Kay Brooks is delighted by this morning’s news that the Country Music Association is donating instruments to local schools.
This gift will fund 100 percent of the school district’s top music priorities for 2007-08, said Pam Garrett, executive director of the Nashville Alliance for Public Education and a former school board member.
Not to be outdone, the RIAA is doing what it can to impact America’s schools. Jan Fox, Chief Information Officer at Marshall University, has received over two dozen letters from the RIAA this year.
We receive between four and five different types of notices, all of which have the RIAA’s name on them. I would much rather my time and my staff’s time be spent bettering the school.
William said,
ReplyDeleteon October 5th, 2007 at 10:04 am
This is great news but isn’t something conspicuously missing from the donated instrument list? Look around Nashville, what is the most prominent instrument you see? In the multitude of donated instruments, not one guitar. The instrument whose image typifies Nashville is missing in action.
Amazingly,no where on staff does Metro have a competent full-time instructor of guitar that has consistently produced students capable of entering college guitar programs. The blame for this lies squarely wih metro music/art supervisor person, Carol Crittenden who has placed charlatans in positions to teach guitar in Metro. Why doesn’t she consult guitar professors for recommendations? There are numerous qualified people in the area that are certified to teach that are not placed in positions to do so.
Arguably one of the most popular instruments in society today and symbol of Nashville, the guitar, is not taken seriously in public school music education. I speak with authority on this subject as I’ve been a college guitar professor in this area for almost 19 years. Guitar education is poor in Nashville public schools. This is not just my opinion, ask any of my colleauges, any TN guitar professor.
Kevin said,
ReplyDeleteon October 5th, 2007 at 10:56 am
Geez, you back scratchers! CMA is getting a million dollar grant from the city. Have none of you looked at the coming metro budget?
Mike said,
ReplyDeleteon October 5th, 2007 at 11:52 am
That “grant” supposedly comes from the hotel occupancy taxes which are allocated among the Nashville organizations that presumably are responsible for having people occupy those hotels in the first place. The Arena, Auditorium, and Arts Commission also receive these grants.
I must admit that I am not aware of exactly how these monies are allocated, so I defer to those with a better understanding.
Rachel said,
ReplyDeleteon October 5th, 2007 at 2:09 pm
If only they’d gotten just 10 more trombones.