VH1 grant is music to Liberty district's ears
Annemarie Moody
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 2, 2007 09:13 AM
The sounds of horns blasting and strings serenading will be getting louder from Rainbow Valley Elementary soon.
The Buckeye campus, in the Liberty Elementary School District, is the latest recipient of a VH1 Save the Music grant. That could mean tens of thousands of dollars worth of band and orchestra equipment and support, including 40 instruments to be delivered in November or December.
"In my background as an educator, I've always been around strong music programs," said district Superintendent Andy Rogers. "I care deeply about this. Kids in arts do better academically, and we've lost sight of that in trying to increase test scores by cutting programs. The opposite is really true."
Last year, Liberty cut its instrumental programs to a single districtwide band that practices once a week for two hours with music teacher Cinda Wood.
Rogers said the grant will focus on getting music back in the classroom, first at Rainbow Valley, then possibly expanding to all of the district's five schools.
The first wave of 40 instruments is worth $20,000 to $40,000, depending on which instruments are purchased. For example, a beginner's alto saxophone with case can be purchased for about $300, but baritone saxophones and other large instruments can easily cost $5,000 to $7,000.
Help from members of the West Valley Arts Council, including education director Richard Trujillo and Executive Director Julie Richard, made the grant happen, Rogers said.
"They're really strong at promoting music and arts in schools, which is absolutely wonderful," he said.
Providing instruments to students is the first step to getting them interested in playing, district spokeswoman Janene Van Leeuwen said.
Since 1997, the VH1 Save the Music Foundation has provided almost $40 million worth of new musical instruments to 1,500 public schools across the country. No Valley schools have been selected since 2000.
Last year, Liberty cut its instrumental programs to a single districtwide band that practices once a week for two hours with music teacher Cinda Wood.
Rogers said the grant will focus on getting music back in the classroom, first at Rainbow Valley, then possibly expanding to all of the district's five schools.
The first wave of 40 instruments is worth $20,000 to $40,000, depending on which instruments are purchased. For example, a beginner's alto saxophone with case can be purchased for about $300, but baritone saxophones and other large instruments can easily cost $5,000 to $7,000.
Help from members of the West Valley Arts Council, including education director Richard Trujillo and Executive Director Julie Richard, made the grant happen, Rogers said.
"They're really strong at promoting music and arts in schools, which is absolutely wonderful," he said.
Providing instruments to students is the first step to getting them interested in playing, district spokeswoman Janene Van Leeuwen said.
Since 1997, the VH1 Save the Music Foundation has provided almost $40 million worth of new musical instruments to 1,500 public schools across the country. No Valley schools have been selected since 2000.
