Tuesday (1/4) on WHYY Radio’s website Newsworks.org (Philadelphia), Peter Crimmins writes, “The acoustics were terrible and the piano was missing a few notes, but the principal violinist from the Philadelphia Orchestra played in the basketball auditorium at the Gesu School in North Philadelphia Monday. This week, David Kim is going around to five Philadelphia grade schools to introduce students to classical music. Many schools in the city have squeezed music education into art classes. In other schools, music has been cut out altogether. ‘We are going to have a cultural ghetto if we keep going down this road,’ said Kim. … Kim was accompanied by Davyd Booth, an orchestra violinist and pianist, who played the school’s beaten upright piano. Booth says Kim does not pander to the kids. ‘He does not play down to the audience, regardless whether they are adults or children. They realize that,’ said Booth. ‘You treat them like little kids, they are not going to respond as well as, you know, if they are young potential adults.’ ”
Posted January 4, 2011
