By Ray Breslin

On May 24, at a quiet little luncheon held at Miami Beach’s Carl Fisher Clubhouse on Washington Avenue, Carson Kievman, executive artistic director of SoBe Music Institute, formally announced the launch of the Institute Summer Program, which will take place at the underutilized Carl Fisher Clubhouse. On hand for the kick off luncheon were members of the advisory board and staff of the Institute, official city representatives including Commissioner Saul Gross and members of the mayor’s Blue Ribbon CANDO (Cultural Arts Neighborhood District Overlay) Committee.

Carson Kievman formally announces the SoBe Music Institute Summer Program at the Carl Fisher Clubhouse

The Institute’s ambitious program will start June 11 and continue through August 4. There is something for everyone, including a free seniors program Monday through Thursday, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.; and a children’s program Monday through Friday, 2 to 6 p.m. that will be free to all children who qualify for free or reduced lunches at school, or a modest $150 for the non-eligible children. In the evening, there is an adult program from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.. The cost for the adults is $400, a mere $10 per night. What an opportunity to learn an instrument, play with a group, or learn interactive computer music. At the end, there will be a concert, free and open to the public. Call 305-674-9220 for more information or visit www.sobemusic.org and sign up.

The summer program is possible because SoBe Music Institute raised the required $75,000 in donations through Mystery Park Arts, a non-profit arts and education organization, and the wonderful partnership it formed with the City of Miami Beach for the use of the Carl Fisher Clubhouse. Naturally, there more is always needed to carry on a program like this. If you have any instruments you can donate to this program or if you want to pay to sponsor an instrument, please call to make arrangements. It can mean so much more if a child can take his or her instrument home to practice. So, check your closets, garages and wallets!

SoBe Music Institute’s success this summer will determine our future. Dreams are easy, but it takes the community to come together and make it become a reality and a long-term commitment for future generations.  Go back to the beginning of time and you will find art, music, and dance. They are the fundamental building blocks that started with the cavemen and have been the cornerstones of every civilization since. It is yesterday, today, and tomorrow. It is what makes us.

This is exactly what the mayor and the CANDO Committee had in mind when shaping the parameters of this district. Galleries and artists will always come and go. Fundamentals and cornerstones are what define our assets.

If this program is as successful as Dr. Kievman expects, he hopes the city will continue to partner with SoBe Institute, bringing this kind of programming to the residents of Miami Beach and neighboring communities year round. Mayor David Dermer was quoted as saying this is a perfect CANDO project, fitting exactly what was intended.

The CANDO Arts Neighborhood will no doubt be the most lasting legacy left by Dermer, now in his last year as mayor of Miami Beach. When Dermer was elected mayor eight years ago, many people in the arts community felt that art and culture would take a back seat and suffer major funding cuts because Dermer didn’t care about the arts. They were wrong. Nothing was farther from the truth and this year, Mayor Dermer established a Blue Ribbon Committee to define the mission, boundaries, incentives and marketing for a Cultural Arts Neighborhood District Overlay, an area where we could foster the rich cultural assets of Miami Beach, create living and work space for artists in a neighborhood that would also support new and emerging arts. The CANDO kick-off was March 1 with a release of the first CANDO map. To date, all the committee’s recommendations have been accepted by the commission and are moving forward.

What’s next for CANDO?  Maybe dorms for the Miami City Ballet School?

Ray Breslin is a community neighborhood activist, president of the Collins Park Neighborhood Association, board member of the CANDO Arts Neighborhood Advisory, board member of  SoBe Music Institute and an advisory committee member for Miami City Ballet School.