Bigger school means bigger band, more logistics. More buses, more gear to move, more money to deal with. Ordering 300 t-shirts at once instead of 30. Better opportunities to differentiate the instruction - beginners in classes by instrument, 3 performing groups at the MS, 4 at the HS, and the staff and facilities to support that (small school there was one beginner class with everyone, one MS band, one HS band, MS students walked over to the HS band hall for class). Less chance that your 1st chair trumpet is also the starting quarterback. More procedures. At my small school I could walk next door to Bernice in finance and get her to write a check the morning of an event. Now they only write checks on Fridays, so the PO has to be approved by Thursday, so I have to get everything to the FA secretary by Monday. In my small school I was the only one advocating for the performing arts, but I was on a first name basis with the superintendent. He came to say hi to the band at every football game, usually came to marching contests and concerts. I've been at my large school for 6 years and I've never had a 1-on-1 meeting with the superintendent, but I have a Fine Arts Director who fights hard for the arts in the district. Small school I practically owned the auditorium and managed the scheduling, large school I have to fight for a concert date around all of the choir, dance, senior meetings, middle school graduation, elementary school choir program, one act play, everything else.
Biggest thing for me is the community politics is not such a hassle. At my small school there were only 3 last names. Everyone was related to everyone, by blood or by marriage. Nobody ever moved into that town. I pissed off the wrong person over some minor slight. Unfortunately the main street in town was named after her family, her great-great-great-grandad signed the city charter back in 18-whatever, she was on the city council, and more importantly on the board of the Baptist church (I went to the Methodist church in the next town over), and I was suddenly no longer welcome anywhere in town and resigned at the end of the year to avoid a non-renewal. Much less risk of that in the bigger school environment.
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