This is one of the most important posts you will read this year–or next.
The Rocketship charter chain hopes to be the mass-produced model for poor kids in America. It intends someday to enroll one million children.
Jersey Jazzman takes a close look at John Merrow’s PBS episode about Rocketship charters. .
The children in these charters get no music or art. None.
The leaders of Rocketship don’t see this as a problem.
In their view, poor kids need basic skills, not the arts.
Affluent parents wouldn’t accept this kind of schooling.
It is not education. It’s just schooling.
It’s schooling on the cheap for Other People’s Children.
I think it is crazy to push music and other arts off as not important. As a child, I benefited immensely from musical experiences in my community. It kept me in school and kept me entertained and out of trouble. Later, I was able to travel the world, participate in summer music festivals, and eventually come to New York City to study. All of this was possible because of my early exposure to music lessons and ensembles.