My talent kept them open. There's a difference. And Marcus's talent, Dr. Crawford pressed. What will open doors for him?
Or are we saying that in America in 2025, we're still deciding who gets opportunities based on who their parents are? This is about classical music, not social justice, Harrington said sharply. Maybe it should be about both, Jessica Huang said, still recording on her phone. Classical music is dying, Vincent.
Audiences are aging out. Young people aren't interested. And institutions are struggling to survive. Maybe the problem isn't that kids like Marcus are trying to get in.
Maybe the problem is that people like you are working so hard to keep them out. I'm not keeping anyone out. Harrington's composure was cracking now. The Harrington Foundation offers scholarships to underprivileged students every year.
How many black students have received those scholarships in the past decade? Dr. Crawford asked. Silence. How many have graduated from your programs and gone on to professional careers?
More silence. I thought so, Dr. Crawford said quietly. You offer scholarships, but I bet they come with requirements that essentially screen out the kids who need the most. Expensive summer programs they can't attend.
Instruments they can't afford, requirements that they give up after school jobs that their families depend on. You create the illusion of opportunity while maintaining every barrier that ensures nothing really changes. That's not fair, Harrington said. But his voice had lost its certainty.
We have standards. We have to maintain excellence. Excellence as defined by whom? Dr. Crawford stood and began walking toward the stage.
He was older than Harrington with gray hair and a slight limp, but he moved with quiet authority. I've been part of this world for a long time. Vincent, I know how it works. I know how people talk in private about certain students being cultural fits or having the right background.
I know how unconscious bias works because I've fought it my entire career. He reached the stage and looked at Marcus for the first time. Son, how long have you been playing piano? Three years and four months, sir, Marcus said. And you're entirely self-taught, aside from lessons with Mary Chen.
Yes, sir. Mrs. Chen gives me one lesson a week. I can't afford more. One lesson a week, Dr. Crawford repeated, turning back to the audience.
Most serious piano students at age 14 are having three or four lessons per week, plus group classes, plus ensemble experience. This child had one lesson a week and still managed to perform Rachmaninoff at a level that made this entire room take notice. Do you understand how extraordinary that is? It's impressive, Harrington admitted grudgingly.