Arts for Students Sounds Like Heaven

Students Playing Music

Meeting the challenge of nurturing the creativity of students is often made difficult by a shortage of money.

That's why the City of Tampa is joining the Molly Brown Foundation to provide matching funds grants for Hillsborough County Schools.

Tampa's creative industries manager Paul Wilborn says the Mayor's Art Education Fund will rely on financial support from residents who want to promote the arts.

WILBORN: This is not tax dollars. It's just going to be community donations and 99 cents of every dollar goes directly into instruments and art supplies.

Beverly Kermode is a Westshore Elementary music teacher. She recalls the first time her class played the choir chimes they bought with funds from the Molly Brown Foundation.

KERMODE: It was like an A-Ha moment. And one little boy said to me, he said 'this sounds like heaven.' It was beautiful.

You can find more information about the Mayor's Arts Education Fund on the city of Tampa's web site.