A Welcome Counterpoint

With the start of each new school year comes the inevitable bubbling-up of calls for donations of instruments or funding to local school music programs.

Even with a rebounding economy, there’s always a district or college in need.

So, when those types of announcements started crossing my radar via Facebook and email and Twitter in August, I wasn’t particularly surprised. What has been surprising is the number of stories that have been filtering through those same channels detailing numerous instances of extreme generosity towards student musicians.

Which isn’t to say that there haven’t consistently been individuals and organizations dedicated to supporting music education. For whatever reason, Fall 2015 just seems to be exceeding the norm.

In only the past couple of weeks, there are a number of such examples. Take David and Nancy Gobey of Columbus, Ohio, for one. In mid-September, the couple pledged $1.5 million to Columbus City Schools for the purchase of musical instruments for students. Through the new “Gobey Music Trust,” the district will receive a check for $50,000 each year for the next three decades. That represents more than 100 new instruments for student use in this year alone.

And why such extravagant philanthropy? It turns out that when Mrs. Gobey was attending Pinkerton High School in Columbus, the school allowed her to borrow a cello and, as she told the Columbus Dispatch, “It made going to school fun. It was the hook that kept me interested in going to school.”

The power of music, indeed.

Meanwhile, over in Portland, Oregon, the students of Ron Russell Middle School were treated to a performance by “Portugal. The Man,” a successful groove/soul four-piece based in the area, on September 17^th – pretty exciting stuff, although not that out of the ordinary for a junior high school assembly. The $35,000 worth of instruments that the band surprised the school’s music programs (six bands, six orchestras, and three choirs) with at the conclusion of the concert, though? That was something of a shocker to both students and faculty.

The gift was the culmination of a group effort between Portugal. The Man, StubHub, and Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, with all three parties committed to continuing to support music education. While that commitment is, of course, no surprise as it pertains to longtime advocate, Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation… StubHub? The place I get Bruins tickets? At Russell Middle School that day, StubHub’s Jessica Erskine noted that the company is, “committed to giving $1 million in musical instruments” to schools, nationwide.

Well all right, then!

As anyone who’s been reading NAMM Foundation president Mary Luehrsen’s regular column in MMR, “The Good Fight” (page 52 of this issue) knows, there are countless instances of challenges to overcome when it comes to supporting music education, but there are also at least as many examples of dedicated, generous individuals – such as the Gobeys and the folks in Portugal. The Man – who provide a welcome counterpoint to those challenges.

If back-to-school season is any indicator, then perhaps 2015 will turn out to have been a banner year for music education advocacy and support when we turn the calendar page at the end of December. Here’s hoping.