The way that we handle beginners is different to just about everywhere else in the country. Having a year of class on just your instrument, with someone who plays your instrument as a primary (or at least in the same family), is huge. Even in 2A-3A schools, many have enough positions for band that they can have a brass player teaching brass beginners and a woodwind player on woodwinds. Tiny 1A schools with 1 "music teacher" k-12 are outliers for Texas, but that's common elsewhere. If your beginners are playing grade 2-3 at the end of the year, you can do some amazing things in later grades.
We have band every day as a class. In many places it's an after-school club, or takes away a study hall, or an advisory. I can't imagine having a successful band program in 2 days a week for 30 minutes. In some places band is only a 1-semester class at the high school level. Everywhere in Texas that I've seen a block schedule, band is at least every other day, and in most places they manage to get band both days. I could do so much more with my band if I had them every day for 90 minutes instead of the 42 I get now.
Band directors are highly competitive. We do what it takes to have a great program, sometimes to the detriment of our own mental health and home life. 10-hour days are the norm in many places with sectionals both before and after school (and that's after marching season). We go to the guidance office and fight for our kids to be in the right class periods. We bust our tails to get ahead of everything else - I get next year's band rosters in to counselors before kids even pick their classes for other subjects. Beginner instrument fitting moves earlier and earlier. We had 5th graders trying instruments in January so the middle school directors could send their rosters to guidance for incoming 6th graders.
We pay really well (for a teaching career). Texas overall is right in the middle of teacher salary rankings, but cost of living is lower than in many other places with higher salaries, and I've never seen a public school band position without a stipend on top of salary. Head HS band directors in some places are over $100K on an administrator's pay scale.
Honestly I think what drives most of it, especially at the campus level, is football. Principals want a good band on the field for Friday nights, so funding and scheduling follows that.
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