School's
band to tune out Santa
Parents split on concert's tone
Wednesday, November 17, 2004 • BY KATIE WANG •
Star-Ledger Staff
Don't expect the Columbia High School brass ensemble to
belt out any jolly renditions of "Joy to World" at its
holiday concert this year.
Nor will it play any songs about Santa Claus coming to
town.
But there will be plenty of seasonal tunes, such as
"Winter Wonderland" and "Frosty the Snowman" -- songs devoid
of any reference to religion, religious symbols or
holidays.
A long-standing policy banning the singing of Christmas
songs with religious references in the South
Orange/Maplewood School District has come under scrutiny
after the administration clarified the policy recently,
saying that it also includes instrumental concerts.
This means the 40-member brass ensemble, which in years
past has played Christmas carols with references to Santa
Claus, Jesus, or other religious symbols, will not be played
this year.
"Rather than try to respond to all the various religions
and try to balance them, it's best to stay away from that
and simply have a nonreligious tone to them and have more of
a seasonal tone," Superintendent Peter P. Horoschak
said.
Some parents are critical of the district's
decision.
Eric Chabrow, whose son plays saxophone in the ensemble,
said he thinks the district has gone too far.
"There needs to be safeguards in school," Chabrow said.
"But musical notes don't sanction religion."
Chabrow, who is Jewish, said he does not associate the
classic Christmas carols as religious tunes.
His freshman son, Samuel, agreed.
"It's nice music that's just related to the holidays,"
he said.
Rabbi Jehiel Orenstein of Congregation Beth El in South
Orange, said he takes no offense to instrumental renditions
of religious holiday songs as long as there is something for
everyone.
"I love music," he said. "There are overtones to
instrumental music. I just want to make sure it's inclusive,
then we don't leave anyone out."
The New Jersey School Boards Association has a sample
policy that most districts in the state have adopted. It
says songs and customs that have come from the various
ethnic or religious groups should be used to broaden pupils'
awareness of the contributions of each group. Districts,
however, may adopt stricter policies such as the South
Orange/Maplewood one, said Frank Belluscio, spokesman for
the organization.
"The law will permit a school-sponsored event to have
religious music as long as it does not dominate the program,
is not being used to promote religion and is presented for
educational purposes to teach," said Belluscio.
The South Orange/Maplewood policy was adopted in the
1990s, said Horoschak, but the brass ensemble has slipped
under the radar in past years when it played Christmas
carols. The music drew some complaints from residents, said
Horoschak, but not an onslaught.
This year, he said, the district wanted to be proactive
by clarifying its rules in the memo.
On Oct. 29, Nicholas Santoro, the chair of the
district's Fine Arts Department, issued a memo clarifying
the South Orange/Maplewood policy, suggesting that songs
such as "Winter Wonderland" or "Frosty the Snowman" are
acceptable.
"Music centered on peace is also a nice touch," he
wrote.
The memo also states that printed programs for holiday
concerts "must avoid graphics which refer to the holidays,
such as Christmas trees and dreidels."
Ellen Relkin, a Maplewood resident and parent of three
children in the district, said she supports the ban.
"Maybe it's a little excessive, but it's always about
where you draw the line," she said. "I would err in the
favor of separation."
Relkin, who is Jewish, pointed to the saturation of
other religious symbols in public places. She said she
objects to the menorah placed in downtown Maplewood and
there also is the large Christmas tree bedecked with
ornaments in the center of town.
"To have it as a school activity for people who don't
observe Christmas whether they're Jewish or Hindu, they feel
out of it," she said.
Shannon McCaffery, from South Orange and a Catholic,
said she's never heard of anything like this before, stating
everyone in the town is tolerant of everyone else's
holiday.
Stephanie Staszack, a South Orange resident who is
Christian and a 1975 graduate from Columbia High School,
said she doesn't understand why the songs would bother
anyone. "It is a diverse community and everyone is willing
to work with everyone."
Katie Wang covers South Orange and Maplewood. She can be
reached at kwang@starledger.com or (973) 392-1504.
© 2004 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with
permission.
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