| Contributing Author - Wendell Weaver (IV) |
| Monday, 07 January 2008 | |
This week, Chicago Music Association poet laureate Wendell Weaver shares his memories in an introspective piece entitled Music Education IV.I know you are wondering why I am spending so much time on South Shore High School. It is because South Shore was my first choice, and it was the golden age of all my teaching. Sure I had some problems and I did not always have the best times, but it was my golden age. Why would the Lord want me to “Learn of Music?” It was because I had something special to do at South Shore High School. One of the things was: South Shore’s involvement with CBS. CBS heard that South Shore teachers were not teaching the students well. So CBS sent out their Eye Witness Team with cameras to investigate. They found things wrong with most departments except The Department of Music. I was Music Chairperson at that time. The Music Department saw no cameras, nor saw any Eye Witness Investigators either. We were spotless and clean. Later on, I was asked to come to the north building to the principal’s office. I was introduced to Dempsey Travis, you know, the famous real estate broker. He had written several books on jazz and he wanted to sell one of them to South Shore as a music textbook. So we talked and discussed a lot about music. When Mr. Travis tried to sell his book, my principal said to him, “Mr. Weaver is my textbook here at South Shore.” I was overwhelmed. We had to submit Lesson Plans to the principal each week and I did not know he was reading them so closely, but he was. My lesson plans were like a book and he liked what he had read. When I left his office, I could have cried. I thanked the Lord and held my head down in case a tear would fall. Another time was when I had a special theory class. I was blessed with special students. They were beautiful. Each student was brilliant in his or her own right. I was just their teacher, so I thought they deserved something special. They were to do a special concert. They had to do it outside of the school. So I went to St. John United Methodist Church (now South Short U.M. Church) and Reverend Ferguson, the pastor, allowed us to use the church. I call them The Young Musicians. They performed like the champions they were. They should have been at Orchestra Hall. They were just that good. Of course, Frances service some delicious refreshments. One of the boys said to me, “This is the best part of the program.” Each student went on to greater things. That young man met me at the 87th Street Jewel one say and said, “Are you Mr. Weaver? I want to thank you. I just got back from a tour. I was in Tokyo, Japan.” Another student invited me to a celebration honoring her getting “The Golden Apple” award. Another young lady had organized a lady jazz band. They played all over Chicago. Another formed her own band and taught all her children music also. There was another young lady who had a wonderful voice. She sang at The Grant Park Band Shell as a soloist for several years. So you can see why I called South Short High School my Golden time of teaching. I was there for 16 years. The principal gave me superior ratings for eight straight years. Praise The Lord. Praise The Lord. Praise The Lord.  No. 2 : This piece demonstrates that music is apparently to the Black community what air is to the living--not news worthy because it just IS, but take it away and it's deadly. No. 1 : Isn't that always the case that the news wants to do stories on the bad stuff that happens in the Black community? Why not talk about the music department and how wonderful it is? Aren't journalists supposed to look for the hidden story? Wouldn't that throw a loop in the headlines? Why is one typical area (failing inner city school system) and another (Blacks excelling at music) treated so drastically different? The negative is always lauded for this community. |
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