Dudamel, Smiley special highlights music education

[December 29, 2010]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Conductor Gustavo Dudamel's passion for music education is on display in a new PBS special.

In "Gustavo Dudamel: Conducting a Life," the Los Angeles Philharmonic music director discusses the importance of music in young lives, including his own childhood in Venezuela.

The fourth "Tavis Smiley Presents" special is intended to highlight the danger of sacrificing school music programs to budget cuts. Smiley says it also details efforts to revive such programs.

"Gustavo Dudamel: Conducting a Life" airs 8 p.m. ET Wednesday on PBS stations (check local listings).

[Associated Press]

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