Strings and the Rutherford County School Board

Earlier this month I attended a stunning performance at Thurman Francis Arts Academy by their strings classes. I have been going to their performances for the last three years and have watched their strings program advance from purely marginal (totaly unison and minimal difficulty) to absolutely spectacular (parts, in-tune). This is especially true when you consider that the oldest students in the program there are 14 (this is a middle school).

My neice (cello) has been part of this program for some time and as a result has begun taking private lessons and is also involved with a prepatory strings group for the Murfreesboro Youth Orchestra.

I also found out that this program is totaly unsupported by the local school board. The regular band receives about $2000 a year from the school board for music and instruments. The strings program receives absolutely nothing, zip, zero, nadda. It is totally supported by the parents and fundraisers.

Why would the local school board not be willing to support a program like this? For that matter why were they unwilling to have an arts academy in the first place? TFAA routinely turns out good well rounded students who place well on their tests and will likely to go on and succeed later in life. It is an establised fact that kids who have opportunities like these do better than students who have minimal or no arts exposure.

I am just one person, but we all have voices that can be heard. Contact the local school board and let them know that we need programs like these in our schools and that they need the full support of their local school board.