Hey, Hondo, just because we “liberals” think that training in the arts could help inner city youths, that doesn’t mean we think that criminals should not be prosecuted for crimes.  You radical conservative dittoheads set up liberals as “strawmen” - put their ideas in specious contexts, and then attack us for them.  Be more intellectually rigorous and less lazy in your thinking.  Why not have law and order AND training in the arts?  Law and order sets the boundaries of acceptible behavior, but the arts helps people think more than about their immediate survival needs, but the develop their minds and spirits with the discipline and excitement of participating in mankind’s most elevated modes of musical expression.  It is a better way out of the ghetto than betting on an improbable sports career.  Wake up, you intentionally-ignorant fool.

Music from and by the masses! After WWII in Trinidad in the West Indies a movement began to expand the Steel Band orchestras that had sprung up in the ‘pan yards’. The steel Pan, an instrument made from trash - tuned by ear, hung from the necks of bandsmen as the marched and played ‘down de road’ was grasped as a means of national cultural development.  Early ‘pan men’ were often regarded as ‘bad Johns’ i.e. lower class toughs. But they lent their talent and care to many a youth and today even the Army battalion of Trinidad is lead by a steel band. The Pan Players have taught the nation that:  Its hard to play TOGETHER. A young girl can find a melody as well as an old man.  The group requires your constancy.  Poetry can come from the most unusual person.  Pride and Joy can and does come from perseverence and even trash can be transformed by effort and love.

to RAE:

“Imagine a HEALTHY, EDUCATED, SAFE 300,000,000 Americans! Mind blowing! But it will never happen.”

It is happening in Venezuela right now.  I’m living there watching a (previously) disorganized ex-colony/neo-colony with (previously) catastrophic levels of human misery slowly pulling itself out of the muck.  The change isn’t easy, nor simple, nor quick.  The situation here is positively third world still.  I see people living in cardboard houses every day, and the corruption is BIG.  But I also see new free medical clinics being built, the people on the metro are less threadbare, and there are “help wanted” signs in increasing number.

The point is that first people have to accept that they don’t like the situation and start working for a better one.  A better world is possible...a better world is necessary.

It has been quite an educational experience for me to read all of the liberal catterwalling over my initial comment. I see lots of lies, distortions and half-truths, but not much in the way of facts. Please allow me to change that.

First, I didn’t criticize music. I love music. My family has quite the tradition of music appreciation (playing in bands, singing, performing in musicals) so I do indeed appreciate the tremendous value of music specifically, and the arts in general. What I don’t appreciate is massive government spending in areas where the government has no business messing around in. I also object to expensive government programs that don’t work.

The point of the article is that, if we spend hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer money to equip all American children with musical instruments, they won’t shoot each other. Rubbish! Kids have more access to music today that at any point in our history, yet the carnage in our cities doesn’t slow down. The answer is that men and women who make the decision to produce children must begin to take responsibility for those children, and raise them to love God and their fellow man. That is the only answer to the problems cited by the article.

If Mom and Dad want to spring for piano lessons for Junior, I’m all for it!

There’s a very compelling interview with Gustavo Dudamel from the National Arts Centre Orchestra (Canada) here:
http://nac.ca/nacocast/

I’m still adjusting to returning last week from 1 1/2 years in Venezuela.  As musician and researcher of music, I agree that this comment on the program in Venezuela couldn’t be spread around enough.  Of course this program isn’t about just dropping instruments on people, but a developed program to patiently train individual children over many years to gradually control an instrument to make music with others.
This program predates the current Chavez government and a great deal of its support, contrary to the original comment, has come from guilt-tripping the private sector.  However, it has benefitted from the new directions Venezuela is going both: 1. from increased funding from the National Assembly that supports the Block for Change that elected Chavez president; and 2. the new health and education and other social programs that have reached the poorest half of the population, most for the first time, has allowed more children from this half of the nation to participate than before.

The program could be strengthened by not holding up the European classical tradition as the only model: the same life lessons can be learned from African-Venezuelan and various mixed/hybrid folk and popular musical styles just as well as from Euro-classical music.

This PUSH for “Global Market” and the subliminal inept are just about over.  “world power” ran by a bunch of idiots that practice rituals and play acting just carry no substance.  The poster below who said we are neither practicing socialism or capitalism is correct. 
Venezuelians are putting the arts and creativity *which is what God said we should do - CREATE"*
Even Cuba offers our poor FREE education and a degree to become a Physician - more “creative hand learning. They even offered free medical care after 9-11; for every life lost they would host 4 health ridden patients and their families.

Our governement cuts funding for the arts, eliminates physical education, makes a Physician’s degree a “economic” selection practice.
They are offerring our kids one world power, lives ruled by censorship and privatized policies and…
Guns.

Wow music gangs. What a concept.

It’s amazing what centralized government control can do when there is a lot of money around as well as great need.  I applaud Chavez for putting his money into the arts and cultural development, and not just into America-bashing (although I take glee in whoever says anything harsh about Bush - we can’t say enough harsh about that incompetant ideologue).  I fear that the socialist economy will ultimately fail, since it will not prepare the Venezuelan people to compete in the global marketplace.  When their oil runs out, their economy will collapse.

You Chavez lovers are a socialist propaganda officer’s dream-come-true.  You would have made great little Soviets.

I finally learned what an “ethical anarchist” is; it is someone who grows carrots, and uses a wood burning stove--how enlightening.

Evergreen,I agree with what you say about growing corporatism. I’m not a right wing nut job. I consider myself an ethical anarchist. I just happen to think much of government is an unnecessary evil. My wife and I grow as much of our own food as we can, make our own wine and heat with a wood stove. It really felt satisfying pulling carrots out of the ground on Christmas day and knowing the were no bar codes to be found. Americans need to be more self sufficient and stop relying on government for everything.

Venezuela is a wonderful country, and Hugo Chavez is a light for other Latin nations.

If Bush sics the death squads on him, he should return the favor.

Since Ronald Wilson Reagan infected America with false pride in Greed, we’ve been raising up a generation of wastrels, consumed with the vanity of consumption as modeled behavior; here’s where John Kerry had it right, teach our kids only competitive sports, give them computer games to drive ‘em to kill, make them bored and boring, and they be come that Army of One Geo. Bush needs to start his Armageddon.

Of all the things that elevate humanity , I think that music is at the top of the list. 
Viva Venezuela!

To Uncle Leo:
It is nothing as simple as a choice between capitalism & socialism.  Neither of these systems exist as a pure entity.  For instance: What we have in the US today is growing, all consuming, corporatism....not capitalism.

America by and for the Corporations. 
I want the real America back!

You gotta love this Chavez guy. He gives heating oil and instruments to the poor while George W. Chimp gives bullets.
Viva Chavez,
Rabbit

I want to say one more thing about this story:  Learning to play a musical instrument well is a hugely challenging undertaking.  Imagine what success doing that can bring to the learner.  People want to feel good about themselves and their ability to learn and do.  Anyone can kill someone else with a gun.  Point and shoot.  But play a musical instrument well?  It takes commitment, perserverance, dedication, practice and great teaching.  That builds character.  It builds, period; it doesn’t destroy.  In this case, I do know what I’m talking about.

“People who want more government in their life makes me crazy.”

So Uncle Leo, a distant cousin to Uncle Sam, would prefer the government to collect taxes and use those finds to build bombs, install spy satellites, and construct more prisons--improving public schools by enhancing the curriculum, creating jobs with decent salaries which could lead to a worthwhile career seems to make all Right-Wing Christian conservatives “crazy.”

re: UNCLE LEO

Did you even read the article? This is a voluntary program.
Capitalism and socialism can meet somewhere in the middle, it’s not either/or, despite what the overeducated eggheads say. Privatisation of certain services is a no-no. and so is Big-Brother.

I just have to add another comment.  For those of you that think Cuba and Castro is so F(*&*^ great...go live there for the next 20 years....and then you can talk all you want!!!

Don’t live in the turist section now...that would violate the rules of a ‘resident cuban’ a ‘revolusionario’.  No no my friend...live in the F(*&& slums Castro has created.  Oh by the way...never mind a blog there...free speech is not permited.  Neither is free press, or religion.  You cant own a business, and God help you if they put you on trial.  You think Guantanamo is bad!  Medicine..what medicine...thats we ship so much of that from here..but just aspirin..and the like..no fancy stuff.  Food rationing…

How do I know...I lived it, my family lived it!!
So don’t try to say its good, unless you’ve lived it....budy!

Headless

p.s.  thats where Chavez is headed...except...he has oil!!!!!!!!!!

Having recently (1 year) taken up classical guitar I can tell you that its great.  My son has been playing sinc e 5th grade.  Arts is great!  Three cheers for arts.
No cheers for Hondo.  It is because of this simpistic, one track attitude and view of life that we find ourselves in the mess we are in.  Yeap..all is simple...just go shoot someone or yell at them if you dont like whats going on.

Oh By the way...Hondo...Did the right get a ‘thumpin’ in November?  Wonder why?  Do you right wing Nazis all think alike...must be so.  Just like the Shrub...they don’t think they are wrong, they don’t think that others may have a solution.  Only corporations, guns, and the ever so present ‘macho’ crap resolves problems for them.  Oh yeah..and God sent me a message...is another right wing crapola, just like the Taliban.

Why am I wasting my electrons…

‘If the assholes of the world could fly..we’d never see the sun!’ Keep flying Hondo…

Headless

The problem for Hondo is lack of imagination. It is exactly the kind of problem that music education solves. In certain African cultures, a person isn’t considered “human” unless they can either play an instrument, or sing. In other words, you have to be a part of the human culture in some significant and personal way. In spite of the rabbid right’s trying to paint Hugo Chavez as some sort of emerging dictator, he has impressed me with his very creative ideas about how he can bring his people together to help each other. He is engaged with social issues because he knows that he himself is not the issue. His life is temporary, kind of like majorities in politics. Hey Hondo, deal with it! Here we go… “, DO, a dear, a female dear. RE, a drop of golden sun...” That wasn’t so hard, was it?

People who want more government in their life makes me crazy. Venezuala is on the verge of becoming another Cuba. Free Food,jobs,free health care-isn’t it great. The one catch-you can’t leave.

A wonderful idea, and it goes to show how easily the seemingly impossible can be accomplished when the common good becomes a people’s primary concern, because as soon as such happens:  “Musical instruments for all of our children?  Are you kidding?  That’s stricly a no-brainer.”

Poor Hondo et al… they just don’t get it.

They can’t even imagine the impact on society if the USA became a country where EVERYONE was entitled to the opportunity to a FREE EDUCATION (pre-school to college grad) and FREE MEDICAL CARE (including dental, vision and hearing) while being guaranteed a safe place to live if even just one room in a boarding house.

You know… I can’t imagine the impact either. I just have a gut feeling the change would be so profound in a positive direction we wouldn’t even recognize our country. Imagine a HEALTHY, EDUCATED, SAFE 300,000,000 Americans! Mind blowing!

But it will never happen. The Hondo’s of this world (the mental midgets) have a stranglehold on the power base and they will not let go. They are so terrified of their own inadequacies, so miserably myopic regarding their fellow citizens, so profoundly retarded, they’d rather the Republic go down in flames than to see the “average Joe” get an even break and have an opportunity to share power with them.

It sure would be nice to give it a try for a decade or two just to see what would happen. And you know what? WE COULD DO IT FOR LESS COST THAN WHAT WE’VE COMPLETELY WASTED IN IRAQ!

There’s no end to the stupidity of our leaders. I guess we get leadership we deserve.

beautiful.

“Hey, that’s a great idea. All we have to do is have the federal government take $1 billion of taxpayer money and use it to buy pianos.”

Hondo,
The federal government needs to take a $1 billion dollars and transplant a brain into your head; one that has signs of life, and would register on the “Brain Richter Scale.”

hey hondo - get a life and stop wasting your time baiting liberals.  Since you’re so tuff why aren’t you battling crime on the streets of LA mano a mano instead of cowardly hiding behind your computer insulting people who imagine a better world.  By the way, conservatives are now the minority - no one who’s anyone admits to being one any more now that Bush co-opted the word and it now means pro-torture homicidal maniac.

Hondo (#48364), There are many, many people of all political leanings who involve themselves in the arts.  They’re universal.  That’s the point.  You should be careful, all due respect, generalizing “the rest of America” to hold your attitude.  My guess is that “the rest of America” understands the value of all the arts to civilization.  I think you probably do, too, you rabblerowser, you!!!  Knowing you as I now do, I think you’d probably make a great ‘cello player.  You should consider taking lessons.

In response to Hondo’s comment on 1/17.
While I’m not a branded liberal - your view of the way in which a program like this would work “take all of those pianos to the inner cities in L.A., Miami, D.C., etc. and give those pianos to all the street gangs. Then (correct me if I’m wrong) all of the gang bangers will drop their guns and begin playing piano like a bunch of gangsta Elton Johns.” shows your ignorance. I will correct you when you’re wrong… the plan that is successful and in place within Venezuela is about more than your generalization regarding “dropping pianos off to gangbangers”.  This is the exact same ignorance that is leading our country down a path that we will not soon recover.  While the current administration touts the strong economy, the underpinnings of culture and society are disappearing beneath our feet - losses that aren’t measured by stock prices and GDP.  The program in place throughout Venezuela speaks to something that’s about more than $$$$.  It speaks to a commitment to all of society - not just those with the cash to afford it.  Don’t get me wrong - I’m also not one to make excuses for those with the ability to move ahead, pick themselves up and make a better life for themselves.  My opinion is that what we have in place isn’t benefiting anybody in real terms - it’s enabling to some and exclusionary to others. 
Hondo - if you measure the psychology of the nation right now - you may ask your conservative friends why nobody takes you seriously?

As Australia goes along the conservative US Neo-Con road, Venezuela’s revolution is truly inspiring. Even more so when our prime minister starves public education and health to join George W. in Iraq and Afghanistan and his own imperial adventures in the Solomon Islands.

On my blog/website Togs Place.Com http://togsplace.blogspot.com/
I post a lot of stories about Venezuela’s Revolution
including this one. Keep up the good work.

Cheers

John/Togs Tognolini

Schools are only part of the sociological equation--family life and stability at home are probably even more important factors in determining a child’s future--but in a perfect society, it would nice for every child to have access to all resources that will exploit their talent and potential.

Learning to play a musical instrument and then coming together with peers to bring to life some of the world’s greatest artistic works is one of the most moving experiences known to humans.  Art empowers, clear and simple, and in ways nothing else can.  Kids know this.  So does anyone who chooses to involve him/herself in active or passive participation in any of the arts.  If there were ever a time where more, not less art is needed, it is now.  If my memory serves me correctly, the national orchestra in Iraq recently attempted to reconvene. Winton Marselis is one of the world’s greatest musicians and arts advocates. He believes that it is through music we all can learn that there is more that unites us than divides us.

Hey, that’s a great idea. All we have to do is have the federal government take $1 billion of taxpayer money and use it to buy pianos. Then we take all of those pianos to the inner cities in L.A., Miami, D.C., etc. and give those pianos to all the street gangs. Then (correct me if I’m wrong) all of the gang bangers will drop their guns and begin playing piano like a bunch of gangsta Elton Johns. And peace and harmony will fill the air! Good grief! Do you liberals ever wonder why the rest of America doesn’t take you seriously? Just re-read this article for the answer why!