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# Santa Monica Vital music program on its own
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/santa-monica-vital-music-program-on-its-own/
- Published: 2003-03-06T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T01:45:00.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Malibu, #archive-import

*By Zina Josephs, Donna Block SMMUSD Advisory Committee on the Fine Arts Sue Lloyd-Davies Samohi choir parent and volunteer fundraiser Stop building and pay for schools*

Editor: A letter published on Feb. 28 seems to be based on the erroneous assumption that the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District is paying for choir trips by students at Malibu High and Samohi. Nothing could be further from the truth. The travel expenses for students, staff, and adult chaperones are paid for by the students, the staff, and the adult chaperones. Choir students and parents also organize fundraisers such as Cafe Samo.

All of the SMMUSD secondary music departments have been doing fundraisers for decades to pay for basic instructional materials and supplies such as music, music folders, choir robes, instruments, music stands, chairs, other equipment, and travel expenses for competitions and adjudicated music festivals. The fine arts coor-dinator has also brought in about three times his salary in matching funds, but grants cannot be used to pay for the ongoing salaries of certified teachers.

As a result of the current budget crisis, the following will be eliminated in June 2003: The fine arts coordinator, all the elementary instrumental music teachers, the choir accompanists, the music aides who help with secondary classes reaching enrollments of up to 90 students, and the coaches for the Color Guard of the award-winning Samohi Viking Marching Band. These staff positions support an enrollment of about 3,500 music students, or nearly 30 percent all students districtwide. The district is known statewide for the excellence of its music program.

Regarding the suggestion that SMMUSD students travel to perform at Boystown, the state of Nebraska has excellent music education programs in its public schools and needs no help from California. However, school music ensembles from SMMUSD and LAUSD perform regularly at local elementary schools, at convalescent and retirement homes, and at community events such as the National Night Out Against Crime.

Regarding the unwarranted attack on John Deasy, SMMUSD is extremely lucky to have a hardworking superintendent with the intelligence, skill, determination, and caring attitude toward students and staff that Mr. Deasy exhibits day after day, especially during this time of budgetary crisis.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 6, 2003.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/030603.pdf?ref=smdp.com)