During a change of command ceremony held at the Frederick, Md., National Guard Armory, the Walkersville High School Concert Band, with each of the musicians wearing Army Strong T-shirts, treated the Soldiers to a performance of the Army Song; meanwhile, Frederick Company's own Staff Sgt. Joseph Payne, with the Baltimore Recruiting Battalion, stood in as the honorary conductor. This marked the band's first time under its current music director to perform for the military. In a small way, this performance also marked the beginning of a relationship between the school and the U.S. Army.
For a long time now, Frederick Station Soldiers have worked hard to gain acceptance within their county high schools; however, this has proven difficult. According to Payne, the county school board has strict policies in place that limit and control recruiter visitations to the high school campuses.
"When I got to my station," said Payne, "I kept hearing how Frederick schools were closed to recruiters, and how they limit Recruiters to quarterly visits and prohibit them from classrooms and school functions. From what I was told, the county board was set in its ways, afraid we would only distract the students."
Windy Neal, the music director for Walkersville and Catoctin high schools, says the county school board is particularly guarded when it comes to granting campus access to military branches. Windy grew up in Baltimore County and remembers when Soldiers were often seen wondering the hallways of her school. Times, however, have changed.
"You rarely see it anymore," said Neal, "and if Soldiers do come, it's only for one day, and maybe once a month they can set up a table, but that's it. The Frederick County school board is very strict when it comes to people in uniform coming to the school--I would say more than most schools."
New to the area and hoping to find a way to integrate himself with the area high schools, Payne sat down with the Frederick County school board policy book and found a clause that allows regular military branch campus visitations as long as they contribute to the students' education.
"Even though the policy's second bullet says that recruiters can come in only once a quarter," Payne pointed out, "everyone overlooks the first bullet that says recruiters can come in for career and educational purposes as many times as the faculty or staff allows."
This inspired Payne to draw up a resume that outlined his extensive background in high school marching band. The resume included three years with the Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps (1992, 1993, and 1994), his selection for the Drum Corps International (DCI) All-star Corps (1992), his march in three world finals and a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, his four television appearances and his five contributions to music CDs. All he needed now was to get his resume to the right people.
Incidentally, his station had already arranged for the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps out of Fort Myer, VA, to perform at three high schools within the area. This played nicely into Payne's hands. He attended each performance and then met with the high school music directors to speak with them about volunteering his unique talent at their schools. Naturally, once the band directors reviewed his resume, they each responded with the same question: When can you start?
Today, Payne volunteers at three schools in his area, including Walkersville, Brunswick, and Catoctin. Each school has enrolled him as a consultant, technician, or a clinician. He visits each school once a week on a three-day schedule. Some days he works with specific sections; some days he stands before the entire band to critique their performances. Moreover, he facilitates substitute teachers who take charge of a class during a teacher's absence. Most recently, Payne volunteered to be on the marching band staff to guide them to the marching band championships. However, Payne doesn't limit himself to the music department. According to Windy, he finds other ways to contribute at the schools.
"Sergeant Payne finds different ways to help out," said Windy. "He volunteered to help with different stage setups with the drama department for their musical, and he has also gone to multiple classes to talk to students about the value of education before choosing a vocation."
By now, Payne has gradually established himself at the high schools, but at the onset of his time there, he earned a lot of quizzical looks form the students, who didn't know what to think about a military uniform within the classroom.
"Some of them looked at me like, 'What's this Army guy doing in a music class? But that's good because I break all kinds of stereotypes. They think Soldiers only jump out of planes, or blow things up, or run around in the woods, but then they see this Army guy talking intelligently about music theory, and it changes their perception."
"I was a little nervous at first," admitted Mitchell Woolley, a 17-year-old student and member of the Walkersville marching band. "But once you get to know him, he's just a guy like everyone else. He's professional, but he can always relate to us. He's a relatable guy, great to work with, and always understanding and cooperative."
Certainly, Payne has done a great job at representing the U.S. Army, and his presence at Walkersville high school has convinced Windy that more teachers should consider bringing a recruiter onboard.
"I think more schools should take the opportunity to use a recruiter," said Windy. "Whether its math, drama, physical education, or anything else, if a recruiter has a trait or a knack, schools could use the extra help. That extra set of ears and eyes is excellent help for classroom management."
Payne has established a great deal of success within his area high schools, and he hinges this success on a few important questions that he feels every Recruiter should ask him or herself.
"What is your avenue of approach?" said Payne. "You can't just show up to a high school and say, 'I'm here to recruit!' You have to show that you're concerned and that you can help enhance the students' education. My avenue just so happens to be the music program. What is your avenue of approach? What can you offer that will convince the school to welcome you in?"
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