She brings hope and pride to kids in the tough neighborhood, but faces an even tougher battle when funding cuts threaten her program. Angela Bassett portrays Janet Williams, the school principal whose confidence Guaspari has to win, and singing star Gloria Estefan, in her motion picture debut, plays fellow teacher Isabelle Vasquez. I went with my mother to school, and I know what it's like to not only have over-crowded classrooms, but to also start a program that is not popular. Hopefully, this film will help her program and many others like it in the schools. The film's true-life portrayal of how music influences the lives of young people inspired The National Coalition for Music Education's involvement.
Music is a cultural and educational imperative.
It makes kids better students and more well-rounded citizens and it is an essential part of our schools' curricula. This film illustrates in a touching way how important music education is, that it isn't a frill at the periphery of the annual budget. Music of the Heart screenwriter Pamela Gray, a former teacher herself, spent time in Guaspari's real-life classroom before writing the screenplay. I watched very closely to see how the kids were behaving. I wanted to find a way to show that their lives are hard, harder than other kids', without it feeling stereotyped.