Episode 4: Mr. Sollecito's Ultimate School of Rock
Mon, Oct 15, 2012 3:00 AM EDT - Ultimate Proposal 7:18
Mr. Sollecito is the much loved music teacher at Howard Wood Elementary School in Torrance, CA. He inspires his students and makes music fun, despite the fact that he doesn't have his own classroom and that most of his students can't afford instruments. Watch as the Ultimate Surprises team transforms an empty space into a dream music room that will have Mr. Sollecito and the kids singing a happy tune. They'll also get a surprise visit from a celebrity musician that's going to rock their world!
I totally agree. I get so sick of my daughter having to pedal stuff to raise money for things such as band when the school district dumps tons of money on the football programs. For what? So fat arm chair quarterbacks can live vicariously through their kid? So well to do business men make big bets on high school football?
To be that loved and appreciated to have that done for him and his pupils must be a great feeling of accomplishment. Gotta admit I bawled watching this. And I'm not admitting that I am a 56 year old male musician/composer. (ha)! Yea I know I let it slip.
And the dude is an excellent percussionist as well. I was genuinely impressed!
you know... i just knew before reading replies that someone was gonna call you beautiful or sexy... Which they are absolutely right, but this comment section isnt exactly for you... What these people did is wonderful and will present an alternate avenue for several of these children...
Now if there is a comment section for you, then me calling you gorgeous would get 100+ thumbs up.
Giving credit where credit is due! These children need music! We had a wonderful band director ,who influenced our lives in a very supportive and positive way. He taught his students to love and appreciate all music. We had a band reunion in 2000 to let him kow how positively he had influenced our lives and to pay tribute to a wonderful man and father figure to us all. Most rewarding and touching tribute. He passed a year later.So glad we were able to come together from all over the Us to give him that gift of love and appreciation.
Aw man, I'm here crying! The children need the arts - for some, it's their only outlet. I started playing music in 5th grade and continued through highschool... it got me through a lot of difficult times. I no longer play an instrument but I gained an appreciation for many kinds of music and met some of my best friends through the music program. Wishing Mr. Sollecito and the school all the best! Wonderful story.
Wow, between this story and the story about the passenger jet finding the stranded boat, Yahoo is actually doing real news. Lets see how long that lasts.
~Now, that was a great video story worth watching... I still can't believe why schools are cutting the music and art programs considering they are so important in everyday life...~
They cut so deep into education, they have to cut some place. We spend more money on military than the next 14 nations combined and this inludes Russia and China. most of the other 12 are friends. Now we have those wanting to spend another 2 trillion. And Mr. Sollocito just got a class room. Shame on us.
@FrankL, I noticed you left off sports, which is overall more "popular" than the music and arts programs. No one can deny the attributes for music and yet it is one of the first ares cut back. I agree with you,that music promotes better learning skills and discipline. Students should have well rounded educations and opportunities, including the arts and physical (gym) and sports.
I can tell you where the money is going. It's going to over paid top administrators. Superintendents, Assistant Superintendents, Principals, Assistant Principals and let's not forget school board members receiving life time health care benefits, yet they never worked in the education system a day in their life! The average starting salary for a Superintendent is $190,000 per year. That doesn't include the phone allowance, car allowance, IPad, gas card, etc, etc. It's a wonder we have any money left for a teacher or classroom.
Wonderful story. Great teacher. It's a dm shame schools have seen fit to let music and art fall by the wayside.
Of coure, it didn't have to be that way. let's concentrate more on overpaid assistant principal number 1 and assistant principal number 2 and 3, and the rest of those empty titles -
get rid of those turds. And let students LEARN. From, meth to science to computer skills to history to current affairs, to music, to art to more foreign languages.
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