Imagine what it would be like if the talented artists, producers, and composers of the past and present had not been introduced to the power of music. This is the reality for large numbers of students, as schools throughout the US facing budget restrictions make music and art departments the first to go. The would-be musical stars of tomorrow are being denied access to essential education. In fact, just recently the city of Atlanta eliminated almost all music education programs. Although music education is often seen as a luxury, its absence from the curriculum is disastrous for America’s children, asthe value of music extends well beyond any student’s potential for stardom. Music increases understanding of subjects such as math, science, and foreign language, and schools that offer a music program have graduation rates 20 percent higher than schools that don’t embrace the power of music. “Quite simply,” said director, Emmy Award winner Nicole Boxer, “art can save lives.”
It is for these reasons and more that The Content Farm, a DC-based production company, accepted the opportunity to create a program to help lead America’s movement to protect the future of music education. In 2014, the BBC show Don’t Stop the Music inspired a nationwide movement to address the lack of music education in UK schools. Following the BBC’s lead and with the help of its producers and stars, The Content Farm is working with American musicians, actors, directors, writers and educators, in addition to New York’s classical music radio station, WQXR, which conducted a highly successful instrument drive in 2014, to develop a US version of Don’t Stop the Music USA, slated to air in late 2016. This TV program – and the community outreach efforts surrounding it – will explore the widespread importance of music education and its deteriorating status in American schools, expose students to music in new and exciting ways, and encourage Americans to share their idle musical instruments, in a collective effort to help protect the future of music education. The event’s finale will be a televised concert at a notable venue – think Carnegie Hall or the White House! – featuring children from the series playing their new instruments alongside world-renowned musicians.
Legendary artists including Paul McCartney, Sting, Chris Martin, and the Edge supported the BBC show, and American audiences can expect to see a similar level of superstar talent. Support from some of the biggest stars in music – a list already including Aloe Blacc, Arturo Sandoval (who’s donated his personal trumpet), Keith Lockhart, Lyle Lovett, Rhiannon Giddens and more – will help Don’t Stop the Music USA create a musical intervention, inspiring parents and students to demand music education. In turn, American citizens will be called upon to support our nation’s children by providing students with their old instruments, empowering them to succeed in music education and beyond. “If Taylor Swift drops in on a school for a surprise gig, is that going to awaken a student’s interest in learning music? Absolutely! That’s the type of experience we will bring to this program,” said Michael Holstein, executive producer of Don’t Stop the Music USA. “The attention from the TV program will spearhead our effort to collect, refurbish and distribute 50,000 instruments, which will benefit a quarter million students nationwide,” added Kathleen Drohan, manager of the WQXR Instrument Drive and outreach director for Don’t Stop the Music.
The production team recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise the funds they need as a basecamp for seeking the full project budget.
Learn more about Don’t Stop the Music USA at http://kck.st/1Cooiol.