Klarinet Archive - Posting 000048.txt from 1997/01

From: "David B. Stevens" <dstevens@-----.NET>
Subj: A call to action
Date: Fri, 3 Jan 1997 00:58:40 -0500

Dear listserver members,

I asked Cap Bromley the owner of this list if I could ask for your
participation in a campaign to rebuild a music program in a public
school system. His response was "Give it a try".

Here is the situation, the school system is Portland Public Schools,
located in Portland, Maine. The system last had an overall music
director in 1983. Since 1988 the music program has been under an
administrator at central office. This party hasn't been an advocate for
nor has he been supportive of the program. How this all came about is a
very long and interesting story, instead of giving you the details let's
just say that the program is in a sorry state.

I am a member of a parent group that is leading the effort to rebuild
the program. We did a study of the existing program, the results of
which are available in MSWORD 6.0 format at the following url:

http://www.ime.net/~dstevens/f5.doc

We have had two meetings with the superintendent, the second meeting
took place eight months after the first and four and a half months after
we asked for a follow up meeting. The second meeting only took place
because of direct intervention of a majority of the school board. Next
Wednesday our third meeting with the superintendent will take place.
Between our request for the second meeting in August and its being
granted in December we committed the study to paper, distributed, and
followed up by contacting the recipients of a hundred copies of the
study. Between our second meeting and today we had an extremely
favorable article published by the local daily newspaper, today the
local daily newspaper endorsed our effort. The instrumental music
teachers have a meeting scheduled with the superintendent next Wednesday
just before our meeting. They are also endorsing our effort and
hopefully will report out a vote of no confidence in their director. We
would appreciate your help in turning this program around. Here is how
you can help:

1. Write a letter to:

Mrs. Mary Jane McCalmon
Superintendent
Portland Public School System
331 Veranda Street
Portland, Maine 04103

please send a blind copy to me at:

David B. Stevens
19 Brentwood Street
Portland, Maine 04103

2. Email a letter to:

letters@-----.com

please Email a blind copy to me at dstevens@-----.net

3. The content of the letter should be positive and upbeat, it should
include your name and address, and in the case of the Email to
letters@-----. This Email
address is for letters to the editor of the "Portland Press Herald".
In your letter you should give a short description of how you got
involved in music and the benefits that it has provided to you. Stating
your musical credentials and/or current occupation if it is other than
music related is extremely important. It will let people know that all
kinds of people make and enjoy music. If you have children
participating in music, tell them about its positive effect on your
children. The letter should end saying "Please support the students in
the Portland Public School System, by implementing the ten point list of
recommendations in the music study dated October 15, 1996, because music
is an essential part of education".

Thank you for your time and help, it will be greatly appreciated by the
580 instrumental music students in the system. More importantly it help
keep open the music choices of the systems 8400 students and for the
program to grow.

Thank you Cap for the use of your listserver.

Best wishes for all of your endeavors. May all of your notes be the
right ones.

Dave