Fine Arts

Budget cuts, as clichéd as they are becoming, are one of the most important occurrences in our school district.

Administrators are trying their best to keep these cuts from the classroom. Unfortunately, Fine Arts fall under the category of “unavoidable cuts”. The Longview Public School District has had to make many grueling decisions, to the inevitable disappointment of those affected. The 2009-10 year will be one of many difficult changes especially at Dana Brown Mainstage Theatre with $10,000 of their budget being reduced.

“We cannot do things the same way we have always been done them…we have to think of things to cut such as the musical or only do two shows a year.” said Donahue, Drama advisor of Mainstage theatre.

Since the conception of Mainstage Theatre, three shows per school year has become the standard. Every year students and community members schedule their lives around these three shows and look forward to either performing or watching these theatre productions just as die-hard sports fans wait for football. With a new proposal that an entire “season” of theatre will be removed many of us active in Mainstage have no place to turn for acting, technical theatre, or meeting those who share the same love for the theatre.

Along with the theatre cuts the school districts music program has also suffered. One cut has been already confirmed is the reduction of an accompanist, limiting rehearsal time. This only allows an accompanist to rehearse only a few days every two weeks or for a short time before a concert.

“It is like asking the Orchestra to play without their violins (in comparison to the choir and their accompanist),” said Askeland, Director of RAL Choir.

Choral pieces are written with an accompaniment, which is essential to the rehearsal and performance of a well rounded choir. The cut of the accompanist affects the Orchestra in the same way. Although the reduction of the accompanist has not been the only to cut affect the Orchestra.

“The one (cut) is the 5^th grade Orchestra…” said David Walworth, District Coordinator of Music in Longview.

This takes away an important opportunity that gets elementary students excited and involved in orchestra earlier than the majority of their peers.

For many teachers in the district, reductions made as of yet seem only the first round of cuts to affect the Fine Arts programs.

“At this point we (the band) don’t know. Obviously it (the reductions) will affect the whole school.” said David Klander, the head of the RAL Band.

As of now the band has not heard of any budget cut that solely affected their program, but they are wary of changes that might occur in the future, in light of the budget cuts to their fellow art programs.

Similar to the band, the RAL Art Department is unsure of how they will be affected.

“Long term we are not sure, but we have lost a janitor and that is devastating to an art room.” said TJ Frey, art teacher at RAL.

With budget cuts affecting not only the art programs, we must remember that student’ lives, passions, and ambitions are affected directly by this reduction. There is no doubt that the 09-2010 school year will bring lots of change to the entire school.