Just like Martin and the Wu, GFM loves the kids. So it was a complete no-brainer that I would have to post something to help in some small way get the word out about Joli Millner’s appearance on Jeopardy! Kids’ Week. Joli Millner is the daughter of Sharon and Jamal Millner, and is a rising 8th grader at Burley Middle School in Charlottesville, VA. Joli was selected from an initial group of 10,000 students who took the online test which was eventually narrowed down to the 15 that appear on the show during the week.
We far too often hear about and in some ways collude in the glorification of the negative aspects of what our young people participate in. Here’s an opportunity to celebrate and hopefully inspire other young people to seek out similar opportunities that highlight their academic prowess. I enjoy athletic prowess as much as the next person, but invariably we will spend far more time reading over the course of our lives than running.
I am so proud of Joli’s accomplishments and I can certainly attest to the foundation that Joli emanates from that creates the environment for this type of success. You see Joli and her brother Kai truly come from an arts family. When you embrace the arts like their parents have done: Dad Jamal is a virtuoso guitarist who has played with everyone in every style imaginable and Mom Sharon has been a presenter of great music, a friend, counselor and confidant to many a musician. When you truly embrace the arts in the global sense as they have as parents it cannot help but influence your children. Music is the great equalizer and a truly universal language and through it you can certainly find out a lot about yourself and the world.
So in that spirit of celebration I would like for you to spread the word about this fantastic young lady’s appearance on Jeopardy! this Wednesday July 7, 2010.
You can check your local listings for Jeopardy! here.
A great article about Joli in the local Charlottesville paper.
Ivan Orr is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, performer, and writer. A native of Charlottesville, Virginia Ivan was involved with the forming and nascent days of The Music Resource Center as its first Program Director. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Music, Ivan currently resides in Richmond, VA where he maintains an active performance and production schedule while serving as the Music Editor for Grown Folks Music, a position he has held since 2010.
Thank you sir and congrats to all of you!!!
Thanks Ivan!!!!!:)