How is the cultural life in the ordinary American school

The daily life of an ordinary American family with school-age children does not leave much time to visit theaters, concerts, cinemas and museums, to which, basically, still have to get. With the development of suburban areas around cities in the United States, more and more families settle in the so-called suburbs, small towns around the metropolis or just a big city. And so that this society does not slip into barbarism and wildness, an ordinary school comes to the rescue.

Фото: Depositphotos

Oddly enough, this is the closest and most convenient place where you can enjoy music, theater or a sports game, writes Heinrich Karpinsky for VOA.

Our school has 20 sports teams, 4 string bands and 2 brass bands, a choir, a dance group, a theater, and a cheerleading team.

You can cheer for school teams in various sports competitions several times a week. School orchestras often give concerts. Since music is popular in the US and many children are involved in it, some of these concerts are at a very high level. Every year, schools in one district create a “combined orchestra” of the best musicians and give a concert of a very high quality level (to my taste).

Musical education in schools begins in the lower grades. You can enroll in the string orchestra in the fourth grade, in the wind orchestra in the fifth. In the first year, classes are held once a week. Further - more often. In high school, the young musician already attends three to four classes a week, and also has to play at home for about an hour every day.

Parents pay extra for the program and for instruments (if they don’t have their own, you can rent them at school or at a local music store), but this amount is not too high compared to music classes outside of school. If a child demonstrates talent and wants to reach a professional level, teachers encourage him to take additional private lessons. Since the suburban music world is small and everyone knows everyone, you can always find a private teacher who lives nearby and doesn't charge too much for lessons.

The school theater is also very popular. Unlike music, which is in the standard curriculum and children do it during school hours, drama club is an “after-school” program and children stay for classes after school. Many children in the drama club also take private drama or singing lessons, and competition for leading roles is always high. After selection and several months of classes, the theater club gives performances that last for 3-4 weeks. Tickets are selling out very quickly. The performances are popular not only among the parents of young artists, but also among teenagers who come to see their friends and younger relatives and enjoy attending performances based on their favorite cartoons or children's books.

Фото: Depositphotos

One of the most popular musical groups is the brass band. This is the “face” of the school, just like the American football team. They have their own championships and often participate in local parades and community events. The orchestra's performance is an integral part of school football games, and they prepare for these performances very, very carefully.

Unlike “film” stereotypes, children are not divided into “athletes” and “musicians.”

It often happens that a significant part of the football team immediately after training runs to the locker room and changes into orchestra costumes, because they also have a concert that day. It’s normal to be on a sports team and in a choir, string or brass band, or theater at the same time.

Of course, all these events require additional finances, which neither the school nor the parents can afford. And this is where fundraising comes to the rescue. Several times a year, children from sports and cultural clubs participate in events to raise charitable funds for the needs of their clubs. The population has a very positive attitude towards this. This is a very significant contribution - often several tens of thousands of dollars - to the budget for the cultural and sports needs of the school.

Of course, not all children from those who study music at school become professional musicians.

Participation in the school orchestra, however, can be a very big plus when entering the university.

It is believed that music lessons have a very positive effect on the development of the child and help in learning. But if the child owns the instrument at a high level, then already at the university he can play in the orchestra of the educational institution, continuing his musical education.

So, if you have little time, there are children of school age and there is no snobbery, you can also lead a very rich cultural life “in the district”. However, for the benefit of children, we, of course, do not limit ourselves to the local culture and from time to time attend events in the capital of the United States.

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