This is one of the most troubling things I’ve run across in a long time.
TAZEWELL, Tenn. — Because of the recession, cutbacks in public schools across the country have compromised a lot of what many students have taken for granted, like after-school activities and programs. Fortunately, in Claiborne, Bell, and Lee Counties, schools have not made many critical cutbacks in planning their next budgets; that is, until now. At the last Claiborne County Board of Education meeting, the school board and administrators announced the decision to ax all music programs — including high school band, chorus, music theory, and all elementary and middle school music instruction — from all of its schools for the 09-10 school year.
Read the Full Article Here.
The Arts, are important to the Mental and Social growth of our Children. Please follow the link above, read the entire article and take a moment to post a comment. It is utterly Amazing to me that in times of economic trouble, school systems only solution is to cut the Arts. Never is a thought given to cutting back on Football, baseball, or any other school sponsored sport. Sports which take money to fund. There has to be a better solution than just Cutting the Arts. Cut the Arts in enough places and you will affect the lives of everyone. Music on the Radio, gone. Theater, gone. Record companies will close, Theaters will close. iTunes? Wont need that anymore. To find solutions that will work for the BENEFIT of our students and ourselves, people need to stop and think. That seems to be the real problem here.
Here are some Facts on the Benefits of having the Arts in our Schools:
Read these FACTS:
* A study of 237 second grade children used piano keyboard training and newly designed math software to demonstrate improvement in math skills. The group scored 27% higher on proportional math and fractions tests than children that used only the math software. Graziano, Amy, Matthew Peterson, and Gordon Shaw, “Enhanced learning of proportional math through music training and spatial-temporal training.” Neurological Research 21 (March 1999).
* In an analysis of U.S. Department of Education data on more than 25,000 secondary school students (NELS:88, National Education Longitudinal Survey), researchers found that 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 regardless of students’ socio-economic status, and differences in those who are involved with instrumental music vs. those who are not is more significant over time. Catterall, James S., Richard Chapleau, and John Iwanaga. “Involvement in the Arts and Human Development: General Involvement and Intensive Involvement in Music and Theater Arts.” Los Angeles, CA: The Imagination Project at UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, 1999.
* Students with coursework/experience in music performance and music appreciation scored higher on the SAT: students in music performance scored 57 points higher on the verbal and 41 points higher on the math, and students in music appreciation scored 63 points higher on verbal and 44 points higher on the math, than did students with no arts participation. College-Bound Seniors National Report: Profile of SAT Program Test Takers. Princeton, NJ: The College Entrance Examination Board, 2001.
* According to statistics compiled by the National Data Resource Center, students who can be classified as “disruptive” (based on factors such as frequent skipping of classes, times in trouble, in-school suspensions, disciplinary reasons given, arrests, and drop-outs) total 12.14 percent of the total school population. In contrast, only 8.08 percent of students involved in music classes meet the same criteria as “disruptive.” Based on data from the NELS:88 (National Education Longitudinal Study), second follow-up, 1992.
* Data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 showed that music participants received more academic honors and awards than non-music students, and that the percentage of music participants receiving As, As/Bs, and Bs was higher than the percentage of non- participants receiving those grades. NELS:88 First Follow-up, 1990, National Center for Education Statistics, Washington DC
* Physician and biologist Lewis Thomas studied the undergraduate majors of medical school applicants. He found that 66% of music majors who applied to medical school were admitted, the highest percentage of any group. 44% of biochemistry majors were admitted. As reported in “The Case for Music in the Schools,” Phi Delta Kappan, February 1994
* A study of 811 high school students indicated that the proportion of minority students with a music teacher role-model was significantly larger than for any other discipline. 36% of these students identified music teachers as their role models, as opposed to 28% English teachers, 11% elementary teachers, 7% physical education/sports teachers, 1% principals. D.L. Hamann and L.M. Walker, “Music teachers as role models for African-American students,” Journal of Research in Music Education, 41, 1993
For more information about the benefits of Keeping the Arts in Schools, please visit:
http://www.artsusa.org/
http://www.artsusa.org/public_awareness/default.asp
http://www.childrensmusicworkshop.com/advocacy/
© 2009 – 2011, Robert Owen. All rights reserved.
