“I grew up in a very poor, single-parent household, but I was a music geek even then,” writes composer Joseph Hallman in Wednesday’s (1/22) NewMusicBox. Hallman writes that he “worked hard and sought opportunities that allowed me to study music. I received some scholarships and instruments…. In the Philadelphia neighborhood of my childhood … I was afraid of being jumped by any of the numerous gangs in the neighborhood.… Most of the other kids [in the youth orchestra I belonged to] came from homes with two working parents, many quite financially comfortable.… For a very long time, I felt shame.… No one—especially young musicians—should ever face the shame and the self-questioning that poverty could force on them. Young, poor musicians: take heart! Music, and more importantly access to music and music education, is vital to all communities, not just the wealthy.… Without the support of the many folks who gave me a helping hand … I would likely not be in the position I am in today. We must come to understand as a field the responsibility each of us bears to determine the best way to support young musicians of diverse socio-economic classes … and to then make it happen.”
Posted January 29, 2014
