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A Letter to You from Michael Kamen:
The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation has been established to get musical instruments into the hands of children whose schools lack the resources to do so. In that way, it is a living legacy of the film which expressed the critical role of music in shaping young people's lives. While many of us might also like to change schools' curricula or hire new teachers, these types of activities are the prerogative of various local Boards of Education. Supplying schools with musical instruments is an achievable and real way to have a significant impact in students' lives. I myself will never forget the inspiration I felt when I got my own musical instrument to play for the first time. The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation exists to make this possible for children today. The sacrifice of our children's emotional expression is too high a price to pay for a slight reduction in school budgets. Join us in ensuring that every child has free access to musical instruments and keep the spirit of Mr. Holland's Opus alive. Looking forward to your help, Michael Kamen link to Mr.Holland's Opus A Letter to You from Richard Dreyfuss:
If you just teach reading, writing and mechanical arts, the children will be stuck behind a small sense of imagination. There is one thing that this country is going to need over the next forty years. It is a grand sense of possibility, to develop the Well Rounded Minds that will challenge the future. Music and the arts must be part of shaping that future. -- Richard Dreyfuss Link to The Mr. Hollond's Opus Foundation http://www.mhopus.org |
Imagine a life without music. To us, it's
nearly impossible. Yet because of cuts in public school funding
that is the reality for too many young people today. Budget restrictions
have undermined, even eliminated, music programs in our public
schools, leaving students without the opportunity to experience
the joy and increased self-esteem that come from expressing their
feelings through music. To me, this situation is unacceptable.
The reason why the arts exist
is not only for the arts themselves - it is to create a bedrock
of imagination and creativity.