SCC: Chula Vista SoCal Performance Show Choir Invitational 2008

I would like to take this opportunity to address some of the comments that have been made about some of my students and their actions at the competition Saturday:

I have always made a point to emphasize how important good sportsmanship is to our reputation and why we need to make sure we never cross the line between pride and arrogance. Over the years, I have tried to teach my students that the competition experience is not all about winning AGAINST others. It really is about winning your own personal race to be the best you can possibly be. When we get too wrapped up (we includes students, parents, and directors too) in the outcomes of these events we can lose sight of what is most important. The real question is did learning and growth occur? And did we have a great time working together on something we all love.

Years ago, I learned that if I placed my self-worth as a director in the hands of adjudicators I would never be happy. Our program is not built on winning competitions. Our program is about using music as a vehicle to better ourselves and our lives, now and in the future. I am trying to teach this and concepts of character to my students everyday. For some reason, a few students in my program have not gained the maturity and integrity that it takes to know when and where to comment and how to filter personal feelings or opinions. As I have said to many, everyone has a right to an opinion.....but NO ONE has a right to hurt others or be rude with that opinion. That includes the Burbank students who were responsible for being rude to the Burroughs students.

Occasionally, we have experienced acts of poor sportsmanship directed at our program and I have maintained that those are the results of a few immature students and not reflective of a whole choir or their directors. Those situations never justify retaliation or response on our part. I have tried to teach my students to be gracious and to encourage others in their success. The majority of our students have been amazing and have been great ambassadors for our school, the city of Burbank, and the state. It is sad to see how easily a few students can smudge the reputation of so many with a careless word or deed...

Yes, the Burbank/Burroughs rivalry is intense and there has always been competitive tension, That is part of the great thing we have here in Burbank... we make each other better. Mr. Jennings, Jen Oundjian, and myself are friends and we love to compete against each other and we are all proud of what we have here in Burbank. We are "sibling" rivals since we are in the same school district and only a mile apart. We rejoice in their success and they have rejoiced in ours. We have even sent cards and flowers etc. to each other's programs over the years to recognize special achievements. So, for those out there who think the climate here in California is less sunny than depicted online: Of course, there are a few thunderstorms now and then....but really, this IS sunny Southern California

and we do get along better and are much closer than what I experienced as a director in another part of the country.

With that said, I wish to apologize for the students who displayed a lapse in judgment about how to be kind and courteous after a competition. Please know that I am dealing with those students and I am quite upset. At times like this, I feel like I have failed to get across the message that this behavior is not what we are about. It takes so much away from all of my other great kids who are equally appalled at what a few of their classmates have done to our reputation.

I hope you guys can forgive and that we can continue to focus on what was, otherwise, an amazing and exciting competition.

Sincerely,
Brett Carroll
Burbank High