PEA RIDGE — When I was going to Pea Ridge School in the 1940s and 1950s, we had no school band or choir. We did have a Glee Club for a couple of years. I can’t remember the name of the lady who directed our Glee Club singers. I do remember that she seemed very knowledgeable and experienced at leading a group of singers, and although she was older, she had no problems working with a group of young mavericks such as we were. Our Glee Club never made it to TV, but we did sing quite often at commencement exercises, baccalaureate programs and at different school functions.
I really enjoyed the Glee Club, just as I enjoyed basketball.
Later in my life, during my time as pastor of churches, I lived in several towns that were big football towns. While we were in one Crawford County town, I learned that the boys there had the idea that burly, manly football players don’t sing. Singing ississified, so they thought!
But, then I had the experience of driving a bus carrying a group of them on a church outing. As we rode along, they began singing.
It wasn’t much of a song, at least not to my taste. Their song was “Ninety-nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall.” But as they bore down on it I began hearing these great, rich, deep manly voices as they sounded out the dumb lines of their song. And I thought, what do you mean, football players don’t sing?
These football players were singing great; they just didn’t have anything worth singing! So I thought, how is it that great talent gets wasted on tunes not worth singing, while foolish attitudes keep great talent from being applied to great things?
I have been tremendously impressed with our Pea Ridge School Band and Choir programs since we moved back to Pea Ridge in 2002. I suppose that everywhere these days there is competition between sports programs and band and choir programs when it comes to getting a decent share of the school budget. Not always do school boards and community members have a high regard for music programs and the other arts when compared to the importance seen in football, basketball and other competitive school sports. Some people seem only to become proud of their school band or school choir if they win honors in competitions with other schools. I’d really like people to see an inherent value in music and music education as having values that make for a better life all a person’s lifelong, supplying enriching life benefits long after the body’s athletic capabilities have faded.
We lived in one centralArkansas town which had quite a winning football tradition. We worked with the high school band boosters there, and constantly struggled to raise the money to support the school band. Some of the community leaders obviously didn’t see much need for a band except as a support for the football team and as a bit of entertainment at games. During our work there, I was astonished that one year the town seemed to lose it’s sense of significance as a town when one of their high school football stars went to play for the Razorbacks, made a great beginning as a Razorback, but then disgraced himself and had to leave the university over some dorm shenanigans with girls. As one who loves school sports, but who is convinced that music is closer to the secret of a meaningful life thansports, I am amazed that our society places football on such a high plain, justifies paying college coaches such unbelievably highsalaries, and almost worships sports celebrities.
Well, OK, we may also almost worship a few celebrity singers, and we go around with music plugs in our ears. But how often do we sing? How often do we play? How often do we make music together? How often do we go for music that really inspires and nurtures the quality of life?
As a historian, I like to look back to the time of the Pea Ridge Academy, especially to the Pea Ridge College era from 1887 to 1916. For most of that time, basketball hadn’t even been invented. There was no football program, no golf program, no soccer program. There may have been some volleyball. There would have been baseball and softball. But there was music. Music was prominent in the curriculum.
They had a great college band; they had vocal music as a major course; they taught new teachers to teach music. Music was right up there with the business courses, math and science, history, language, logic and civics.
At the School Heritage Building, we aspire to tell the story of the Pea Ridge bands and music education. Good music civilizes and elevates community life. It is a significant Pea Ridge heritage, and should not be forgotten.
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Editor’s note: Jerry Nichols, a native of Pea Ridge, is a retired Methodist minister with a passion for history. He is vice president of the Pea Ridge Historical Society. He can be contacted by e-mail at joe369@ centurytel.net, or call 621-1621.
Community, Pages 5 on 05/23/2012