Welcome to
Music Advocacy Forum!
This Forum
provides resources & information about current research in music education
and legislation in the United States regarding music education, as well as
links to community cultural arts organizations.
#1. Want
better test scores? Take Band.
By Leslie
Scheuler (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
04/10/2006
School districts in the St. Louis region span the spectrum when it comes to arts
education. In the area of music, for example, some schools offer students the
chance to participate in choir, band, orchestra and other musical instruction.
Other schools don't even have a part-time music teacher.
The federal No Child Left Behind Act lists the arts as a "core academic
subject," yet some districts seem to believe they can only make significant
progress in improving standardized test scores by cutting or eliminating school
arts programs.
They're wrong.
Recent educational research offers strong evidence that quality arts education
programs are not just a "feel-good" part of the curriculum. The reality is,
there's a strong relationship between participation in arts education and
improved scores on such standardized tests as the SAT; indeed, the more arts
instruction, the stronger the connection to higher test scores. You can see the
effects on student achievement in many areas:
Mathematics
Students who receive musical instruction show increased aptitude in mathematics
and improvement in spatial reasoning skills. Several different studies indicate
that high school students who took music classes and participated in ensembles
(band, for example) scored higher on standardized mathematics tests. One study
found that middle school students who participated in instrumental ensembles
were twice as likely to perform at the highest levels in math as students who
took no music classes.
Researchers theorize that musical education supports mathematical skills because
it includes careful training in rhythm, which emphasizes proportion, patterns
and ratios.
Reading and Language Arts
Studies at Columbia University indicate that arts instruction supports student
skills in verbal and written expression, including creativity and elaboration.
Other research has found that drama and music classes are particularly effective
in improving reading comprehension and writing abilities.
Cognitive Skills
Arts instruction also aids the development of reasoning ability and
problem-solving. Music training for young children improves memory. High school
students who studied dance scored higher than non-dancers in originality and
abstract thought. Arts activities -- particularly those that involve performance
-- promote self-confidence, along with the skills required for conflict
resolution, collaboration and empathy.
Motivation to Learn
Participation in arts education lowers the risk of students dropping out of high
school and stimulates the motivation of students in special education classes.
And arts education programs increase collaboration among teachers, parents and
the community.
In some studies, arts education had even greater positive impact on children
from disadvantaged backgrounds than on other kids. When it comes to music
instruction, the advantages seem to apply across the board: from preschoolers to
high school students regardless of academic aptitude, racial/ethnic background
or socioeconomic status.
To have these positive effects, however, quality arts education programs need to
be available to students consistently as a seamless curriculum element with
academic content. Once-a-year performances or short-term after-school classes
won't do it.
There's another societal benefit: A recent study by the RAND Corporation
concludes that the most promising way to develop future audiences for the arts
is to provide well-designed arts programs in our nation's schools; the vast
majority of adults who are involved in the arts now were initially exposed to
them as children.
To protect arts education from elimination from school curricula in our region,
students, parents, educators, arts organizations and local leaders have to work
for its survival.
Parent-teacher organizations, school boards, school and district administrations
and public and private funders at the local, state and national levels need to
understand that arts instruction isn't a luxury. To the contrary, it is
acknowledged as a core academic area that boosts student performance throughout
the school curriculum.
We cannot allow the arts to be "left behind."
Leslie Scheuler of St. Louis
evaluates arts education programs across the country for Philliber Research
Associates, a national consulting firm. She also is the founder and president of
Música para los Niños ("Music for the Children"), a volunteer organization that
supports children in music schools in Honduras, Central America.
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#2. This letter can be emailed or sent by mail to your
Florida representatives. A bill is currently under consideration in the Florida
House and Senate that changes the number of credits needed for advancement in
middle and high schools. The current bill eliminates the arts requirement, which
will likely result in a loss of arts programs in public schools. Please support
the arts by voicing your support to your representatives, as outlined in the
letter. Thank you!
March 4, 2006
[recipient address was inserted here]
Dear [recipient name was inserted here],
The Arts are part of the CORE curriculum in the No Child Left Behind Act,
and 93% of the public agree the arts are vital to a well-rounded education
for children (2005 Harris Poll).
Relating to PCB PKT 06-01(A++), your leadership and support are critical
to make certain Florida's children have requirements for
(1) A FULL credit in Fine Arts for High School graduation and
(2) Two (2) credits in Fine Arts during middle school years.
Studies have shown that students engaged in the arts score higher in other
academic disciplines; that middle and high school students involved in
instrumental music programs show significantly higher proficiency in math;
and that student involvement in theatre arts improves reading proficiency
and self concept and increase motivation, empathy and tolerance.
The relationship between high involvement in the arts and measures of
academic achievement has been demonstrated. Most illustrative is a study
by James Catterall (Imagination Project, University of California at Los
Angeles), who analyzed data on more than 25,000 students from the National
Educational Longitudinal Survey to determine the relationship of
engagement in the Arts to student performance and attitudes. He found
that:
•Positive academic developments for children engaged in the arts are seen
at each step – between 8th and 10th grade as well as between 10th and 12th
grade. The comparative gains for arts-involved youngsters generally
become more pronounced over time. These patterns hold for children from
low socio-economic status backgrounds.
•Students who report consistent high levels of involvement in instrumental
music over the middle and high school years show significantly higher
levels of mathematics proficiency by grade 12. This observation holds
both generally and for low SES students as a subgroup. In addition,
absolute difference in measured mathematics proficiency between students
consistently involved versus not involved in instrumental music grow
significantly over time.
Without required Arts credits in middle and high school, opportunities for
students may decline, as administrators focus all efforts and hiring
practices on FCAT related goals. Such a decline . would mean that
programs would cease to exist that might support ARTS majors. This
outcome would especially hurt students from lower-income families, who
will have no other place to turn for their children’s cultural enrichment,
thereby widening further the “creative chasm” – that is, the cultural
version of the “digital divide” – that separates people of different
economic means. Students who have less affluent parents and who must rely
on the public schools for their education will not have the cultural
opportunities of their more affluent peers, and their education will be
poorer for the lack of it.
The arts are the only subjects in schools which allow kids to express
their humanity. If a student's spirit is crushed, all the education in the
world isn't going to matter. The arts are subjects in which kids can vent
their emotions in positive ways, developing lifelong coping habits that
will continually benefit future society by promoting mental health. We are
educating PEOPLE, and as important as it is to raise the educational
standards in Florida through FCAT testing, affirming the human spirit is
even more important. Not mandating the arts will likely result in more
crime and higher dropout rates.
Arts courses translate into higher student achievement – an outcome to
which we know our education leadership is committed. Please support Fine
Arts requirements for High School (1 credit) and Middle School (2 credits).
Sincerely,
Your Name Here
Your Phone Number
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#3:
Music Advocacy Powerpoint to let Your School's
Music Teacher show to the PTA. This can be edited by anyone for the purpose of
promoting healthy music programs.
PowerPoint Presentation
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#4-
Voices and Venues
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Voices &
Venues is
an online newsletter designed for artists,
cultural organizations and supporters of the
arts throughout South Florida. It is a project
of the South Florida Cultural Consortium, an
organization comprising the cultural councils of
Broward, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe and Palm
Beach counties.
You'll find the following information in Voices
& Venues:
Opportunities
- Calls to artists and writers, grants,
residencies, auditions, performance venues,
conferences and seminars, classes and
workshops, publications, studio and
rehearsal space, speakers and more.
Meetings and Deadlines
- Contact information, meeting schedules and
program deadlines for South Florida Cultural
Consortium members, the Florida Division of
Cultural Affairs, NEA and NEH.
Employment
- Job opportunities in the cultural world.
Volunteerism
- Opportunities to offer your time and
talent to cultural organizations.
Cultural Links
- Other cultural web sites that may be of
interest to you
Voices & Venues is updated frequently. To
submit an item for publication, please send
e-mail to
marketinginfo@pbccc.org.
Submissions must be one of the following:
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Text within the body of an email
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Simple word attachment
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A link to a website
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Broward County Cultural Division
100 South Andrews Avenue, Sixth Floor
Fort Lauderdale 33301
(954) 357-7457 FAX (954) 357-5769
Hotline in Broward: (954) 357-5700
Hotline in other areas: (800) 249-ARTS
website:
www.broward.org/arts
email:
jleshinsky@broward.org
Miami-Dade County
Department of Cultural Affairs
111 Northwest 1st Street, Suite 625
Miami 33128
(305) 375-4634 FAX (305) 375-3068
website:
www.miamidadearts.org
e-mail:
culture@miamidade.gov
Arts Council of Stuart and
Martin County
80 East Ocean Boulevard
Stuart 34994
(772) 287-6676 FAX (772) 288-5301
website:
www.martinarts.org
e-mail:
mcca@martinarts.org
Florida Keys Council of
the Arts
1100 Simonton Street
Key West 33040
(305) 295-4369 FAX (305) 295-4372
website:
www.keysarts.org
e-mail:
info@keysarts.com
Palm Beach County Cultural
Council
1555 Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard #300
West Palm Beach 33401
(561) 471-2901 FAX (561) 687-9484
Hotline: (800) 882-ARTS
website:
www.pbccc.org
e-mail:
marketinginfo@pbccc.org
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Other resource publications available online |
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The South Florida Cultural Consortium is
funded in part with the support of the National
Endowment for the Arts, the State of Florida Division of
Cultural Affairs, the Montgomery Family Trust, the Palm
Beach County Cultural Council and the Boards of County
Commissioners of Broward, Miami-Dade, Martin and Monroe
counties. |
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