Post-Disaster L.A. Welcomes Music, Not Docudramas : A Call to Arms for the Arts--Fiscally Speaking

For many years now I have tried to make the case for public funding for the arts. When we finally elected a musician, a skilled saxophonist, to the White House I really thought we who work in the arts had found a possible ally. And when President Clinton was heard to say that he believes the arts should be part of the everyday life of all Americans, I became positively optimistic.

So far, unfortunately this optimism does not seem to have been justified. The federal government still stumbles along, financially tightfisted in terms of the arts. At the state, county and city levels, severe budget constraints are hurting the arts at least as much as most other aspects of our lives.

Here in Los Angeles, we have suffered more than our share of natural and social disaster, yet together many of us have managed to keep cool and focused, while we do all we can to help our neighbors recover from a series of disasters of biblical proportions. The artists and particularly musicians of our community, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, have provided much-needed solace to a great many citizens in this eventful time.

Except for a chamber music concert on the night of the earthquake, the Philharmonic was able to carry on performances uninterruptedly the week of Jan. 17. Although many musicians and staff members were grappling with damaged homes and displaced family and friends, we pressed on. We immediately arranged for free shuttle bus service from the San Fernando Valley and Westside to our concerts downtown.

On Feb. 18, the Philharmonic performed a free “Concert for Recovery” at the Music Center, featuring conductor John Williams and flute soloist Gregory Lawrence Jefferson. We invited disaster relief personnel, school groups and hundreds of Angelenos to lay down their shovels for one evening and pursue rebuilding of another kind, the spiritual rejuvenation that beautiful, powerful music can bring.

At a time when psychological and physical anguish caused some people to consider packing their bags and leaving our city, the Philharmonic gave many residents a strong reason to stay. Rheta Goldman, coordinator of the North Hollywood Adult Learning Center, wrote me a letter of thanks dated Feb. 22. Her students, ranging in age from 18 to 80, are recent immigrants who live in the San Fernando Valley.

“Many have also experienced earthquakes in their native countries--Armenia, Japan, Mexico, Central and South America. The recovery concert really lifted their spirits and made them feel how grand a country America truly is,” Ms. Goldman wrote.

“The Philharmonic concert touched so many who were feeling so very vulnerable (including myself). It gave us an evening of pure joy--upbeat and encouraging.”

Public funding supports the Philharmonic’s free Neighborhood Concerts in urban venues and other underserved areas, as well as concerts in public schools throughout L.A. County, and ensemble visits to classrooms, hospitals, children’s homes and shelters. These programs are vital to ensuring that music of the highest quality is experienced by the widest possible audiences. Public funding allows the Philharmonic to offer tickets to summer concerts at the Hollywood Bowl for as little as $1.

The Philharmonic, in a variety of ways, strives to be seen as an indispensable community resource. Our musicians serve as cultural ambassadors, presenting a positive image of Los Angeles around the world through international tours and recordings.

The Philharmonic promotes music education, especially in the public schools where music and art have been low priorities, and where the few posters that adorn the halls read, “If you see a gun, tell someone.”

Genevieve Shepard, principal of Dublin Avenue Elementary Fundamental/Career Awareness School, said in a letter dated April 12 that the earthquake recovery concert “enraptured our students with the beauty of music.”

“I am sure it will have a long-lasting effect on their lives and will inspire them to not only attend concerts, but to make good music a part of their lives,” she wrote.

My belief in the spiritually nourishing power of great music was again reaffirmed with Northridge resident Yazmin Castiel’s letter dated Feb. 18, detailing how she and her husband had found a pair of Philharmonic tickets in the debris of their home after the quake and made a point to attend because they needed a respite.

“Amid all the rubble at our home, we came across . . . two wet and partly mutilated L.A. Philharmonic tickets for last Saturday,” Mrs. Castiel writes. “We did not hesitate to attend the performance because we felt that after all that had happened we needed something special to soothe our soul.

“The concert not only brought some sense of peace to our minds but it also revived our wishes to continue living in Los Angeles. . . .”

The Clinton Administration recently enacted “Goals 2000: Educate America,” significant in that it includes the arts in the core curriculum of public schools. Now all of us involved with, and/or touched by, music and arts education--the sacrificial lamb in previous belt-tightening years--must seize this chance at revival.

Studies have shown that children who participate in the arts do score higher in math and science tests. Imagine what a truly great country the United States would be if we were all better educated.

I urge everyone to write representatives and call for a commitment to back increased funding for the arts and education.