The president of the school's teacher association defends the choral music teacher.
NAPLES - Board members of Naples Central School unanimously approved a review panel's recommendation to permit sacred music to remain in the Senior High chorus program following a complaint from a resident to remove songs with lyrics that praised God.
High school principal Ken Foster, a former music teacher himself, formed the review committee after Martha Churley, who said she holds to Wiccan, or pagan, beliefs, filed a written complaint on behalf of a student whose religion prohibited her from singing religious or political songs.
In the formal curriculum challenge, Churley objected to three songs – two from the holiday concert and one from the upcoming spring concert.
A handful of residents attended last night's board meeting to hear the recommendation. Most appeared to agree, nodding along as it was read.
The panel recommended the board adopt guidelines held by the Music Educators National Conference and found the songs in question fit within a well-reasoned, balanced music education program."
The educators organization holds the position that omitting sacred music from school curriculum would result in an "incomplete educational experience" because most choral pieces with religious lyrics historically represent a substantial part of music composed by masters such as Bach, Handel and others. The association advises music teachers to present sacred works within the neutral context of their educational value, and refrain from advancing or prohibiting religious views in the pieces.
Foster said the panel - including himself and faculty members, Karen Shaver, Mary Evelyn Hoffman and Phil Bariteau - also researched information from the Anti-Defamation League; previous legal rulings; the New York State School Music Association manual; other districts and performance lists from All-State choirs around the U.S.
Foster said parents worried about too many Christian songs in performances should consider the entire scope of a public school's music education, from elementary through high school years.
"As age (of children) and difficulty (of music) increase, and you look at master works, you find more sacred works," he said, noting the totality of a K-12 program provides better perspective. "It's hard when you just focus on one moment in time," he added.
Churley, who met with the panel prior to the meeting to review its findings, said she was pleased Foster advised posting the findings on the district's Web site, but again requested that songs include a greater variety of music from many religions.
"I realize 'Sing Dem Hern' is German and 'Deep River' is African-American, but they're both from one system - Christianity - even though they (represent) various cultures," she said.
Churley also asked if upper level chorus students were being taught the educational background of any sacred works before being instructed in their performance. Superintendent Walt Zerrahn assured her that students were and would be informed of the works' background.
Naples Teacher Association president Jerry Ridley was the only other resident to speak, and told the board he felt choral music teacher Larisa Price had been personally attacked through the complaint and resulting media attention, both locally and in Rochester.
"She has simply followed state education and Naples policy guidelines," he said, citing rulings from the commissioner of education. "If a citizen has a problem with those policies and guidelines then the correct way to handle it is through the board, to get a review, but not to ... sensationalize it through the press. The teacher here has raised our chorus levels beyond what they were before she came and isn't getting credit for that," he said, condemning implications that Price was "injecting religion" rather than educating students about music.