If there had been such things as magnet schools during the first half of the century, Chicago’s DuSable High School might have been called the School for the Musically Exceptional. Any black parent whose child showed musical promise looked for a way to enroll the kid in the South Side school, which was nestled in the heart of the African-American cultural scene.
Under the tutelage of Capt. Walter Dyett, a devoted, demanding bandmaster, some of the biggest names in jazz cut their musical teeth at DuSable. They included singers Nat “King” Cole and Dinah Washington, saxophonists Johnny Griffin and Gene Ammons, drummer Wilbur Campbell and pianist Dorothy Donegan.
The spirit of Dyett and his proteges still flows through the high school’s old bandroom. It can be found in the commitment of band instructor Newsome Oatis, who is working to restore DuSable’s rich tradition, and in the dedication of young musicians who practice before and after school.
But neither the school’s legacy nor the drive of its students can produce the most essential component of a top-notch program: quality instruments, which are sorely lacking at many city schools. DuSable’s standing as a musical power has slipped largely because of diminishing resources, not a lack of potential talent.
Now DuSable will take a huge step toward producing a new generation of musical greats thanks to a partnership between the Chicago Public Schools, cable music network VH1 and cable television giant TCI Communications Inc.
Through a program called “Save the Music,” the companies will donate a total of $350,000 over the next five years to DuSable and six other schools for the purchase and replenishing of musical instruments. The program–which began a year ago in New York–also solicits corporate contributions, seeks donations of used instruments and promotes music education through public service announcements.
Farren Fine Arts Elementary, Marshall High, Faraday Elementary, Sullivan High, Hayt Elementary and Sullivan Elementary will share in the program. But it is an especially sweet reward for DuSable. Tagged last summer as one of the district’s lowest-achieving schools, its reading scores doubled this year.
Rejuvenating the music program is likely to further enhance academic performance. Plenty of studies have shown as much. And restoration of DuSable’s proud musical reputation can only inspire students, parents and staff to pursue the level of excellence the school was once famous for.
