Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Schools hit high note in arts in Palm Beach County
Palm Beach County schools have found a way to drum up support and draw national attention for their work in the arts.
In recent days, the first ladies of the United States and China visited Bak Middle School of the Arts in West Palm Beach while the chorus from S.D. Spady Elementary in Delray Beach performed in Carnegie Hall in New York City.
On July 4, the marching band from Spanish River High in Boca Raton will be the only school in Florida to perform in the Independence Day Parade in Washington, D.C. Last school year, the band at West Boca Raton High School and the chorus at Boynton Beach High School both traveled to London to perform in the city’s New Year’s Day festivities.
And the district has received recent recognition for all of its music education programs.
Palm Beach County and Hillsborough County were the only two districts in the state to be named on the list of Best Communities for Music Education by the nonprofit National Association of Music Merin The honor goes to schools and districts that “demonstrate an exceptionally high commitment and access to music education,” the organization says.
“We’ve worked really hard to get some sort of music education in all our schools,” said Edrick Rhodes, a program planner for arts education in the district. “This acknowledgment really puts Palm Beach County on the national map.”
While many schools have suffered funding cuts to the arts recent decades, “Palm Beach has been very resilient,” Rhodes said. “There have been no cuts to come across my desk.”
Still, educators and parents say the money hasn’t been free flowing either. The district doesn’t generally contribute toward school trips or competitions, and many schools complain they have to fund raise for supplies, uniforms and equipment.
“They provide some instruchants.
ments for the marching band. Many of those are 30 years old,” said Craig White, director of bands for Spanish River. “The finances we get from the county are very small.”
The district does have two successful schools of the arts, Bak Middle School and A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, a high school. Both have received national honors, have long waiting lists and boast some of the best academic results in Florida.
Bak received international attention April 7 after being visited by First Lady Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan, the first lady of the People’s Republic of China. The school’s girls’ chorus, symphonic band and advanced string orchestra all performed for the two women.
“I know this school is great in academics and has excellent students and great talent, so I wanted to see it and encourage everyone to continue,” Melania Trump told a student reporter.
While Bak was hosting dignitaries, choral students at S.D. Spady were in New York City for a performance at the 2017 Carnegie Hall Children’s Choir Series. They joined choruses from Miami, Durham, N.C., and Northridge, Calif., in performing in front of a paying audience of 1,300 people on the main Carnegie Hall stage on April 10. Selections included “Blue Skies” and “Accentuate the Positive.”
“It was amazing. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Katelynne Deale, 11, a fifth grader. “A lot of famous people don’t get to sing there.”
The school auditioned with a group called Manhattan Concert Productions, which rents out venues, such as Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., for a variety of shows.
“It is an honor to be selected. We listen to ensembles and turn them away if they’re not singing at an advanced enough level,” said Brian Clissold, associate director for Manhattan Concert Productions. “We don’t just blindly take anyone who can pay to do this.”
Spanish River High didn’t apply to perform in Washington, D.C.’s July 4 parade. Participants must be nominated by a member of Congress. The band’s nomination came from U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, whose children have attended Spanish River.
“I’m really excited,” said Jasper Scheiber, 16, who plays the trumpet. “I think it’s going to be a great opportunity to represent our city and our school and do it in front of such a great audience.”