Jonathan Scott loves his motorcycle, but this year he’ll be aiming to put more miles on it than ever.

Scott, a Troup County sheriff’s department investigator and guitarist in the local band “Big Muddy,” is leading an effort called “Saving Art and Music: One Mile at a Time,” which kicked off officially at noon Friday and will last until Dec. 31.

The fundraiser couldn’t be more timely, with recent talks by the Troup County school board to turn West Side Magnet School back into a kindergarten-through-fifth-grade school, ending its art and music programs. The board has decided, for now, to keep the school as is.

Scott actually came up with the art and music fundraiser idea before West Side was considered for the chopping block, he said.

Scott has two young daughters. Neither attend West Side, but he’s all too familiar with the efforts parents go through to keep any kind of art and music focus in the classroom. One of his daughters attends Hollis Hand Elementary School, where parents raise $20,000 annually to keep an art and music teacher on staff there.

“This is normally done by the usual methods of parents selling wrapping paper, cookie dough and the school putting on a carnival,” Scott said. “This is the scenario repeated over and over, and it’s just one school out of the 14 elementary schools we have in our county. This is just one county out of the 159 counties in the state of Georgia. You get the idea. Every school has to go through this. It is absurd, and we have to change it.”

As a musician, Scott knows the programs are a vital part of children’s development.

“It is a known fact that music and art develop critical thinking skills in early childhood development,” he said. “This raises the question, how can we as adults let our kids be denied a vital part of their development? These are the people who will be running the country when you and I need to be able to afford prescription medications, will be relying on Social Security, will need assisted-living programs that are affordable, and will need medical insurance that is also affordable just to name a few. Yet with our ‘lottery assisted’ education system, these programs continue to be last on the list of importance.”

Late in 2009, Scott sent a letter to area businesses and other potential sponsors. Sponsors can see their name and or logo featured on the “Big Muddy” Web site, the backdrop at the band’s gigs, or Scott’s Facebook page, bike jacket or helmet, depending on the amount.

“While most of the riding will be what I might do anyway, I will also make a point of attending charity rides,” Scott said. “The unique thing in a charity ride is that I will donate to that charity out of my pocket and at the same time will be earning for my cause.

“I also want to create specific rides where I document going to a certain destination (such as a school) and provide information about (art and music) especially if I can involve an additional charity. I think overall the riding will be specifically for the cause, but I will definitely document every mile regardless.”

— Donations can be made out to “SAM” (Saving Art and Music) at any RBC bank location. More information on sponsorships can be obtained at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/228031363/saving-art-and-music-one-mile-at-a-time

Jennifer Shrader may be reached at jshrader@ lagrangenews.com or at (706) 884-7311, Ext. 236.