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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Gina Costanza, Music and Model Teacher at PS 123K in Bushwick, Brooklyn
4:14:03
ยท
3 min
Gina Costanza, a music and model teacher at PS 123K in Bushwick, Brooklyn, testifies in support of prioritizing funding for arts education in New York City schools. She shares personal experiences of how arts education positively impacts her students and calls for equitable access to arts programs across all NYC schools.
- Emphasizes the importance of arts education in creating inclusive environments for diverse student populations
- Highlights the need for certified arts teachers in every school to ensure equal opportunities for students
- Advocates for expanding city council investments in arts education to benefit more communities and prepare students for specialized arts high schools
Gina Costanza
4:14:03
Thank you to Chair Joseph and Chair Rivera.
4:14:06
I stand in support of It Starts With The Arts Coalition calling on our city to prioritize funding for arts in New York City schools.
4:14:15
My name is Gina Costanza and I'm the music and model teacher at PS one hundred twenty three k in Bushwick, Brooklyn.
4:14:22
I once read that every child is the light of someone's life and I have the privilege of teaching 500 of the lights of Bushwick every single day.
4:14:31
My classroom is a place where students can show up as they are.
4:14:35
Each class, they get to make music, learn something, have fun, and get a big hug if they need it.
4:14:41
It's a place where my students feel like they belong even if they are currently unhoused, if they are new to this country, or if they have a gender, a different gender expression or identity from their peers.
4:14:52
Last week, I had a non speaking student use an augmentative and alternative communication device share eight unique words.
4:15:01
Another previously non speaking student spontaneously said xylophone and then played a xylophone for her peers.
4:15:08
Now she stops by my classroom at the same time every day.
4:15:11
I think she's still trying to relive that high of a performance.
4:15:16
I have been able to provide the best education possible to my students because of federal funding, a series of grants from several nonprofits in this room, and a generous grant from the city council.
4:15:28
My classroom is fully stocked with instruments and technology.
4:15:33
Thanks to that grant from the city council this year, my students are currently collaborating with a professional artist to beautify our school by painting a mural that expresses what they love and value about our school community.
4:15:47
I'm asking the city council to not only keep investing in the education of my students, but to expand the investment to more communities.
4:15:55
Arts education should be available to all students, not just some.
4:15:59
As the immediate past president of the Music Educators Association of New York City, also known as MENAISE, I have seen what happens in the communities who do not have the same resources that my students do.
4:16:10
I'm calling upon the city council to provide equitable funding of the arts to all schools to ensure opportunity for access for more students across NYC.
4:16:21
About one in five schools do not have a certified arts teacher.
4:16:24
If they do not have arts education in middle school, how will they be prepared to audition for the screen arts high schools?
4:16:31
How will they gain access to educational opportunities will change their lives?
4:16:35
I met you council member Joseph at the middle school arts audition boot camp where my summer job is.
4:16:41
We help kids from title one schools prepare auditions to get into the screen arts high schools, but I'd like to imagine a world where that summer job didn't exist, where we didn't have to provide those opportunities.
4:16:55
I'm asking the city council to ensure universal access to our education by mandating that every school has a certified arts teacher.
4:17:03
It's time for arts programs to thrive not only in some zip codes but across the entire city.
4:17:09
Thank you for your attention and consideration.