[Dixielandjazz] Donating Instruments

[Steve barbone]

BillSargentDrums at aol.com wrote:
 
> The churches I cited were in poverty areas in foreign lands where there are
> no music stores, where missionaries had just built the church. The last drum
> set  we donated went to Peru where they had never even seen a drum set before.

Of course not, Peruvians have plenty of hollow logs to beat on and have been
playing log drums for thousands of years. Goodness me, the raw materials to
make a drum set are right there, why not teach them to make drums if the
missionaries are so convinced that the kids need drum sets? Doggone, they
make drums in Africa, India, Bangladesh and all sorts of other places, why
not use the money to teach the poverty area Peruvians a trade, or other more
useful endeavor than beating on a drum set?
> 
> The schools I cited were ones that receive no tax money support and the
> parents are pay two tuitions for every kid they educate.

So? We're not talking about institutions here, we're talking about kids who
have nothing. Tuition? I pay enough school taxes here every year to educate
one kid for a year and I haven't had a kid in the school district for 20
years. 
 
> The school I was arguing against was in Sacramento, home of the biggest  live
> jazz festival in the world and is already funded handsomely by the
> government (read you & me).

Sacramento is FAR from being the biggest live jazz festival in the world.
And who cares where the school is. It's about the kids. BTW, Peru is also
handsomely funded by the (US) government. (read you and me)
 
> You missed the fine points of difference. There is no funding problems in
> government schools. Look at the administration staff, the teacher benefits
> packages and the sports programs.

What fine points? No funding problems in government schools? What planet to
you inhabit? Virtually EVERY school district in the United States of America
has funding problems of one sort or another. The list mates in California
could write chapter and verse about it. Ask them about voter referendums
when a proposed school budget increase exceeds the inflation rate increase.

Men, quit ragging on the schools and the teachers and the government for all
the musical problems that musicians face. Time to face up to the fact that
the musicians are as much to blame as the system is. Many of us seem to feel
the world owes us a living. Time to get real about that.

The Lord, (if you are of that persuasion) helps those who help themselves.
(musicians included)

I don't know about others, but the musicians I hang with do pretty well in
the music business. . . playing OKOM. Because they help themselves. Every
once in a while, they donate to those who are less fortunate, and they don't
brag about it either. They just do it. Donating to Schools, Churches, Musos
down on their luck and all the rest.

And if that's what they want to do, bless them . . .musical content?

"Tain't Nobody's Business If I Do."

Cheers,
Steve Barbone

PS. I am mostly self taught in jazz and music, though I did play in the high
school band and a little help from mentors. Yes, my parents bought my first
clarinet. But then, they were making a good living, even in the depression
years. Personally, I don't much care if schools teach jazz. Why should they?
Like Latin, Jazz is pretty much a dead language. Those who want to speak it
will find their own way and are always welcome to sit in with Barbone
Street. That's easy to do in my territory because we are working so much.