In Wednesday’s (4/8) New York Times, Daniel J. Wakin reports, “The Juilliard School‘s music-training program for poor minority schoolchildren—a rigorous curriculum that the conservatory holds up as a national model—has been slashed, disappointing dozens of children preparing to audition. The Music Advancement Program will take back about 50 children in the fall to finish the second year of their two-year course. But it has canceled auditions next month for the incoming class, said Joseph W. Polisi, Juilliard’s president. About 50 are admitted each year. Mr. Polisi said that the school could not raise the $400,000 necessary to finance the whole program, and that across-the-board budget cuts meant there was no money elsewhere for it. … Mr. Polisi said he hoped to raise money to restart the program, on a smaller scale, in two years. … The Musical Advancement Program is one of 10 outreach programs at Juilliard.” Like other students in Juilliard’s precollege division, “the program’s participants stay at Juilliard from 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. on Saturdays and take individual lessons and classes in ear training, theory and performance. Instruments are provided for those who can’t afford them. Most students pay no tuition. The program is open to students in Grades 3 through 8.”
Posted April 8, 2009
