especially music, is simply turning a blind eye.

Drew Denneny (Middletown DE, 2020-05-13)

#760

I’m signing this petition because I believe this is essential to Wilkes students who want a school where they can continue their musical arts experience. You must continue to make this available.

Chuck Smith (Wyoming, 2020-05-13)

#763

Too many arts programs are being cut due to budget. No one realizes how vital these programs are to communities. Especially in trying times, music is a necessary outlet for one’s mental and spiritual health.

Emily Terlesky (Steubenville, Ohio, 2020-05-13)

#770

As a former band member, both marching and civic, I meet so many people through this program that have impacted my life. Save the only collegiate marching band program in NEPA!

Sierra Musa (Millersburg, 2020-05-13)

#774

I'm signing because of Fitzy

John Zangari-Ryan (Lewisburg, 2020-05-13)

#775

I’m signing because I’m a graduate of the Wilkes University Band Program and working as a band director/music teacher right now and have been for the last 23 years since graduating! The program has turned out amazing band directors and music teachers and shouldn’t be cut. If you’re trying to save money, why would you cut a program that actually touches students and families rather than make cuts in other places? This is a problem with education when schools become too top heavy. The first reaction is to cut at the student level instead of higher up. It’s a shame that this situation is even being considered. Please find another way.

Tom Stitzer (Chandler, 2020-05-13)

#777

The Scranton/wilkes barre area is one of the most backward in the country, where people think cutting another music program is going to balance the budget. It never does and the only thing that comes of it is another causality. People do not stay in the area, and these sorts of cuts and attitudes are one of the many reasons why. I would challenge the people running this institution to cute specifically why this program is targeted and what it is costing the university that they have to cut it.

Patrick Hein (Philadelphia(from Scranton), 2020-05-13)

#780

Band is an integral part of my daughter's pastime and has been part of her life for 14 years. Too many of our schools are loosing their arts programs which are vital for developing the mind . Wilkes is one of the few schools in the area to have a band and is why my daughter wanted to go there over Kings.

Robert wintersteen (Dallas, 2020-05-13)

#784

As an alumnus of Wilkes University's defunct music education department I must say that this latest attempt to dismantle music at Wilkes is sickening.

Wilkes at one time was a thriving music school that prided itself on quality performances in jazz, orchestral, band, choral, small ensemble and soloists producing outstanding musicians and music educators. It had a music camp that brought international fame to Wilkes. Wilkes used to value music so much that it honored Dizzy Gillespie with an honorary doctorate of music. Sadly those days are long gone, but the university had managed to maintain a band program and even had started a marching band. Now, that the program was starting to see some growth and success the administration has decided to snuff the last vestiges of music on campus? My question is why?

If this pandemic has shown us anything, it has shown us the value of music in our society. 39 million people tuned into YouTube to watch an Italian opera singer sing in a Cathedral in Italy this past Easter. There have been countless concerts from homes of artists. Broadway theaters have been streaming performances for free. Music is an integral part of society. It has the ability to take our minds to someplace better. The students of Wilkes most definitely need to go someplace better now.

I implore the powers that be to not only reconsider this asinine decision, but reverse the stupidity of the past and create a thriving music program at Wilkes once again. The students deserve it. The community needs it. Do the right thing Wilkes.

Scott Brown (Palmerton, 2020-05-13)

#785

Music belongs in our schools. Music is important to education and learning. Keep the program alive.

Theresa Walts (Nanticoke, 2020-05-13)

#786

This is a great program, with great people and would hate to see it go!

Kevin Lickers Jr. (Nanticoke , 2020-05-13)

#787

Music is an outlet where creativity and passion flourish and an escape can be found. Students shouldn’t have that outlet taken away. Please keep the program running!

Cindy Fox (Philadelphia , 2020-05-13)

#788

I am the proud parent of several highschool band members. Someday I hope they attend Wilkes University.

Scott Wagner (Mountain Top, 2020-05-13)

#791

Friends I made in band are friends today. College was hard for me and those band friends were critical in my survival.

Jim Lopardo (Lansdale, PA, 2020-05-13)

#796

music programs are vital

Danielle Hofmann (Montoursville, 2020-05-13)

#799

The reason I sign this is both on a personal level professional level. On a professional level, I believe the music program gives students the opportunity to learn skills that better equip them for the real world such as teamwork, leadership, time management, and other various skills that cannot be learned in the confines of a classroom environment. Take away music and you cripple the very foundation for which students attend. Wilkes is one of the few Universities in that area that has a band program. Take it away and Wilkes becomes just another dull campus like the rest. People came from other colleges to Wilkes for the music program. On a personal level, I met some people over the course of my time as a musician that have become some of the closest friends I know. Being a musician has made me a better man through the hard work all for the sake of a show that lasts for only a short while. It's because of music that I have the most amazing son anyone could ask for and a friendship that will last forever. Take away all that and I'd be this shy little nobody who doesn't have friends. Is that the world Wilkes wants? Why music? Honestly why is it that the first thing to always go is the arts? I hope this doesn't come to pass but if the failing football team needs new uniforms, I am sure Wilkes will be more than happy to cut music.

Daniel Ferruzza (Bushkill, 2020-05-13)

#800

College band and music programs help students and should not be a budget cut.

Brittany Ryan (Mahwah, 2020-05-13)



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