It’s time to save our music venues
COURIER LIFE, SEPT. 18-24, 2020 15
OP-ED
In-person learning can’t be replaced
BY MONET ELZEY AND LUDE
BONNET
It’s been 179 days since
New York City schools closed
due to the pandemic. Some of
those days have felt like weeks,
while others have passed with
the blink of an eye. But as parents,
one thing has remained
constant: our devotion to the
health and well-being of our
children.
The shift to remote learning
in March was an incredible
feat by teachers, students, and
families. Countless hours have
been poured into keeping our
children on track over the past
six months, and the resiliency
of our communities has been a
beautiful thing to witness. We
made it through some of the
toughest days in our City’s history,
during the height of a crisis
no one could have ever prepared
for.
Today, we’ve made it
through the worst of that crisis—
and we’re uniquely positioned
as the only major school
district in the country able to
safely send our children back
to school in the fall. Our children,
their education, and their
futures can’t afford to wait.
As parents and educators,
we know there is no substitute
for the experience of being in a
classroom. Our children have
so much to gain from being
in-person with their teachers,
peers, and friends during this
critical time. One of us has a
son whose eyes light up when
he talks about going back to his
high school to start his junior
year. He can’t wait to be back
with his friends and a step
closer towards graduation.
The memories of when he fi rst
began his educational journey
are still clear as day. It breaks
my heart to think about a world
in which he spends his last moments
as a New York City student
in our apartment every
day, away from his friends, and
separated from the teachers
who want him to succeed.
Being in school is an experience
that can’t be replaced.
And that’s why we are so hopeful
we can make blended learning
work. It’s a chance to get
our children back to their
classrooms, where they learn
best with one another.
As of now, the majority of
students will begin the school
year in a blended learning
model, where they will be
learning in-person in their own
school buildings part of the
week and learning remotely
during the remaining days.
Our schools play such a critical
role in our communities,
and hundreds of thousands
of New York City parents are
ready to safely get their kids
back to their classrooms.
Are we nervous? Of course,
we’re parents. We lie awake at
night thinking about our kids,
especially our youngest children.
How can we help them
understand that they can’t hug
their friends? Will they remember
to wear their masks all the
time? None of it will be easy.
Our young ones are dealing
with the change, confusion,
and even trauma the pandemic
has brought into their lives.
The social and emotional support
of educators, friends, parents,
and loved ones is needed
more than ever for all developing
young minds. We are so
grateful for the wrap-around
care that is already being
planned out in our school communities.
Planning for the school
year is never easy, but this fall
has required far more preparation
than ever. We’ve seen
fi rst-hand the work our teachers,
principals, and even our
Mayor and Chancellor have
put in to keep our schools and
classrooms safe. A later start
to school is allowing educators
and families more time to thoroughly
prepare for the start of
a school year like no other, and
mandatory testing will help
keep our communities safe and
healthy.
We refuse to put our children
in harm’s way. One of us
has a daughter who was diagnosed
with Lupus and making
sure she’s healthy has caused
many sleepless nights. So,
safety is absolutely non-negotiable.
Knowing that day-in and
day-out, there are teams disinfecting
the hallways, spacing
out classrooms, ensuring adequate
ventilation, and taking
every precaution necessary for
our children provides a little
bit of peace during this turbulent
time. Health and safety
are leading the way as schools
prepare a safe and supportive
learning environment for our
children, and we know school
leaders are doing everything
they can to start the school
year strong.
As parents, we’re reassured.
But above all, we’re hopeful.
We believe we can make this
work, and that we can give our
kids the kind of learning experience
they can only get in
a classroom. During this unprecedented
moment, we want
nothing but the best for our
children – and we know every
New York City parent wants
the same for their child. That’s
what we owe our young people.
Let’s do all we can to make that
a successful reality this year.
Monet Elzey and Lude Bonnet
are parents of New York
City school children
BY KEITH POWERS AND JUSTIN
KANTOR
Broadway, Carnegie Hall,
and Lincoln Center sparkle as
New York’s revered beacons of
culture, but it’s the legendary
independent music venues that
round out New York City’s artistic
identity as authentic. They
form the beating heart behind
the city’s sublime reign as the
cultural capital of the world.
These special rooms incubate
the artistic scenes and musical
movements that have defi
ned New York over the years.
From punk rock to hip-hop,
from indie rock to indie classical,
these spaces create nurturing
environments that enable
local artists to put that indelible
New York fi ngerprint on so
many of the musical genres the
world embraces.
These venues serve as a
springboard for new music,
provide a living for artists, and
give New Yorkers a break from
the everyday stress of the city if
not a reason to love living. Their
accessibility defi nes the neighborhoods
New Yorkers choose
to live in. And for many of us,
the music in these venues has
opened our minds to the people
and perspectives around us.
In an essential capacity, independent
music venues play
an infl uential role in the city’s
economy. Over 10,000 New York
City musicians and performing
groups rely on their stages as a
primary source of income, and
many more need these stages as
a secondary income to sustain
a living.
Citywide, venue owners
have risked their life savings,
paying approximately $1 billion
in wages annually to passionate
employees to let the music play.
Whether it’s a part-time job or a
full-time career, New Yorkers
depend on income from these
venues to pay rent.
But each venue’s impact
extends well beyond its four
walls.
Think about the hotels, restaurants,
and other local business
that benefi t multiple times
daily and nightly from the draw
of these concerts. Many of these
venues are decades-old tourist
attractions, and the illustrious
legacy of their brands enables
them to sell more tickets to
more shows. Theirs is a moneymaking
power integrated
deeply within a city neighborhood’s
fi nancial ecosystem. It’s
something that a slew of new
venues could never replicate.
Venues were the fi rst business
to shut down and will be
the last businesses to reopen.
After nearly six months of being
closed, there is still continued
uncertainty over when
doors will open, when bands
will resume touring, and the
music will play again.
Reopening a music venue
takes months of planning as
venues need to book artists well
in advance in order to promote
their events. This means that
getting the green light will far
precede any cash fl ow.
Independent venues desperately
need our help. Now is the
time to step in and save them –
and this city.
Congress’s Save Our Stages
Act (S. 4258) offers hope. It would
provide $10 billion in grants to
independent music and entertainment
venues throughout
the country — from Lexington
Avenue to Lexington, Kentucky.
This would ensure that
every venue in each state would
remain open.
Without saving venues
across the country, the logistics
of touring becomes an impossibility
for struggling artists.
As our country continues to
suffer from the devastation of
COVID-19, it is Congress’ duty
to return for their constituents
and cities, to pass this and other
critical legislation to keep us on
our feet.
Locally, we can do more to
help, as well. Stage Four, which
was intended to focus on “Arts
and Entertainment,” did not allow
for performance venues to
open. The uncertainty makes it
impossible for planning.
The State should introduce
parameters so that these overlooked
cultural venues could at
least have a timeline for reopening.
With few revenue streams,
artists with no crowds to play
to, and employees who support
these venues out of work, the
scene is dire. Independent music
and performance venues,
the lifeblood of the New York
cultural scene, will be unable
to survive without our help.
The future is unwritten for
the music business, but one
thing is clear: it and this city
will lose too much unless we
save our stages.
Powers is a Council Member
for the East Side of Manhattan,
who grew up going
to shows in the East Village.
Kantor is the vice president
and co-founder of the National
Independent Venue Association
(NIVA) and co-founder of
(Le) Poisson Rouge in Greenwich
Village.