The decision to expand the free after-school music program comes days ahead of California’s midterm elections. And the state’s Proposition 28 is a hot topic. Voters will decide whether or not to provide one billion dollars in funding for music and arts education in public schools. The programs have seen a steady decline in funding since 2005.
In the meantime, nonprofits like Living Jazz are not just filling in the gaps, they’re creating brand new opportunities for K through 12 students.
Ninety-seven percent of all public schools in the country don’t provide dance opportunities for their students.
But Living Jazz encourages students to explore their roots by teaching Afro Cuban and Brazilian diasporic dance forms. And, true to their city, students are encouraged to learn Turf Dancing, a Bay Area signature street dance that exploded out of Oakland in the early 2000s.
Proposition 28, also called the Art and Music K-12 Education Funding Initiative, will determine if California will streamline arts education in all public schools.
