Whitney Young Weekly is an email newsletter sent out to students and parents of the school every Sunday where one of the most popular pieces is Kenner’s Korner; a Q&A where Dr. Kenner answers questions from the Whitney Young community. Recently,  a student asked Dr. Kenner about the funding of the arts department versus the funding of sports and athletics. Kenner responded strongly.

Nearly a month after Kenner’s response, Friends of Whitney Young released a pie chart with how $50,000 was distributed across Whitney Young. Needless to say, arts students were not happy with what they saw.

But perhaps Whitney Young fine arts students are overreacting. Maybe this 5% funding is a good thing for them. Before you jump to any bizarre assumptions that I am trying to turn everyone against the arts department, or that I don’t understand how angry students are over this chart, I have some credentials to point out. I, myself, am an arts student as well. I’ve been a very active member of the Whitney Young Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band, I’ve also been in the video production class where I’ve submitted plenty of pieces in for contests. So if anything, I am all for the arts.

Now here’s my argument, less funding inspires arts. What is art all about? It’s about feelings and Dr. Kenner is a genius! What better way to invoke feeling into students than to tell them they do not matter as much as others? With less funding towards the arts department, students are required to put in more work and have a stronger drive to do better in their activities in order to get that extra funding. Arts students are angry and that anger is fuel.

In Whitney Young’s band and orchestra classes, there are school instruments that most students in the program depend on. The cost of repairing and buying instruments ranges in the thousands. Sadly, since we don’t have the money to pay for all that, the band students have no other option than to play with worn out instruments. If the students have to learn to play well on faulty instruments, imagine how students would sound on quality instruments later in life. Not only are the instruments in poor condition, but the accessories are, too. This dynamic duo of beat up instruments and mangled accessories really pushed band students to practice hard to sound great. There’s no way Whitney Young, the Whitney Young, would let their very valued students play such instruments. Well, I’ve asked a couple students about their experience in the performing arts programs. “They [string  instruments] look like it went through Arnold Schwarzenegger’s digestive system.” says David Johns ‘18, who is a cellist in the top orchestra. “They’re decent but they’ve been used for such a long period of time that a lot of repairs are needed.’ Carling Hank ‘17 adds. As for the guitars, Katherine Riedstra, ‘17, claims, “Some of the guitars scratch you a bit when you’re strumming.” Bianca Murillo ‘17 uses the terms “splintered” and “worn out” to describe the school’s guitars. “They’re pretty beat up, very scratched and worn out,” Olivia Koreman ‘17, who also makes sure to tell us “they are okay for learning.” As for wind instruments, Rachel Shapiro 18’ says “The french horns definitely need some improvement. There are seven or eight horns, maybe two of them are good.” Brass players aren’t the only ones with this problem, piccolo student Bella Micheal ‘18 told us “The school has two piccolos, one is pretty bad, but one is really good.” Penty of the arts utensils are in poor condition, but nothing that stops us from learning, and nothing stops them from playing well on these instruments.

In conclusion, poor funding for the arts department is what keeps this school’s arts department running. If money were to be equally distributed, students would not be appreciative. This could even cause arts students to lose their passion and drive. Last year, both of the top bands and orchestra were honored to go to New York City to play in the well renowned Carnegie Hall. While it would have been convenient to receive financial aid from the school, such pampering would not have gotten the students as far as to even be invited to New York. So before criticizing the school’s monetary distribution, take a look at the bigger picture and remember: Mo’ Money, less drive.