LIHU‘E — Seeing a child hold a violin for the first time or pluck the strings of an electric guitar with their tiny hands is something Ron Margolis and Judy Arrigo of the Kaua‘i Concert Association said they yearn to
LIHU‘E — Seeing a child hold a violin for the first time or pluck the strings of an electric guitar with their tiny hands is something Ron Margolis and Judy Arrigo of the Kaua‘i Concert Association said they yearn to witness for years to come.
Be that as it may, their wishes might soon be compromised if funding for KCA continues to run its currently bleak economic course.
With state budget cuts threatening to slash school programs, there is little hope for keeping the beauty and cultural richness of music in children’s lives, albeit the educational outreach KCA brings to students, said Margolis, marketing director for KCA, in an interview Wednesday.
As the economy downshifts and funding for concert series dwindles, so will KCA’s educational service programs, he added.
The nonprofit that once brought an average of 10 concerts a year to the island now can only sustain two.
“It’s been increasingly challenging for KCA to find ways to survive and thrive,” Margolis said. “But what we really feel so strongly about is bringing music to these kids.”
KCA has brought classical, blues, jazz, bluegrass and dance artists to more than 5,000 students and seniors across the island for the past three years and has arranged 21 performances at schools and senior centers.
“We bring in a variety of very talented folks,” said Arrigo, a member of the board of directors for KCA.
Nevertheless, because of the cost associated with travel to the islands, lodging and performance fees, funding is harder to come by due to the volatile market.
“This is the first year in a long time, or maybe ever, that we couldn’t make a commitment to booking musicians,” Margolis said.
What concerns Margolis and Arrigo is that if people no longer support KCA or attend concerts, the children of Kaua‘i might not have the same opportunities to tickle the ivories or know what it’s like to blow into a trumpet.
“If we go away for lack of funding, it’s not that the island won’t have music, but the educational programs and scholarships will no longer be there,” Margolis said.
Over the past three years, KCA has given away 72 student scholarships totaling over $22,000 to those in need, according to Arrigo. The scholarships reportedly go toward all areas of private tutoring in dance and music, such as piano, violin, trumpet and saxophone lessons.
The conundrum for KCA is that as the cost associated with hiring musicians climbs, ticket prices for concerts must, in turn, be lowered to prices that people are now willing to part.
“We have to think, ‘What is an affordable price?’ … ‘What can someone on Kaua‘i pay?’” Margolis said.
Ticket sales account for less than 40 percent of what it costs to bring musicians to the island, Arrigo said, hardly covering the overall price tag.
“We’re operating at a loss,” Margolis said.
Though, he added, there is hope that things will turn around, not just to bring musical inspiration to residents and visitors, but to continue enriching the lives of children and seniors.
KCA, in conjunction with the W.S. Pete Robinson Memorial Fund, are holding this year’s Second Annual Red Clay Jazz Festival June 27 at Kaua‘i Community College.
For more information visit www.kauai-concert.org.
• Coco Zickos, business and environmental writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) or czickos@kauaipubco.com.
