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| TJ WHEELER GETS IT DONE |
TJ Wheeler, one of our award-winning teachers, recently drove from New England to New Orleans with a collection of instruments he donated to Louisiana schools. Here’s TJ:
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Greetings!
The following is a report of our trip to New Orleans, i.e. The Katrina Children's Jazz & Blues Education & Instrument Drive. (When I say "our" I mean all of you who donated, in any way). It gives me great pleasure to report that the trip went extremely well…
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My wife, Nadine Perry and I arrived on Monday afternoon May 1st. That day we met with Julie Stahly, Program Director for the New Orleans House Of Blues Foundation as well as Becky Bidwell from the New Orleans Communities in Schools Organization, to plan out the details of the School concert/workshop schedule, as well as for the distribution of the over 40 instruments that we had collected.
Between Tues 5/2 and Fri. 5/5, I conducted seven concert/workshops to seven schools within the greater New Orleans area. The concerts stressed and highlighted New Orleans’ importance in the development of Jazz, and the Blues influence in Jazz itself. All the concerts were highly interactive. We honored New Orleans "Congo Square" (one, if not the only, place during slavery that African drum & dancing were publicly allowed). In impromptu "jams", the students played with me on a combination of African Percussion and, arguably, African American replicated African instruments, such as cow bells, washtub bass, washboards and Diddley Bow's.
The resilience of the people of New Orleans in the face of past disasters, such as the flood of 1927, was also noted. Negative stereotypes were also tackled. African American Jazz and Blues, for example, far from being the "Devil’s music" was really, in so many ways, the musical remnant of African spirituality & religion that had also been banned during slavery.
Instruments were given to six out of seven schools. One school that was teaching had an all keyboard program and was actually more in need of classroom space than keyboards, so a decision was mutually agreed on to pass those allotted instruments on to some of the other schools with a more urgent need for instruments.
All of the schools receiving instruments and concert/workshops were extremely grateful. The musical gifts, for one school, helped them create their very first marching band. In another school, several drums donated went to helping them create their school’s first drum line.
Three things I should note:
1. For at least one school, these were the first instruments donated by an organization since Katrina, some nine months ago.(What’s up with that?)
2. In some cases the instruments we donated went to replenishing instruments that had been destroyed by flooding. In at least one, though, the school had never had any instruments in the first place!
3. If we expect our youth to say no to drugs, gangs and violence then we better be sure we provide them with something to say yes to! (The latter statement applies everywhere.)
The mission was a success but it also showed me the necessity to continue the instrument drive and education programs. In January, I will return to New Orleans with hopefully at least twice as many instruments. In addition I'll be seeking donations of books related to music theory, the music business, the history Of New Orleans Jazz and Culture, Black history, Civil Rights and other topics that the schools request.
Literally all of the instruments were given were by individuals, (Special kudos to the New Jersey Shore Jazz & Blues Society for collecting from individuals and then refurbishing them into excellent instruments!).
The BBC and myself would personally like to thank all of the anonymous individuals who gave from their hearts as well as their pocketbooks. The instruments these folks donated, (often uncovered from their attics& basements and their own instrument collections,) made this trip possible. Also without the following organizations’ support, the Katrina Children's Education & Instrument Drive would never have gotten past the State line.
Thank you so much: Tom Daly & Crooked Cove Productions, The Jersey South Shore Jazz & Blues Society, Julie Stahly, Susan Jauron & The House Of Blues Foundation, Becky Bidwell & The New Orleans branch of Communities In Schools org., Atlantic Media, Bruce Iglauer & the Blues Community Foundation, The Barrington Friends of Music, Friends of Chris Biggi, Peter Randall Publishing, The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation ( special thanks to foundation archivist Rachel Lyons), Terri Canti, Exeter Music, Great Bay Motorcycles, Acoustic Outfitters, Bruce Pingree & the Press Room, & the George Calif Store, Doug Bennett & European Auto, my wife Nadine, and once again all the individuals who made instrument and /or financial donations to this project.
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