Dan Swain |
Director of development and programs, Newport Festivals Foundation
1. Are you concerned that federal budget cuts will disrupt any of the foundation’s music programming? We are fortunate to have an incredible community of members and donors that support our music education programs. We’ve never relied too heavily on federal funding, so for the most part, we are not directly impacted. But the reality is, these cuts are going to be massively disruptive to the nonprofit world. Every arts and culture nonprofit will eventually be impacted, so we are bracing for that.
2. As a musician, how has music, and folk music in particular, changed your life or viewpoint? That’s a big question. I think it really all comes down to community. In my opinion, there is nothing in society that creates community more effectively than music. Whether it’s going to a show and communing with other strangers or hanging out in a basement jamming with your friends, the world needs more of that right now.
3. Do Rhode Island public schools fail to recognize the importance of music education? Yes, absolutely. Particularly since COVID, we have seen the quality of music education programs in Rhode Island public schools decrease significantly. … A lot of schools are facing tough budget decisions, and the arts programs are almost always the first to go. But what is really frustrating is seeing study after study come out that shows the mental health of our students is declining and one of the most effective ways to combat that is the arts – teaching kids how to process their emotions and find joy.
4. What important initiatives are being worked on now? I am particularly excited about two programs. The first is our Free Music Lessons program, where we provide free music lessons for any student ages 9-18 in Rhode Island. Any parent who otherwise couldn’t afford lessons can go on our website and sign up their child for free right now. Each student receives 10 high-quality, private lessons. We have partnerships in Providence, Newport, Westerly, and we’ll expand into Warwick and South Kingstown soon.
The second is our Music Lab program to teach high school students how to form their own bands and perform live. We engage our festival community of artists and educators to teach students how to compose music, jam, book their own shows, and collaborate with each other.
5. The foundation runs the Music in Prisons program. How has that been received? We bring two local music educators into a local women’s prison in Cranston every Friday to teach about music theory and songwriting. We also bring touring musicians into the prison to meet with the incarcerated women and perform. I’m extremely proud of that program – it really is bringing hope and music to those who need it most.
