Cobb County High Schools Not "Diverse" Enough for the Atlanta Symphony (Vienna: sales, neighborhood)

[jazzcat22]

This is being discussed on the Politics forum, but I thought I'd see what locals thought. The Atlanta Symphony has been partnering with two Cobb County high schools to have its choruses perform with them. This year, a new school is being brought in and only some of the students from the previous two schools can also perform. While it's the symphony's right to choose whoever they want, the two schools that are being bumped out have been nationally and internationally recognized. They seem to deserve to continue on merit. The symphony says they want to give another school a chance. The Cobb County schools claim they were told that they were too white and not diverse enough.

Ironically, the Atlanta Symphony itself is not very diverse. While it's not as bad as the Vienna Symphony which didn't allow women until 1997, there are just a few Asians and one or two African-Americans. I don't think this is due to discrimination. They do blind auditions where they can't even see the person playing. It's just that African-Americans seldom go into classical music. Diversity would be nice in this case, but not realistic.

The Atlanta Symphony would very much like to increase its audience, especially African-Americans, so this perhaps is one way to do it. Just not sure it's the right way (or that it will really pay off. The people who quit going to the symphony to protest the Cobb County schools being kicked out may offset any people who start going because of a new, more "diverse" chorus.

As to the new chorus, don't know their musical merit. But I'm not sure it is really "diverse." I read that:

In the 2006-2007 school year, the school had 1,285 students. [2]

• 67% were African-American
• 27% were Caucasian
• 3% were Other: multiracial, Hispanic, Native American, Asian

In metro Atlanta, in some locations, there are many more Latinos and Asians than just a combined 3%. So I'm not sure this was the right/best high school to choose. There is one in Gwinnett that has:

• Hispanic: 57%
• Black: 24%
• Asian: 10%
• White: 4%
• Other: 5%

But maybe that wasn't quite the diversity they were looking for...


Atlanta Symphony thinks two Cobb high school choruses 'not diverse enough' | 11alive.com

[gt6974a]

They're not saying the school isn't diverse enough, they're saying the choruses are not diverse enough. Bunch of b/s if you ask me. Just goes to show the lack of interest in chorus among black kids. Which, who could blame them, most kids aren't interested in chorus either.

They do get some taxpayer funding so I'd say that should be yanked. But other than that, I guess it's their choice to pick a chorus over color rather than sound. I don't understand it, but again these are chorus people. They're weird to begin with.

[ATLTJL]

I wonder why black kids aren't interested in choruses.

It seems to me that pretty much every r&b singer in the world got their start singing in church choirs. Wouldn't school choruses be another outlet to practice vocal range? Maybe school choruses need to start singing the types of songs that appeal to a wider group of students.

[lastminutemom]

It raises an interesting question, just because a ______ has always done something, does it mean it always should get to do something? Or should other _______ be given a chance.

I would think that it behooves the symphony to rotate this opportunity. In the Summer, the Braves invite various organizations to participate at their games, with the expectation that those groups will bring new fans/more ticket sales with them. Each year, some groups repeat, and some don't.

[arjay57]

Too bad for the kids at Walton and Lassiter, as they seem like hardworking and talented groups. However, in today's competitive world they can't get by on that alone.

It is pretty hypocritical for a lily-white crew like the Atlanta Symphony to set themselves up as the arbiters of what constitutes the acceptable level of diversity.

[plessthanpointohfive]

Wait - by diverse did they explicitly say demographics...or are they not musically diverse? As in, say, too many violin players and not enough tympani players.

Otherwise, if it is demographically motivated, I think it wouldn't be bad idea for the Symphony to come up with some sort of outreach program to give musically trained/talented minorities an opportunity. That's not the same as shutting out musically trained/talented majorities.

[HayateWind]

African-Americans ARE interested in chorus. The chorus at my high school was nearly a third African-American. Why there aren't very many in those school's highest groups is a question for the director.

Regardless, its a bit sweeping to look at the advanced chorus of two high schools, not see a brown face, and claim that Africans-Americans aren't interested.

[JoeTarheel]

Originally Posted by HayateWind

African-Americans ARE interested in chorus. The chorus at my high school was nearly a third African-American. Why there aren't very many in those school's highest groups is a question for the director.

Regardless, its a bit sweeping to look at the advanced chorus of two high schools, not see a brown face, and claim that Africans-Americans aren't interested.

Was it ever confirmed that the two choruses in question actually don't have black members? There was some doubt about that earlier in the thread. If it is true, then it could be just a circumstance somewhat unique to those schools.

[AcidSnake]

There are plenty of High Schools in Dekalb County that have orchestras. Same for Fulton County. Likely the same for Gwinnett County as well. Maybe the question that should asked is what were the conditions that lead up to the partnership with the two Cobb High schools in first place and why those invitations were never extended to other high schools in metro Atlanta.

How is it that a supposedly professional organization like the ASO would think that it's okay to maintain that sort of exclusivity in its selection of High Schools to perform with them? Let's sidebar the haphazard selection of Grady High School for a minute; Are there not other high schools ITP that have the same orchestra capable students?

You can't tell me that only two high schools out of the whole metro Atlanta area have nationally acclaimed orchestras. I dare someone to argue that point to me.

Quite frankly, it only proves to me how deeply ingrained it is in southern culture that only that only a select few students within Georgia are deserving of the opportunities for success; while others are pretty much left out in the woods.

I would call that elitism at its worst, which harkens back to a dark past where unfortunately the educational keys to success were all too often determined by the demographics & income level of a neighborhood...rather than by merit and desire.

Just another day in Georgia, I guess.

[lastminutemom]

Please, please read the following articles and get the real picture. It was as I suspected a case of parents at two schools being upset at one less opportunity for their children. (The article points out the schools were informed in 2010 that beginning in 2012 the ASO would perform with Grady High.)

Earlier this week, Stanley Romanstein, president and CEO of the ASO, told Channel 2 Action News, “We want the stages of the Atlanta Symphony, whether here, Verizon, or Chastain, to reflect the diversity of Atlanta.”

But contacted Friday afternoon, Romanstein said he was referring to the eclectic programming offered by the ASO. The symphony has previously performed with the like of ZZ Topp and Dolly Parton.

“My comment was taken out of context,” said Romanstein, “and I’m not very happy about that.”

It's a blue Christmas for ASO in flap over holiday programming *| ajc.com

Downey is also blogging about this at get schooled on the AJC

Symphony says Cobb high school choirs not performing to give other schools a chance | Get Schooled