Educational Media Reviews Online

This film is a documentary of the life of acclaimed African-American singer and music educator Jane Sapp. Since 1989, Sapp has been working in Springfield, Massachusetts, where she conducts music workshops for at-risk youth. Her work is changing lives and enlivening the community where she works. The film shows Sapp working with the young people of Springfield in music rehearsals and performances; interviews with children, scholars, and community activists who discuss the way art and music can be used to foster social change; and how music education can provide young people with the tools they need to express themselves in constructive and creative ways.

The video profiles Sapp's work with a multi-racial group of twenty-five low-income middle and high school students, many of whom were disruptive and/or silent in class. Sapp uses music to encourage the children to talk about their lives, schools, families, and other issues. Throughout the film, these children talk about their current situations, the love they have for music, and how they are able to feel like they can face the future now that they can analyze and examine the social and political context of their lives.

This film is a powerful example of the importance of the arts in public education. The American public education system, when faced with budget crises and reduced funding, always seems to eliminate the arts as the first response, as if these programs are not of value or have a minimal impact on the emotional and physical development of young people. This video illustrates that the opposite is true: that the arts are the key to developing a well-rounded, whole individual that can function and contribute within our society and to themselves, and that taking the arts out of public education is a serious injustice and danger to the future of our society. The power of music on the development and balance of the human psyche is critical at an early age, and this film is a testimonial to that viewpoint.