by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Two years ago, Mayor John Delaney and the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra struck a deal to provide funding to help support the Symphony’s youth education programs.
This year, the mayor’s office will kick in $75,000 from the Mayor’s Executive Operating Reserve to reimburse the Symphony for expenses incurred during their current fiscal year — July 1, 2001 through June 30, 2002 — for music programs designed specifically for Jacksonville elementary students whose schools have dropped their music curriculums.
“This is the third year in a row we have given the Symphony money,” said Sharon Ashton, Delaney’s press secretary. “It affirms the mayor’s commitment to culture, music and children. The reserve is discretionary funds that he can use as he pleases.”
According to Ashton, other uses in the past for the mayor’s reserve fund have included $7,500 for Downtown Dazzle, $10,000 for Celebration of Freedom — the pre-game show for this year’s Gator Bowl game — and $40,000 for Character Counts.
Mary Ellen Smith, the director of development for the Symphony, said a majority of the funding will go to facilitate the Symphony in Schools program, which is run by Susan Pelter.
“It’s a comprehensive education program in five or six schools that have no music education program,” said Smith, adding the program picks up where the Duval County School system left off several years ago. “The school system has pulled music education [at most elementary schools] and that has left such a void. We felt the need to build up music education awareness in schools.”
Budgetary constraints have forced school system officials to slowly eliminate many of the “electives” that used to be a regular part of every student’s yearly schedule, from elementary school through high school. In addition to the staples — math, English, social studies and science — students’ schedules were also filled with ceramics, foreign languages, home economics, wood shop and music. Academic demands imposed by the county combined with a limited availability of electives instructors have contributed to the arts becoming a thing of the past, especially at the elementary and middle school level.
Smith said the Symphony created its programs to not only fill the void created by the school system, but to also provide an opportunity for local kids to get a more well-rounded education.
“Study after study shows that young people who are exposed to music do better in their cognitive skills and there is an overall general improvement in their school work,” said Smith. “It helps fill an enormous void in their life.”
The Symphony also sponsors four youth orchestras. The music may be tough on the ears, but Smith says it serves a purpose well beyond honing the skills of future world class musicians.
“These are very young kids who play the screeching violins that only a mother could love,” said Smith.
In addition to exposing young kids to the benefits of a culturally diverse education, all of the Symphony’s community programs are designed to illustrate that Jacksonville is growing culturally, an aspect that Smith says is important to luring new businesses to town.
“The people over at the Chamber [of Commerce] say that to attract good businesses you have to have culture,” said Smith. “It’s very important as a long term component for the city.”