[Dixielandjazz] Musical Education & Instruments for School

[LARRY'S Signs and Large Format Printing]

Snip:  2. How's the school's funding for it's sports programs?

They often, depending on the locality make lots of money.  When I was on
tour with the AF band we played a small town in the Missouri Bootheel.  That
town had a Civic center that would seat twice as many people as lived in the
town.  The civic center functioned as the school sports area.  Its a farming
/  cotton area and the people are not wealthy but they are crazy about their
high school sports.  Bands in many areas such as Texas and Florida are just
an extension of that complex.  In those areas bands are big too.  Here they
make money but generally only enough to fund the sports programs which are
supported very well.

Larry - St. Louis
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <BillSargentDrums at aol.com>
To: <cellblk7 at comcast.net>; <NANCYink at surewest.net>;
<dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Friday, June 24, 2005 12:43 PM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Musical Education & Instruments for School


>
> Nancy wrote: "Yes, Bill, you are right; a horse's end does come to  mind."
>
> Bob Romans wrote: "GO Nancy!!!!!"
>
> Now that was uncalled for. I responded to your plea without resorting to
> personal shots like that.
>
> I STRONGLY believe in and walk the walk regarding educating kids
musically.
> I donate instruments, equipment, time and talent. I donate time teaching
kids
> both privately and in groups. I take kids to concerts. Many times I am the
> only  one at a jazz concert with kids in tow while the rest of the room is
> nothing but  "blue-hairs" that left their grand-kids at home.
>
> When my parents started me with piano lessons, we had a piano. When I
> started the drums, my dad got me drums. My school also had drums for me to
play.
> This was back before the teachers union had grown budgets beyond control.
The
> drums the school had were there years before I got there . . . and some of
> those  drums are still in use there today. (They don't disintegrate)
>
> In my state, as I'm SURE it is yours, the people who put their kids
through
> a privately-funded public school (commonly mis-named as a private school)
pay
> money to the government school for their kids NOT to be there . . . all
the
> while paying tuition to another school for their kids to attend.
>
> I am one of those parents. I pay 2 tuitions for my two kids . . . one to a
> school they do not attend and one to a school they attend. I get no tax
credit
> for my tax money, nor does my kid cost their government school any time,
> effort  or expenditure. You'd think they could buy a musical instrument
with that
> money.  They don't seem to have a problem buying footballs or basketballs
with
> it.
>
> When my daughters started to play the piano, I supplied them with a
> Kurzweil. When they progressed and had an appreciation for it, I bought
them a  new
> Baldwin upright (beautiful piano). When my daughter began guitar, I bought
her
> a nice Ibanez acoustic. When she had progressed I bought her a Fender
Strat.
> When they began drums, I bought them a set of Mapex drums and loaned them
real
>  good cymbals.
>
> My WHOLE point is as I originally stated, that is people in SACRAMENTO, a
> city some might argue as jazz mecca, a city that financially benefits
greatly
> from live musical performance & festivals & tourism . . . if these  people
> don't get the point of musical education & equipment in the schools .  . .
then
> they just don't get it.
>
> So, I'll conclude with 3 points:
>
> 1. What happened to all the musical instruments they USED to have before
the
> so-called "budgetary crisis"? After all, musical instruments are not
> disposable one-use items. Also, just because much of your school funding
may  come
> from the state, it does not mean that locals cannot fund things. The whole
> state can't be in a crisis, after all, half the stuff we buy in the rest
of this
> country seems to originate somewhere in California.
>
> 2. How's the school's funding for it's sports programs? I'll bet they have
> money for the not-so-important stuff. How about the teacher's benefits
> packages?
>
> 3. I think the idea of this scout gathering instruments and giving them to
a
> school to benefit kids is a worthy and noble cause and effort. Just give
them
>  to a school that truly is needy in a community that is appreciative and
gets
> it.  Sacramento has had 25-30 years to "get it". Most government (public)
> schools  don't qualify.
>
> Find a city that could use the arts and will appreciate them more, find a
> school that isn't over-stuffed and over-staffed by a teachers union and
find a
> school where parents have to shell out two tuition's for their kids to be
> there. THOSE KIDS ARE DESERVING TOO.
>
> Bill
>
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