[Dixielandjazz] Grants for arts

[shortuba at aol.com]

Hello all -

The thing that bothers me about using tax money for the arts (and I'm quite liberal politically) is what bothered Hector Berlioz in mid 19th century France -? whoever provides the funds feels like they have a LOT to say about how those funds are used, down to who's hired and WHAT you play.? We see some of this with the Music Performance Fund in the Musician's Union.? They don't want to put up money for concert bands or trad bands - they want Rap and World Music and the like.? If you have a trad band, you can ask for MPF money, but you're not likely to get much, since you're not playing the music they want to fund.

It's a slippery slope to go down.? At least if you're taking money from a local businessman, if he starts telling you he wants more hip hop, you can refuse the money and find someone who WILL put up funds for trad.? If a government grant with strings attached is all you've got, you're tied to the strings.

Mike Short
Principal Tuba
Waterloo - Cedar Falls Symphony
Des Moines Metro Opera
formerly of Red Rose Ragtime Band (because Des Moines to Chicago is a hell of a commute)