Photos and Video: Guitar Strummer Challenges De-Leveling

For all the serious talk about de-leveling and closing the achievement gap, the evening included a stunning strumming stunt meant to demonstrate why de-leveling would not work.

In a bit of theatrics, Maurice Sabloff—donning a Three Stooges tie and hoarse from recent throat surgery—came to the podium with his guitar.

At the Board of Education meeting, he showed off his talents on the guitar, then confronted a board member to match his riff. When told by BOE President Mark Gleason to back off, he asked a member of audience to play up to his level. "Please play what I just played," he challenged. He handed his guitar to CHS economic and U.S. History teacher John DeVita, who performed a pretty fair lick. Nonetheless, Sabloff pressed on with his point: "What do you propose I do while I wait for you to get up to my level?"

It should be noted that Sabloff has toured with the Georgia Satellites and others. DeVita, on the other hand, was once slated to play with John Lennon but never did due to Lennon's untimely death. DeVita said he hadn't played guitar in 27 years.

Sabloff contacted Patch and supplied us with the full text of his comments to the Board of Education:

"Due to my inability to speak very well due to recent vocal surgery, I would like all of you to participate in a study/demonstration. Some benefits of this study: (1) it won't cost tax payers a dime; (2) it will not take much time; and (3) the results will be painfully obvious unlike some of the ambiguous studies you cite. Welcome to Guitar 101. Please pay attention and watch carefully. Now you play what I just showed you. Oh! You cannot. How long will it take you to catch up to me and what do you propose I do while I wait for you to do so? I would like to move on to the next part of this piece; however, if I have to wait for you to catch up, that would be holding my progress back. Perhaps you and I are on different levels of guitar playing ability. Would you agree? Maybe you should play with people more on your level so you could master the basics and progress from there. And I should play with people on my level so I can progress and get better as well. Get the point?"

Sabloff also had this reaction to the Board's response to his presentation: "Their indignant pose and scolding of me was pompous, uncalled for, insulting and way out of line. I did not go over my time limit. I did not insult any one, or hurt any one. I just tried to show a point of view on an issue of my concern in my own way." Sabloff noted that "if anyone was offended by my freedom of speech and expression, I say. . . get over it! and get a sense of humor!"

Sabloff told Patch that he is "the father of a high honor roll, straight-A, level-4, soon to be 7th grader at SOMS whose child has been and will be directly and negatively affected by the Board's proposal to delevel the 7th grade."

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