www.themonitor.com/entertainment/music-30375-down-band. -
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Published on: 8/19/2009
Last Visited: 9/9/2009
Karen Herrera, director of fine arts for the MISD, said while the arts "received cuts jut like everyone else," the schools are making due and being "more resourceful."
"It's not that we just get huge increments every year, but our board has really established fine arts as a priority," she said.
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But much of the music education community learned long ago that when you don't get what you need, you must find it, Herrera said.
"Sometimes we get creative and find alternative funding," she said.
In-school Booster Clubs, made up of mostly parents, help individual programs with fundraising, but the community is also pulling for the arts, Herrera said.
Last year, Keep McAllen Beautiful and the McAllen Chamber of Commerce helped fund the construction of a mosaic along Second Street, near Hackberry Street.
The Valley Symphony Orchestra and Melhart Music also helped the district start a pilot program last year called Success Through Strings, which teaches violin to elementary school students.
"That's what everybody needs to be doing," said Herrera, who has been in education 17 years.
"There are grants out there.
There are people who want to give to the arts."
Herrera said that a large part of the arts surviving the tough economic times has to do with attitude.
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Herrera said that it's her job to present findings like these and make this case for students in McAllen.
But other smaller districts don't always have advocates for the arts, she said.
Those districts are usually the first ones to cut it.
"If we don't have enough, in McAllen, we don't cut fine arts," said Herrera.
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