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I was one of the lucky ones. I was born to a mother who was a concert pianist, a father who was an artist…my sister had the gift of a golden voice, trained to be an opera singer and ultimately turned to the Broadway Stage. As for myself, I read music before I read words, learning the violin from age four, ballet classes from age six (taking on contemporary dance at age seven), acting lessons from age nine and stayed with all of these disciplines through my degrees at Northwestern University.
Every Friday afternoon, from the age of two I watched the Chicago Symphony rehearse before their weekend performance at Orchestra Hall and as a family we went to every art gallery opening, every new show at the Art Institute and attended every opening at the MCA after its opening in 1967. My parents were ostracized for bringing my sister and me to experimental theater performances and to musicals that others might have considered too adult for children to witness. Though ultimately, I did not become a performer, all of these measures my parents took helped to make me the person I am today.
As we grew our cultural presence at Pinecrest Gardens, one of our priorities was to make sure we could help bridge the gap where cultural arts in public education might have fallen short. We have featured art contests and exhibits for students of all ages, we provide Mommy and Me opportunities for toddlers, we have always featured young person’s concerts and children’s theater on our yearly Banyan Bowl roster…all at very affordable prices. We have been able, through the help of grants like the Kirk Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, State of Florida and Miami Dade Cultural Affairs and loyal sponsors like South Motors, to offer extraordinary mentorship programs like South Motors Gen-Next Jam and the She Jazz Project.
Arts refers to many different forms of self-expression, including but not limited to music, drama, dance, and visual arts. We need our next generation to be full of innovative thinkers, thinkers who can move our society towards progress in both the realms of art and science. The arts give students a chance to enjoy and express themselves in ways that other core classes do not allow them to. In this crazy world of standardized testing, which obviously promotes conformity, self-expression and individuality are more important than ever. We should not take away the opportunity for our students to express themselves safely within the K-12 public education system. And more importantly, we need to encourage self-expression and individuality from birth. If our educational institutions cannot make this happen, then it is up to others to make sure children are given that opportunity for unbridled creative expression.
I write these words because of two programs that we have fostered at Pinecrest Gardens, two of our most important endeavors. For the last couple of years…the COVID years, our educational institutions were challenged beyond anything we could have ever imagined, and what suffered the most were the dispensable programs like music, theater and art.
Sadly, we faced some of the same challenges at Pinecrest Gardens limiting the sizes of our classes, requiring masks and even finding teachers and performing artists/educators to mentor.
This year was kind of a come-back year. The She Jazz Project finally gained traction and gave their year-end concert on May 13. Next year we are hoping that She Jazz can boast maximum enrollment. For those of you who are not familiar with The She Jazz Project, The She Jazz Project is a safe, welcoming space for young women (including identifying) from all socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, to discover their voice and be heard through the power of female mentorship. We offer young girls the opportunity to excel in jazz, a music genre with a long history of gender inequality.
In 2015, the South Motors Jazz Series expanded to include GenNext Jam bringing an exceptional caliber of internationally celebrated artists to jam with and mentor a core group of youth participating in the Jazz Magnet Program at Miami-Dade County’s signature school of the arts – New World High School.
In both cases, these unique mentorships have allowed aspiring musicians from South Florida to learn directly from and play alongside Jazz greats.
These two wonderful programs have more than illustrated our commitment to bring arts in education to a whole new level. We are steadfast in our focus to do our part in assuring that every child, regardless of the age, socio-economic status or ability has equal opportunity to express their creativity and receive the very best that performing artists and arts educators have to offer. This is not what Pinecrest Gardens aspires to do…it is who we are.
