With temperatures hovering around 0 degrees I am more aware that just last week we were in Tampa where the temperature was in the high 70’s. We were there because the high school my two grandson’s attend, was invited to the Outback Bowl to play in the parade and at half time of the football game as well as to enter competition concerts with schools from around the country. As one band director noted the parade for the Outback Bowl was a ‘band parade’, composed of bands from the two universities and a number of high schools.

My two grandson play drums in the marching band, my son and his wife were official chaperones and my fifth grade granddaughter was the banner bearer for the parade. As an extra bonus we found out that the Wisconsin Badgers were chosen to play in the football game against the team from Auburn. The band played great and Wisconsin won the football game.

Watching the band concerts, the marching bands and the bands at halftime during the game I realized how important music was to the educational experience of youth. Venezuela realized this a long time ago and built music into all aspects of its culture for poor and wealthy, in schools and neighborhoods.

In the USA suburban and small town bands with quality education have quality music programs, while public schools in poor neighborhoods have limited or no resources for music. So for the white middle class, mostly white youth the band plays on. For the poor, racially segregated neighborhoods the band does not play on.

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