TO THE TRENCHES!

Now it's time. There is a problem whose key proponents and conflicts are clearly defined. Now comes the difficult part… finding and acting on a solution. With most issues, it is so easy to whine and cry and point fingers at the bad guy. But if no actions are taken to benefit the issue, the victims and bystanders are equally as guilty. This lesson arises again and again. In hopes to raise a semblance of hope, I’d like to present some viable solutions and organizations that could at least assist in realigning the tracks.

1) VH1’s Save the Music: An incredible organization devoted to restoring music education in public school institutions. They primarily purchase and refurbish instruments and donate them to schools in need. They have rallied up 43 million dollars since 1997, dishing the funding to about 1,600 schools and subsequently affecting the lives of 1.2 million students. Their next target is…

2) Arts of Orange County: We interviewed Pat Wayne a ways back, and she mentioned that their organization offers free consultation for the arts with Santa Ana still missing. With Arts OC, Santa Ana could develop an ‘Arts Plan’ to renew stability across the creative education board throughout the next five years.

3) Celebrity partnership and benefit concerts: There are a number of musical groups and celebrities from the Santa Ana area including Diane Keaton and The Righteous Brothers, getting them involved could easily motivate other activists. Imagine holding a concert where all the proceeds go to the district… no way!

4) Bridge Community Borders: Santa Ana itself is a poverty stricken city, the citizens of which can’t offer significant donations. Consider breaking the community lines and stretching funding from the prosperous neighboring cities of Newport Beach and Laguna Beach.

At this point the situation is drastic, if a solution isn’t initiated, the entire district will lose music education by 2010. I am doing what I can… on the side I am drafting commercials and a benefit web series. Using my creative film and video abilities, I am trying as hard as I can to help them out… Thinking outside of the box. I ask and beg you please to do the same, for now it is just as important as ever to rectify and build an intellectually and creatively inspired future.

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Scores of Awards

In every situation there is always some GOOD to point out. Although Santa Ana's music budget and system is in the ditches, they are still a number of talented students who are being recognized from all over Orange County and California for their abilities. It is sad to know that students will probably not have the same opportunities in the future... For now, here is a comprehensive list of music awards earned by some of the talented music students of Santa Ana.

Rotary Young Singer of the Year (Students from Valley and Saddleback have placed as winners for the last five years, outperforming OCHSA and winning the entire competition in 2008!)

Disneyland Candlelight Ceremony (Santa Ana Chamber Singers have been accepted into this competitive ensemble for six years now).

Macy Awards (Student 'Tony' awards, Santa Ana has one awards in 2003, 2004, 2007)

Santa Ana music students have also participated in the following respected ensembles: California All-Star Honor Choir, Southern California Vocal Association Honor Choir, Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association Concerts, American Choral Directors Association Honor Choir.

Let's keep it going!

Funny Things Are Happening!

In some ways Santa Ana had it coming…

On numerous occasions the district has been caught lying about student enrollment, grades, and class size to get more funding from the government. A few years ago, teachers in a few of the district's schools were asked to fudge the attendance sheet between absent and tardy. More daily enrollment means more money. The school was caught, and measures were taken to ensure that the facts were coming in straight.

Last year, the district fumbled once again. They were caught lying about class sizes, attempting to raise more money, even thought their numbers weren’t optimal.

The following video offers an interesting quandary. Santa Ana needs the funding due to their massive deficit and declining budget. Their needs to sustain the district are growing as funding is decreasing. The moral right comes into question. Sometimes little lies may benefit the greater cause. In the video they note that corporate fraud is corporate fraud no matter who the beneficiary. What do you think?



At this time I'd like to mention the powerful voice that helped me find this video. The Orange Juice Bloggers fight to uncover the issues in Orange County with a fresh and persuasive voice. Their blog is a must read in the community. Check them out here: Orange Juice

The Beacon Down The Street

Whenever Santa Ana and art are mentioned in the same sentence a certain school comes up. While the district swirls down the rabbit hole, a partner right down the street flourishes with art excellence. I’m talking about OCHSA (Orange County High School of the Arts). OCHSA represents the model and aspiration of a diverse education. Structurally, the school operates tuition free through federal funding and private donations. The school hosts 1,300 of the most promising art students in Orange County to participate in their conservatory program that covers many diverse majors including: film, dance, and art. OCHSA boasts an amazing high school to college rate of 99 percent. The school focuses on breading open-minded and out-of-the-box thinkers in a creative and nurturing environment. The school is a perfect model of a colorful education. It’s too bad that this quality of education is limited to a tiny number of students. Meanwhile the district around the school can barely sustain a band. Here are some comparisons for you... to drive home the idea a little eh?

-OCHSA has more AP classes than Santa Ana has music teachers.

-While OCHSA has 1,350 students, Santa Ana has about 3,000 students per music teacher (what a ratio!).

-OSCHA’s total budget is five times the amount of the music budget for all of Santa Ana Unified. (55,000 students versus 1,350).

What I am noting is the division between the privileged students and the rest of the lot. We need to focus on closing this gap, offering a diverse and prosperous education to everyone who is willing to seize the opportunity. C’mon.

Check Out The OCHSA website!

From The Source

I had the opportunity to meet one of the main proponents in the Santa Ana Unified community, Herman Mendez, the Assistant Superintendent of the entire district. We sat down and discussed the reasons for the financial burdens on the district and the need for a solution. Santa Ana's music department is almost entirely funded from donations and third party assistance, due to the fact that music is not a part of the required curriculum. Mr. Mendez also mentioned the neighboring community of Irvine, and some of the solutions they've embarked upon to raise money for art education. Due to poverty, Santa Ana has quite a few less resources.

The Big Dog

Let me tell you about someone here that means quite a lot in the whole picture, actually she might even be painting that picture to begin with. I am talking about Jane Russo, the Superintendent of the Santa Ana Unified School District. The Superintendent is like a CEO, the master and commander of a school district. In this case, she is in charge of a 500 million dollar annual budget and over seven billion in land assets. Santa Ana is no mom’ pop shop. Unlucky for her, just like a CEO, if something is going wrong she is to blame.

Lets get to know her a little: She is the first female Superintendent in Santa Ana, a good milestone considering the district has been around for 130 years. She worked in the Santa Ana school district for twenty years prior to her current role. She has a broad level of experience and education and claims to devote herself to the prosperity of the district.

In the following video she partners up with ‘THINK Together’, an organization devoted to maintaining after school programs in Southern California. In the video she gives a basic, I mean basic, picture of the Santa Ana district, definitely NOT mentioning the serious issues that are dampening the area.



I have posted a link that gives an in depth biography of her noting her worthy accomplishments. Be sure to search her name in the Google machine, you might find a few haters…

Jane Russo Full Biography