Oh the irony.
Remember this story from almost a year ago?
Andrew Travers launched a Kickstarter program for a couple reasons. One, to buy five new electric instruments for his students; a two violins, a viola and a cello.
“Half the kids can be on the electric instruments in the corner, and the electrics don’t make a lot of audible sound unless you’ve got the headphones on,” Robert Travers explained. “And then the rest of the class can operate at the same time. And we can start rotation kids in and out so that, basically, two different lessons can go on simultaneously.”
Fast forward a year, and magically the SFSD has all kinds of money for music;
The Sioux Falls School District will spend $35,000 to lease the city’s entertainment center for a December performance with rock violinist Mark Wood, an original member of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
In March, school board members approved a more than $60,000 contract with Wood to spend time working with Sioux Falls students, 3,000 of whom will perform with Wood during the concert.
On Monday, school board members approved an additional $8,000 for Wood plus the cost of leasing the Premier Center. They also approved a $25,000 contract for “lights and sound.”
The Sioux Falls School District will spend $35,000 to lease the city’s entertainment center for a December performance with rock violinist Mark Wood, an original member of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
In March, school board members approved a more than $60,000 contract with Wood to spend time working with Sioux Falls students, 3,000 of whom will perform with Wood during the concert.
On Monday, school board members approved an additional $8,000 for Wood plus the cost of leasing the Premier Center. They also approved a $25,000 contract for “lights and sound.”
While I think this is a great opportunity for students, I sometimes question the spending priorities, especially when a music teacher has to ask for private donations for a couple of instruments or the fact that several education assistants with the district make a whopping $11.79 an hour.