12 minute lesson
How Playing Broken Instruments Brought Them Back to Life!
When budget cuts left Philidelphia schools with a gymnasium full of broken instruments, the community did something completely unexpected: they put on a Symphony for a Broken Orchestra!
Many school music programs across the United States are disappearing as they face budget cuts. So when Robert Blackson, the curator of Symphony for a Broken Orchestra, was faced with rooms of broken, unplayable instruments, what was the possibility he saw? How could they be brought back to life and returned to students?
This film from Topic brings us through the halls of a school to learn more about the unique community fundraiser that helped save music in Philadelphia’s schools.
Why It Matters
This is a great example of what’s possible when a group of people who are passionate about making a difference combine their efforts. Sometimes change is impossible without the help of others. In this case, the efforts of over 400 musicians made it possible to put instruments back into the hands of 1000 students.
For a lot of students, school arts programs are their only opportunity to learn about music or play an instrument. What do we lose if students don’t have access to this form of creative expression? If it hadn’t been for a group of people working together to make a change, many students in Philadelphia would have missed out on the opportunity to play music for themselves and maybe find their creative passion.
Let's Talk About It
Topic
Topic is an ambitious new entertainment & storytelling studio from First Look Media, dedicated to working with creators at the forefront of culture.