Colleague Blues

So one of my private students is participating in an elementary school band being head up by one of my colleagues - one who occasionally sends me some of his 'graduates' my way.  Problem is, they're not particularly well-trained.  This kid is a prime example.  From what I can tell, my colleague puts sheet music in front of his band, but trains them by playing recordings and/or rote teaching them parts.  What they end up learning may or may not be what is actually represented on the paper.  He prepares concerts - the parents and other (non-musical) faculty applaud.  No one is the wiser.

The kid I've been teaching on the side is nice enough, but trying to put him on track has been difficult.  He wants lessons, but wants to side-step the usual helping of basics.  It seems that he's settled into he idea that they aren't necessary.  That's not my only frustration - I'm constantly grappling with the dilemma of whether I should teach him the proper way to play his parts, thus ensuring that he's the odd man out in his band, or reinforce what his director is 'teaching' him, and take turns at the wheel of the vehicle that is taking him down the road of musical illiteracy.

What gets me the most, though, is that this kid is just a representation of the problems contributing to  NRHS's stunted musical growth .