Making the Political Personal
Now is the time to tell your government leaders about the importance of music education
Through the tireless efforts of many educators, students, organizations and corporations, most Americans now believe making music makes you smarter, and that learning a musical instrument helps students do better in other school subjects (see Music Education A Must, below). Clearly, public opinion in favor of music education is strong. However, if you follow the news coverage of education in America, the focus invariably is on standardized testing and funding shortages. That's why, more than ever, it's crucial that we continue to emphasize the importance of music education with students, parents and administrators.
In recent years, the mandates and limitations imposed by the No Child Left Behind Act and other legislation combined with cuts or freezes in state funding have forced boards of education to make painful adjustments and reductions. This is different from the late 1990s, when these local education decision-makers had a certain amount of independence and wiggle room. They weighed the costs of music education against its benefits for students, and heard arguments for and against a music program from amongst the taxpayers, students, staff and administration of each school district.
Now, however, many of the local boards of education have had to make decisions dictated by circumstances beyond their control. That's why we must add another focus to our music advocacy efforts — the politicians and their appointees who create education policies and determine funding. As school board members find their hands increasingly tied, it is the policymakers on the state and national level who play an ever-growing role in the future of music education.
So what is the language that politicians understand? Votes, of course. Our music advocacy efforts are as important as ever, but in addition to rallying at the school board meeting, it is time to make some noise at the state capital. For better or worse, we must become more political.
With that in mind, here are some actions you can immediately take:
Research the record of your governor and state representatives as it pertains to arts funding and quality education.
Encourage parents to write letters to your government representatives. Be sure they include some information referring to the representative's voting record, either thanking them for their support of arts education or asking them to better support arts education (and education in general) in an upcoming vote.
Maintain good relations with administrators and board of education members. They are where the "buck stops," and their support is critical for the survival and expansion of music education at the local level.
Keep the advocacy information flowing to students, parents and administrators. All of us see and hear huge amounts of information each day, and we forget most of it. So say it again in as many ways as you can: Making music makes a difference in students' lives!
David Madara is the Executive Vice-President of Focus on Excellence, Inc., and editor of the Why Music Ed e-mail music advocacy newsletter.
PLAYING WITH THE PROS
Students in five Newark, New Jersey, public schools are receiving more than just the obvious benefits from studying with members of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. An evaluation of the NJSO's Newark Early Strings Program, conducted by the Center for Arts Education Research (CAER) at Columbia University Teachers College, New York City, found that principals and teachers perceived that Newark Early Strings has had a positive effect on participating students' self-confidence, discipline, socialization and ability to focus.
Newark Early Strings is a pilot program that provides sequential, Suzuki-based string instruction to students in the elementary schools. This year, 275 second-, third- and fourth-graders and their music teachers have received violin training from members of the string section of the NJSO and a noted instructor in the Suzuki methodology.
The CAER report focused on the Early Strings Program's impact in four main areas: vocational interest, academic success and personal and social development, on the schools and the community, and the "fit" of the program with the participating schools. The findings included:
Preliminary evidence that teachers and principals believe the program has had a positive influence on students' academic work.
Higher-than-average school attendance on days when the NJSO instructor was scheduled to visit.
Increased involvement of Newark Early Strings Program parents in participating schools.
Consensus among participating school principals that Newark Early Strings fits well with their schools, integrating music into the classroom without pulling children away from studies and classroom activities.
"We are particularly pleased with this study, as it shows a significant influence after only two years of implementation — a very short period of time in which to turn around the education of a child," said Maria Araujo, Vice President, Education and Community Programs for the NJSO. "We look forward to the ongoing partnership between our Orchestra and the Newark Public Schools, along with the important partnership between music and personal achievement."
MUSIC EDUCATION A MUST
Americans strongly believe that children need music education. In the most recent Gallup survey conducted for NAMM, the International Music Products Association, more than three quarters of those surveyed feel schools should mandate music education, and 95 percent of Americans believe that music is a key component in a child's well-rounded education. The survey, American Attitudes Toward Music, is conducted every three years to gauge public attitudes toward musical participation in the United States.
This year a record 54 percent of households, the highest figure since this study began in 1978, reported having at least one member who plays a musical instrument. And in a question asked for the first time this year, 80 percent of respondents agreed that making music makes participants smarter. This finding comes on the heels of a decade of scientific research linking active participation in music with improved mental capacity in young children, students and the elderly. The impact of such news is also seen in the survey's finding that 78 percent of Americans feel learning a musical instrument helps students perform better in other subjects, and that 96 percent believe participation in a school band is a good way for children to develop teamwork skills.
Still, despite this overwhelmingly clear support for music education and participation, budget cuts and shifting priorities have placed those programs in greater danger than ever before. Already, up to 28 million American students do not receive an adequate music education, and cuts in education funding are either pending or have been enacted in more than half the states nationwide. To help people preserve music in their own communities, NAMM and MENC (The National Association for Music Education) have created an online presence, www.SupportMusic.com, that offers tips, facts and other useful resources.
BUILDING BETTER BRAINS
The journal Neuropsychology reports that psychologists at the Chinese University of Hong Kong have discovered that children who study music exhibit significantly better verbal memory than those who don't. Researchers have found that music training during childhood contributes to the reorganization and increased development of the brain's left temporal lobes — the area of the brain primarily responsible for verbal memory.
Their study involved 90 boys ranging in age from six to 15. Half were members of their school's string orchestra program and had been studying classical music on Western instruments for one to five years. The other half had no musical training. The children were given verbal memory tests that had them recall words after seeing them in a list, and similar tests for visual memory using images. The results clearly indicated that students with musical training had better verbal memory. No differences were found for visual memory, which is connected more with the brain's right hemisphere.
POLITICIAN GETS IT
Massachusetts State Representative Frank I. Smizik, D-Brookline, is sponsoring a bill to create grants that will increase and support music programs at public schools in his state. The legislation will provide schools with the resources necessary to implement new music programs as well as the opportunity to expand on existing ones.
In testimony on behalf of the bill, Smizik noted the importance of having a well-rounded curriculum for all students. "It has been shown that the arts help to level the playing field for children who are at an economic disadvantage," he said. "Private schools have an increased opportunity to provide their students with the resources necessary to learn a musical instrument, train their voice in the choir and experiment with different forms of expression through artistic mediums. Because it is proven to be such a vital component in the successful development of our schoolchildren, those children who attend public schools should have the same opportunities and outlets as children in private schools."
