It is with great sadness that I am writing that the Malibu Jazz Band will be cancelled at Malibu Middle and High School due to lack of funding. I realize that I am biased, speaking as the wife of Bill Bixler, who grew this amazing program from nothing 15 years ago, the mother of a son who is currently profiting from the program and as a musician in my own right. But this isn’t bout me and my family. It’s about all of us.
Bill’s music department has nurtured the growth of so many students. His time with them begins in 6th grade and ends in 12th. No other teacher has the opportunity to work with the same students for that long, or the same ability to impact their growth and maturity. Many of you who have been to Stairway to the Stars have witnessed the undeniable electrical charge that the Jazz Band brings to a long and sometimes slow-moving event.
They manage with limited resources and low numbers to shine every time.
Why is that? There are several reasons but among them is the fact that Bill has devoted his life to music. He is an accomplished classical conductor and jazz musician, particularly on saxophone. The Jazz Band has always been there to give us a lift. Whenever we compete against neighboring schools, Malibu gets the highest awards. This is a town brimming with creativity. The children who are growing up here go on to the best colleges and are allowed to blossom to their full potential because they are encouraged, nurtured, and funded with all the help their parents can muster. Let’s use this incredible opportunity for good.
Malibu needs to make sure that music is not allowed to dwindle away to nothingness because of the budget cuts and hard times we are all facing. Surely there are those who know about grants and funding possibilities that would help us supplement music in general and Jazz Band in specific. It takes about $10-15,000 to fund the Jazz Band class.
Those who have been lucky enough to find celebrity or financial success and who understand the importance of this issue, please step up and keep the Jazz Band and the arts at Malibu High alive.
Leslie Letven Bixler