At Dallas ISD, students get to be rock stars for a few minutes.
That’s how Seagoville High School modern band and fine arts director, Rodney Dittmar explained the experience of students coming together for the Dallas ISD Modern Band All-City Jam. Now in its 13th year, it has been an annual tradition since 2011.
It’s an honor that schools from all over the district come out to Seagoville and showcase the work they’ve been doing, Dittmar said.
The schools who participated in the Modern Band All-City Jam were:
- Emmett J. Conrad High School
- Daniel Webster Elementary School
- Martha Turner Reilly Elementary School
- John W. Runyon Elementary School
- Felix Botello Personalized Learning Elementary School
- Leslie A. Stemmons Elementary School
- Henry W. Longfellow Career Exploration Academy
- Gilbert Cuellar Sr. Elementary School
- Eduardo Mata Montessori School
- School for the Talented and Gifted in Pleasant Grove
- Seagoville Middle School
- Seagoville High School
“The part that is really cool for me is the little ones get to see the older students, and everyone enjoys each other’s performances,” Dittmar said.
Dittmar organized the concert with his students in mind – he wanted to give them an opportunity to highlight their talents and share their creativity as musicians. It allowed them to begin to feel what it’s like to play on a stage and be performers.
Beyond the concert, Dittmar and his colleague, Olympia McClendon, fine arts director at Felix G. Botello Personalized Learning Elementary School, have helped other schools bring modern band to their campuses. In addition to their work as teachers, they also plan events, such as a fall workshop at L.V. Stockard Middle School, and work with Matthew Edwards, director of choral, elementary, and general music for the district, to expand the program.
They also help teachers get the instruments and the training, as well as professional development. While the teachers are already there in the schools, they work with them to make sure they have the resources they need.
The ultimate goal—and Dittmar’s mission—through all these opportunities is to put music programs like these in underserved schools. He and his colleagues have witnessed how music can transform and change lives, he said, so the work continues.
