|
No Child Left Behind Act is Leaving Music
Education Behind, Despite Proven Benefits
(reprinted from PR
Newswire)
Read
Harris Poll Results and Data
More
on Music Advocacy
WASHINGTON, Nov. 12, 2007 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/
-- At an event with actor and musician "Little" Steven
Van Zandt and MENC: The National Association for Music Education,
Harris Interactive today released an independent poll which shows
a positive association of music with lifelong educational attainment
and higher income. Nearly nine in ten people (88 percent) with post
graduate degrees participated in music education. Further, 83 percent
of those with incomes higher than $150,000 or more participated
in music.
With the No Child Left Behind Act currently up
for reauthorization in Congress, a discussion on music education
is more important right now than ever. Music is recognized, on paper,
as a core academic subject but with actual testing in only a narrow
range of subjects, music is usually one of the first programs to
be cut.
 "Research
confirms that music education at an early age greatly increases
the likelihood that a child will grow up to seek higher education
and ultimately earn a higher salary. The sad irony is that 'No Child
Left Behind' is intended to better prepare our children for the
real world, yet it's leaving music behind despite its proven benefits,"
said Dr. John Mahlmann, Executive Director of MENC: The National
Association for Music Education. "While music clearly corresponds
to higher performing students and adults, student access to music
education had dropped about 20 percent in recent years, thanks in
large part to the constraints of the No Child Left Behind Act."
Musician, actor and music education activist Steven
Van Zandt adds, "Obviously, music is a big part of my life
and I've had remarkable experiences as part of the music industry.
That is why I am now combining my life's work and my passion for
music education. The Harris Poll and other studies like it document
the fact that you don't have to be a rock star to benefit from music
education. Music benefits everyone in all walks of life. Through
my Rock and Roll Forever Foundation, I am working with professional
music educators on the development of 'Little Steven's Rock and
Roll High School.' This curriculum will be available at no cost
to schools and can help future generations learn about music, history,
culture and the arts -- all through Rock and Roll."
"If you want to be a CEO, college president
or even a rock star, the message from this survey is: take music,"
Mahlmann added. "As with reading, writing and arithmetic, music
should be a core academic focus because it is so vital to a well
rounded education and will pay dividends later in life, no matter
the career path taken."
Respondents of the Harris Poll cite skills they
learned in music as helping them in their careers today. Seventy-two
percent of adults with music education agree that it equips people
to be better team players in their career and nearly six in ten
agree that music education has influenced their creative problem
solving skills. Many also agree music education provides a disciplined
approach to problem solving, a sense of organization and prepares
someone to manage the tasks of their job more successfully.
An earlier Harris study shows significantly higher
graduation and attendance rates in schools with music programs (90.2
percent compared to 72.9 percent and 93.3 percent compared to 84.9
percent, respectively).
Other studies show the value of music programs
to our future generations:
- Students in top quality music programs scored
22 percent higher in English and 20 percent higher in math on
standardized tests mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act (University
of Kansas)
- In 2006, SAT takers with coursework in music
performance scored 57 points higher on the verbal portion of the
test and 43 points higher on the math portion (The College Board,
Profile of College-Bound Seniors National Report for 2006)
"Parents, educators, state legislatures and
the Congress need to take these studies seriously. This relationship
between music education and better performance in life is not accidental.
How are we supposed to continue as a creative society without exposing
our students to the arts? Rock and Roll shapes our culture and is
the great equalizer among people of different racial, social and
economic background. It belongs in the schools!" said Van Zandt.
MENC: The National Association for Music Education, the world's
largest arts education organization, marks its centennial in 2007
as the only association that addresses all aspects of music education.
More than 130,000 members represent all levels of teaching from preschool
to graduate school. Since 1907, MENC has worked to ensure that every
student has access to a well-balanced, comprehensive, and high-quality
program of music instruction taught by qualified teachers. MENC's
activities and resources have been largely responsible for the establishment
of music education as a profession, for the promotion and guidance
of music study as an integral part of the school curriculum, and for
the development of the National Standards for Arts Education.
The Rock and Roll Forever Foundation: To educate and promote
the history and achievements of Rock and Roll music as well as other
traditional and modern music forms. To save, safeguard, archive,
and collect important Rock and Roll and other musical documents,
histories, or artifacts. To preserve original analogue tape master
recordings. To help save or safeguard important Rock and Roll music
sites or venues, and to raise public awareness of the historical
significance of certain music sites or venues. To provide scholarships,
fellowships, or grants to young aspiring musicians. To teach the
history of Rock and Roll and its origins and document its impact
on our nation's and world culture. To donate or provide access to
musical instruments, training, recording equipment, and other musical
skills to those who might otherwise not have the opportunity to
receive them. To insure that the tremendous cultural and artistic
benefits and achievements of Rock and Roll music be passed down
to future generations.
More
on Music Advocacy
|
