Nicolet High School graduate shines light on music education during Golden Globe acceptance speech
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A Nicolet High School graduate won his fourth Golden Globe award on Tuesday.
After crossing the stage to accept the award for best score in Babylon, Justin Hurwitz used his acceptance speech to shine a light on music education.
"I'm grateful to the public schools I went to that had music classes," Hurwitz said. "I think a lot about all of the people out there who are really talented at something, but never get the chance to figure out what that this is."
? Music to our ears ? Congratulations on your win for Best Score - Motion Picture, Justin Hurwitz!
— Golden Globe Awards (@goldenglobes) January 11, 2023
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Nicolet High School Orchestra Director Jamin Hoffman briefly crossed paths with Hurwitz when he was a junior at Nicolet.
"The whole point of performing is to express your joy in performing, and he did that," Hoffman said.
Hoffman told CBS 58 the district invests in the arts as if it were any other subject.
"The students, when they show up here, regardless of their economic background, they have access to instruments, they have access to the experiences that they can get to become musicians if that's what they want to do," Hoffman said.
Hurwitz has even contributed to the curriculum at Nicolet.
Hoffman said a student asked to perform the score from La La Land, which Hurwitz won Golden Globes and Academy Awards for writing.
"I said, 'Do you know that Justin Hurwitz is a Nicolet graduate?' And that particular student didn’t know that. So, it really excited him," Hoffman said.
Hurwitz also thanked his parents for paying for private lessons, some of which were conducted at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music.
"Justin is the one percent of you know all musicians that are going to get, elevate to this level," President and CEO Eric Tillich said.
Tillich echoed Hurwitz's value in music education, adding the Conservatory provides music-based curriculum to dozens of schools in Milwaukee, ensuring more than 18,000 kids are exposed to the arts.
"There's other gems in Milwaukee, like Justin, that the spark hasn't hit, but they're not going to get it unless they get the fundamental music education that they deserve," Tillich said.
Hurwitz is best known for the films First Man, La La Land and Babylon.