My son is quite the musician. Plays drums, tenor sax, bass and a little Guitar and keys.He’s working with on his vocals. He’s 15 and a freshman in his school band. This year, he composed 2 songs to be played at the winter and spring concerts. The winter song never got approval to be played by the band conductor. My frustration begins because other students were allowed to perform very under rehearsed pieces that they didn’t compose in their own and they turned out terrible during performance for whatever reason. I feel bad for the students but the band director let them Put themselves in that situation. But also did not approve my son to perform his song for some unknown reason?

Fast forward to this spring. My son has worked very hard on a new song for 6 months. 17 instruments. Finds 17 members to play his song and rehearse it several times. He makes modifications in response to her critique. HES A FRESHMAN.

Concert night arrives and he’s approved to perform the song with his group by seemingly a bet small Margin of approval by the band director. She introduces the song, reprimanding him in front of a Full audience that she doesn’t like his intro as a conductor to the song. He in turn Introduces his very serious song with a joke and the beginning is sort of spoken over for a minute before people Catch on that the song has started.

So 2 nights later is the annual band banquet awards. She gives out approximately 30 awards. No recognition for my son, a freshman who composed his own song, got a group of approximately 17 people to perform his original composition and the performance sounded very much like the AI score that he composed. I’m so proud of him and I’m so disappointed in his band director for failing to recognize the enormous effort and leadership that required on my son’s part. Am I wrong?