There is another study that says music is good for you. We already know that children who take music lessons or even listen to music on a regular basis do better in school. Now a new study from Michigan State University says that elderly people taking group keyboard lessons had an increase in growth hormones. Human growth hormone levels in a 60 year-old are usually only 25 percent what they are in a 20 year-old. Why is growth hormone so important to the elderly? It has been shown to fight osteoporosis, increase levels of help with sexual function and increase muscle mass.
For more information please see the 1010 WINS web site: http://www.1010wins.com/your_health/1999-july html
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On the 23 and 24th of April, the University of Miami School of Medicine in conjunction with the Center for Integrative and Complementary Medicine, the Miami Area Geriatric Education Center, the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Music Therapy sponsored a symposium titled, Music Medicine: Enhancing Health Through Music.
One of the most important components of the symposium was the announcement of the results of a study conducted by Frederick Tims, Ph.D., MT-BC, Professor and Chair, Department of Music Therapy, Michigan State University. The project measured the biological and psychological effects of music making on the health and wellbeing of some 100 healthy retired persons.
Dr. Tims reported on the psychological portion of the study during the symposium (the biological data is due in May) with the results that levels of depression, loneliness and anxiety were all significantly reduced in those who participated in a socially supportive environment of making music.
The study was a joint effort of five universities in cooperation with the American Music Therapy Association. Major funding for the project was provided the NAMM the International Music Products Association, music retailers and manufacturers and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Inc.
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On Thursday, March 18, 1999, The Honorable Bob Schaffer of Colorado read into the Congressional Record the following:
Mr. Schaffer. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the importance of new research supporting the benefits of music education. The arts as an academic discipline have long been seen as an essential component of education. Recent scientific studies confirm what teachers of old have always known-music and the other arts stimulate higher brain function. Music education has been shown to elevate test scores in other subjects, particularly math. The Statement of Principles is an important document; it outlines seven basic concepts that, if followed, will maximize the benefits arts education for all children. I entered these same statements into the Congressional Record on September 10 so my colleagues might have a chance to review them.
Mr. Speaker, there is a growing body of research demonstrating a causal link between the formal study of music and the development of spatial reasoning skills in young children. This past week new research from the University of California at Irvine has underscored this link by showing children who take piano lessons and play with newly designed computer software perform better on tests with fractions and proportional math than students not exposed to the piano lessons.
These findings are especially important when one considers that a grasp of fractions and proportional math is a prerequisite to math at higher levels, and children who do not master these areas of math cannot understand more advanced math critical to high-tech fields.
Music lovers like myself have long promoted music education as a way to inspire creativity, develop discipline, and cultivate an appreciation for the arts. Although we suspected gains in cognitive development, today we have new research to confirm it. I urge my colleagues to review the research and encourage families and educators in their Congressional districts to make music education a priority.
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From Antonio Monzino, Music Education Advocate and President of DISMA (the musical instrument trade association in Italy) we received the following report:
Our Minister of Education has established, for the first time in Italy, May 5, 1999 as the First Music Day At School. In 13,000 school locations around the country top professional musicians and/or amateur performers will give two-hour concerts/lessons to promote the new project of establishing a "music laboratory" a physical place in every school where students of any age and grade will play, listen, learn and record music. This project promoted with the Music Industry started this year with a small budget in 100 schools and will gradually be extended to cover all schools within three to four years.
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PBS, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and NAMM the International Music Products Association along with Travelers Insurance and SalomonSmithBarney are very happy to present Great Composers, narrated by Kenneth Branagh. The program is co-produced by the BBC, NVC Arts and Thirteen/WNET in New York.
Great Composers, which premiers April 14, 21 and 28 on PBS, takes an investigative look at six of the most influential and enduring architects of Western music history: Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner, Mahler, Tchaikovsky, and Puccini. Broadcast over three nights, each hour-long program delves beyond superficial histories to unearth the inspirations, innovations, loves and obsessions of six men who were not only musical icons but also decidedly human.
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Second-Graders in Study Scored Higher than Others on Fractions and Proportional Math
Irvine, Calif. -- Taking piano lessons and solving math puzzles on a computer significantly improves specific math skills of elementary school children, according to a study by UC Irvine researchers.
The results of the study -- published in the March issue of the journal Neurological Research -- are the latest in a series that link musical training to the development of higher brain functions, said UCI physics professor emeritus Gordon Shaw, who led the study.
Researchers worked with 135 second-grade students at the 95th Street School in Los Angeles after conducting a pilot study with 102 Orange County students. Children given four months of piano keyboard training, as well as time playing with newly designed computer software, scored 27 percent higher on proportional math and fractions tests than other children. The study was funded through grants from the Texaco Foundation, The Gerard Family Trust and Newport Beach philanthropist Marjorie Rawlins.
Piano instruction is thought to enhance the brain's "hard-wiring" for spatial-temporal reasoning, or the ability to visualize and transform objects in space and time, Shaw said. Music involves ratios, fractions, proportions and thinking in space and time.
At the same time, the computer game--called Spatial-Temporal Animation Reasoning (STAR) -- allows children to solve geometric and math puzzles that boost their ability to manipulate shapes in their minds. (Puzzle samples are available upon request.)
Children who took piano lessons and played with the math software performed better on tests of fractions and proportional math than children who took English language instruction on the computer and played with the math software, and better than those who had neither piano lessons nor experience with the math software, Shaw said. Puzzles in the STAR game allow children to apply the type of mental acuity that appears to be heightened by piano practice.
The findings are significant because a grasp of proportional math and fractions is a prerequisite to math at higher levels, and children who do not master these areas of math cannot understand more advanced math critical to high-tech fields.
"Proportional math is usually introduced during the sixth grade, and has proved to be enormously difficult to teach to most children using the usual language-analytic methods," Shaw said. "Not only is proportional math crucial for all college-level science, but it is the first academic hurdle that requires the children to grasp underlying concepts before they can master the material. Rote learning simply does not work."
Students who used the software and played the piano also demonstrated a heightened ability to think ahead, Shaw said. "They were able to leap ahead several steps on problems in their heads," he noted.
These findings offer not only new insight into the theory of mental development, but also a potentially powerful teaching tool, capable of stimulating second-grade children to master critical sixth-grade reasoning concepts. The piano teaching and software helped children regardless of income level, boosting achievement of students in low socioeconomic settings.
The study is only the latest in a series linking musical training to the learning process. Prior UCI studies based on a mathematical model of the cortex predicted that early music training would enhance spatial-temporal reasoning, and a 1997 study indicated that preschool children given six months of piano keyboard lessons improved dramatically on such reasoning.
Research participants included Amy Graziano, a postdoctoral researcher in UCI's Department of Physics and Astronomy who designed and coordinated the project, and Matthew Peterson, a former student of Shaw's who is now a doctoral student in the Department of Vision Science at UC Berkeley. Shaw and Peterson administered the program through their non-profit Music Intelligence Neural Development (MIND) Institute in Irvine, and Peterson designed the STAR software. Graziano and Shaw are both part of the UCI Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, an internationally know n institute dedicated exclusively to the multi-disciplinary investigation of how the brain processes information and makes and stores memories.
The researchers plan to expand the study to six schools this fall to demonstrate its effectiveness in a variety of settings, and are seeking educators in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties who are interested in participating and can furnish a music teacher and computers. They also are developing new written math tests with Michael Martinez, UCI associate professor of education, and preparing materials to integrate piano training and the STAR software into the standard second-grade math curriculum. They eventually would like to apply the findings to the K-12 math and science curriculum, as well.
Shaw also has written a book on the science of music and the brain. "Music Enhances Learning: Keeping Mozart in Mind" (Academic Press) is scheduled for release in May. Shaw is known for his 1993 research that showed college students scored higher on spatial-temporal reasoning tests after listening to a Mozart piano sonata. Dubbed the "Mozart Effect" by media, the phenomenon prompted further interest in research to explore the relationship between music, intelligence and learning.
For more information on the UCI Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, see www.cnlm.uci.edu. For more information on the MIND Institute's research, see www.mindinst.org.
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The American Music Conference is looking for (non-musical) advertisers who use musical instruments in their advertising. If you see an ad that qualifies, please send it to us at AMC, 5790 Armada Drive, Suite 210, Carlsbad, CA 92008. The advertising company gets a certificate and a letter from us thanking them. So far, we've honored MasterCard/Visa; IBM, Bacardi & Company Limited; Intel; Harry & David; Lexus; Maxwell House Coffee and Hunter Douglas, to name a few.
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Michael Green, President/CEO of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Inc. spoke eloquently on music education during his presentation on the Grammy Awards last February. Following is his speech.
Michael Green: Good evening folks, and on behalf of the recording academy we hope you're enjoying the forty first annual Grammy awards. There's over a billion of you out there in more than a hundred and eighty countries. You're the fans, you're the music lovers, the main reason that we're all here tonight. And before the last chance of the new millennium slips away, all these wonderful and talented people here want to say thanks. Thanks for buying our music, thank you very much for coming to our concerts, and for making us reach higher by always demanding our very best. So from all of us here, to all of you, our partners, a great big thank you.
[Applause]
Thank you folks. That's so very nice.
This partnership between you and the arts grows stronger every year in new and exciting ways. Recent groundbreaking scientific research astounds us, building upon a compelling body of evidence that music is fundamental. Music is magic. Music therapists prove every single day that music is powerful medicine. Tearing down the walls of silence and affliction of Alzheimer's, depression, Parkinson's and autism. And did you know that kids who study the arts, do an average of forty points higher in math and science? Yep. And that music education is superior to even computer instruction in enhancing early childhood mental capacity and spacial intelligence. Soon the academy is going to be announcing a groundbreaking nationwide program in support of early childhood development. Seeing to it that mothers of newborns leave the hospital with a very, very special resource kit. It includes education materials, and a classical CD produced specifically to help build the very fertile minds of newborns. And we're also pleased that the academy had joined with first lady Hilary Rodham Clinton to celebrate the Arts Through Education program. This will ensure that the arts will be made available for every child with special emphasis on those kids who live in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Because the arts provide self-esteem, self-reliance and instill hope in these very places where hope and dreams are in short, short supply. So let's fight for the arts because the arts advance our society, they speak to the soul, they bring different cultures together, and now we know, they just make us a lot smarter.
[Applause]
Tonight the recording academy recognizes five unique individuals with its lifetime achievement award. The first is one of rocks seminal writer performers whose transition from gospel to pop brought with it a rhythm that speaks to the spirit and shouts from the soul. Mr. Sam Cooke.
A soul legend whose meteoric rise took him from sweeping a Memphis studio to being remembered as perhaps R and B's most influential performer of all time. Otis Redding.
The writer, performer who more than anyone else helped Barry Gordy make Motown the music of young America. With hits like 'You Really Got a Hold on Me', 'Shop Around' and many many more. Mr. Smokey Robinson.
The Velvet Fog, an artist whose remarkable voice truly represents the big band era, and beyond. And whose little ditty 'The Christmas Song' remains to this day one of the most performed recordings of all time. Mel Torme.
And the very, very first man in black whose five decades as a performer not only enriched country music, but made him one of the first performers to cross over and reach legendary status in both pop and country music. Mr. Johnny Cash.
But folks. Lets say a very special hello and welcome and congratulations to both Mel and Johnny, they're both watching from home tonight. Hi guys.
And finally no celebration of this year, or this century for that matter, would be complete without recognizing the hundredth anniversary of the birth of one of the greatest names in jazz. Tonight the academy pays tribute to Edward Kennedy Ellington. The Duke. For the indelible mark his music made on nearly every jazz artist who ever stepped on a stage, or ever will. To help us, please welcome the incomparable Mr. Winton Marsalis.
End of Mike Green's speech.
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by Dr. Alicia Ann Clair and Karl T. Bruhn © 1999
Perhaps one of the best ways to be well is to remain interested in life and to participate fully in it. The mode of participation is a matter of individual choice, however, music making can be central to that which stimulates interest and motivates participation.
Participating and learning to make one's own music appeals to people of all ages. However, it is often especially appealing to older adults who value wellness and prevention of disease, because involvement with music tends to promote physical and psychological well-being. When people have success with music, boredom is relieved and efforts are directed toward personal productivity and pleasurable results. In addition, feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction tend to dominate feelings of pain and discomfort. People experience positive emotional responses and report that generally they "feel good."
Many healthy older adults have the time and energy to pursue a host of interests, including music making. Some have long desired to develop musical skills or to relearn a music skill acquired earlier. Regardless of the age at which people begin, music making provides great potential for enhanced quality of life and subsequent wellness.
Ideally, people learn to make music in their early years, often in elementary school. Unfortunately, it they donÌt have the inclination or opportunity to begin at that entry level they are, too often, unlikely to do so later in their lives...primarily, because they are under the mistaken belief that they are too old.
However, writing in MuSICA, Research Notes, Dr. Norman M. Weinberger, Center for the Neurobiology of Learning & Memory, University of California at Irvine, is quick to point out that it is never too late for music. He goes on to say, "It is an established fact that the adult brain is perfectly capable of learning and remembering music throughout life span. A well known case in point is the New Horizons Band started by Dr. Roy Ernst, Chairman of the Department of Music Education at the renowned Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. Dr. Ernst has formed a band comprised largely of adults between the ages of about 60 to 85, the majority of whom never had previous music lessons. With instruction and encouragement, the New Horizons Band had achieved excellence in performance, not to mention the great pleasure and happiness afforded both its members and audiences."
Dr. Frederick Tims, professor and chair of Music Therapy at Michigan State University says, We feel strongly that abundant healthy benefits can be achieved by older adults who learn to make music in a supportive, socially enjoyable setting. Researchers believe this to be the case because over and above the sheer pleasure and enjoyment of learning to make music, participating in supportive, socially enjoyable music classes provides the opportunity for social interaction in a totally non-threatening environment.
The fact is that the capacity to learn music remains viable throughout life and research indicates clearly that older adults retain their musical abilities. Furthermore, these abilities often remain strong through the seventh, eighth and ninth decades.
Clearly, music making and wellness is an idea whose time has come, and as Dr. Weinberger points out, it is never too late for music.
Dr. Alicia Ann Clair is Director of Music Therapy, University of Kansas. Karl Bruhn serves as presidential advisor to the American Music Therapy Association.
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Carlsbad, CA. With the growing body of scientific evidence suggesting the causal link between music and intelligence, there is a parallel dialogue about the place of music in our schools and in programs of childhood development. The discussion ranges from using music as a tool to reach a greater end such as improved test scores to preserving music as a stand-alone, key component of a well-rounded education.
Upon examination of new programs around the country that both integrate and separate music in curricula, the success of these programs indicates that there is a new awareness that music is profoundly important in its own right but that it can also play a very valuable role as a facilitator in acquiring other competencies.
With respect to the intrinsic value of music in education, two researchers at Project Zero, an arts program at Harvard Graduate School of Education, made the following eloquent statements: "Music, like math, physics and poetry, is an essential part of our culture. Children improve their future lives immeasurably by gaining a deep understanding of its structure and its beauty. This is justification enough for music in our schools." (Ellen Winner & Lois Hetland, New York Times, Op Ed, March 4, 1999.)
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In a February 22, 1999 article run in the Sacramento (Calif.) Bee, the research of Dr. Diana Deutsch who is an expert in music cognition and perception, at the University of California-San Diego was discussed. It's a little different than the music and early childhood research we've been talking about recently, but very interesting. Excerpts from the article follow:
. . . .Plumbing a different mental illusion, Deutsch at UC San Diego studies differences in the way people hear music. She does so by producing special musical notes by computer. The notes are stripped of their harmonics, tones that add richness and resonance, the way shades of red or green influence the color blue.
When Deutsch plays a particular pattern of three such notes, some listeners hear the tones rising, and others falling.
Why should we be subject to this paradox? She asked rhetorically. At first I thought it was something crazy about the computer. I was particularly puzzled because I happened to hear the pattern in a way that was opposite from most of my students here.
Then Deutsch happened to play the notes for listeners in London, where she grew up. They heard it as she did.
That led Deutsch to wonder if the phenomenon is related to language. To test the idea, she assembled two groups of Vietnamese immigrants. The first had arrived in the United States as children, grew up in Vietnamese-speaking households and now, as young adults, speak English well and Vietnamese poorly.
The second group consisted of their parents, immigrants who arrived as adults and speak broken English, if at all.
Both groups heard the musical pattern. They interpreted it the same way.
The finding, new and not yet published, confirms Deutsch's suspicions. We're primed by the voices heard around us, she said. We hear. . .what we're conditioned to hear.
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AMC will be working with VH1 on the premiere of 50 Violins, a movie starring Meryl Streep, Gloria Estefan and Angela Bassett. Details to follow.
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The April 8, 1998 issue of "Education Week" leads with a cover story about the effects of music making on young minds. The article "Music on the Mind" by Debra Viadero is clearly one of the best compilations of what is known and not known about the effects of music listening and music making in the development of children. Both Frances Rauscher and Gordon Shaw call for improved and expanded music education programs for young children based on what is known while Dr. Rauscher also points out "There is little evidence to suggest that just listening to music, as Gov. Miller of Georgia has proposed, produces lasting intellectual benefits."
A must read for any policy maker, decision maker, educator, parent or advocate. Run out and get yourself a copy!
Source: Education Week, April 8, 1998; American Music Conference
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What do Celine Dion, Aretha Franklin, Gloria Estefan, Shania Twain, Maria Carey, Jennifer Aniston, Teri Hatcher, Sarah Jessica Parker and Susan Sarandon all have in common? The are coming together for a star studded VH1 Honors concert to raise funds and awareness for music education in the schools!
This superstar lineup is all part of the VH1 Honors being broadcast live from The Beacon Theater in New York City on Tuesday April 14th at 9PM (ET), 8PM (CT/MT) and taped at 9PM (PT). The Concert is a benefit for "VH1 Save the Music"--a national campaign designed to help restore instrumental music programs in the public schools and help raise awareness about the benefits of a music education.
For those who are not sure why these artists would come together for this cause, check out this weeks TV Guide (April 11). In an article "DIVAS" many of the artists appearing attribute their involvement and love of music as a direct result of their music teachers. Many received their first music lessons in their school.
Get your VCR's ready! There will be lots of great music, never before seen pairings of artists, and some great advocacy material you can use in your community. And, there will even be special surprise or two!!
"VH1 Save the Music" is a partnership between VH1; NAMM-The International Music Products Association and Silver Burdett Ginn with additional support from the National Coalition for Music Education (Music Educators National Conference, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Inc. and NAMM) and the American Music Conference.
Check out the VH1 Save the Music site at: http://www.vh1.com
Source: VH1, American Music Conference
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The April issue of BBC Music Magazine features editorial space by Graeme Kay and eloquent companion commentary addressing the decline of elementary level music education in England. The problems they are facing sound all too familiar . To quote: "Now it has been announced....that Britain is to follow America in ejecting music from the primary schools. Teachers will only have to 'have regard' for music for children up to the age of 11, they will not have to teach it."
Source: BBC Music Magazine, April 1998
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The Texas Coalition for Quality Arts Education (TCQAE) and its member organizations is pleased to announce our new website: http://www.txarts.net/tcqae. The site is changing daily and is filled with valuable information and links to many other arts sites. Sections include:
and much, much more!
The TCQAE website welcomes links to this site. The TCQAE has also announced that 1999 has been declared as The Year of Arts Education in Texas!
Source: James Clarke, TCQAE
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U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley touted the importance of music and arts education in a speech on Thursday (3/19) focusing solely on this topic during his appearance at an arts magnet high school in New Haven, Connecticut. For those of you who were looking for encouraging words to counter balance the relentless "Reading and Math, Reading and Math, Reading and Math" mantra from the Administration, this comes as a welcome and pleasant relief. Some excerpts:
"I have long believed in the important role that music and the arts can play in helping students learn, achieve, and succeed."
"But there are also very tangible and measurable benefits to education and academic success that come from learning about, and participating in the arts and music. One study showed that pre-schoolers who took keyboard lessons and joined in group singing scored higher on tests measuring spatial reasoning and develop better abstract reasoning than those who did not -- activities that are of critical importance in later development of math, science and engineering skills."
"The good news is that more and more people are beginning to understand this very positive relationship between the arts and learning. As President Clinton said: 'We know there's so much evidence that music has a positive impact on academic performance, on social skills, on self-confidence. Anything this country can do to save these programs for the schools and for the children should be done.'"
There is much, much, more than we have room for here. But, fear not! We have transcribed the speech and will have it placed into "Breaking News" on the AMC web site ASAP. It is something every parent, teacher, school board member and above all arts educator should see!!
Source: U.S. Department of Education
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In Sunday's New York Times (3/22) there is an interesting column about the need for music education in our schools. In the Classical View column titled " Don't Blame Modernist for the Empty Seats," Paul Griffiths describes the decline of classical music, its recordings, audiences, musicians, etc. Rather than lament about the decline he offers a solution.
He writes, "Instead of worrying about how classical music has reached its present precarious condition, we might better spend our time thinking over how things could be improved... We should resolve, most vitally, to encourage and enhance music in schools... And all of the evidence suggests that performing music help a child in acquiring other skills. Music seems to hook into parts of the brain that have to do with mathematics and language abilities."
He continues, "On a more practical level, a child involved in musical performance is confronted with challenges that will be of lifelong benefit: how you present yourself in public, how you argue a case, how you interpret a document, what evidence you accept and what you will question, where you draw the line between what you are told and what you want, how you work with others toward a common goal." He then goes on to discus the important intrinsic value of music education as well.
The timing of this article is ironic. Here's why. Many of our colleagues in Philadelphia have recently emerged from a successful battle against an effort to privatize music education in the Philadelphia Public School system by the management of some local cultural institutions (with some federal funding support for good measure) which would have made music available only to those who can afford it (a position certainly not supported by the column referenced above nor Secretary Riley's speech). The plan, which was promoted to "help music teachers," somehow forgot to check with the teachers to see what kind of help they needed.
As a matter of opinion, I have never understood the philosophy of some organizations who propose to support music and arts education IN our schools by taking it OUT of the schools! Nor do I understand how organizations can support music and arts education by excluding from the planning and debate the very people who have been trained in their art form and certified as teachers of the arts so they may bring this vaulable gift to our children. These are contradictions that can never be reconciled.
Make no mistake, there is a valuable, important, supporting role our cultural organization can (and must!) play to support music and arts education. And the arts education community welcomes this. But, it starts with unquestionable dedication to the support of music and arts education as a basic subject in our schools (and support for the arts educators that bring these programs to our children). This must be the founding premise for ANY partnership.
The NYT column is a supporting article that, based on recent history, the doctor ordered. Run out to your news stands and get a copy today!
Source: New York Times, 3/22/98, Philadelphia Music Advocates
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Dan Rather, well known CBS Evening News Anchor, wrote a powerful syndicated column which appeared yesterday (3/20) in the San Diego Union-Tribune. Titled "Silencing the Sound of Music," Rather writes eloquently about the importanceof music education for all children and the impact this had on his own life.
Describing his role as an accomplished woodblock player ("scholars believe the woodblock was invented BEFORE music. And you had only listened to the way I played") he hit on one of the most important aspect of why teachers each and children should learn music:
"In all honesty those little music classes didn't turn me into a musician - you'd need a MAGICIAN to do that. But those classes did give me an appreciation of music:"
"Music is difficult. It requires work and thought and sweat and inspiration. I haven't taken it for granted since."
"Music is exciting. It is thrilling to be sitting in a group of musicians playing (more or less) the same piece of music. You are part of a great, powerful, vibrant entity. And nothing beats the feeling you get when you've practiced a difficult section over and over and finally get it right. (yes, even on the wood block.) And you think YOU'RE excited when you get that song right: Imagine how your MOTHER feels. You can see it in her face: relief and pride. Big pride."
"Music is important. It says things you heart can't say any other way, and in a language everyone speaks. Music crosses borders, turns smiles into frowns, and vice versa."
"These observations are shared with a hope: that, when schools cut back on music classes, the really think about what they're doing - and don't take music for granted."
Clearly, a great column for advocacy and one more piece of evidence supporting my theory "Drummers will rule the Earth"....but, that's for another AMC Music-News!
Source: Sand Diego Union-Tribune, 3/20/98
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The next entry in our parade of "must have" articles comes from one of the folks who has been a leader, fighter and one of the pioneers of the modern day music advocacy efforts as a founding partner of the National Coalition for Music Education (Along with MENC and NAMM) with which AMC has long been aligned.
In the current issue of Grammy Magazine, NARAS President & CEO Michael Greene hammers (yes, we mean HAMMERS) home the point of the economic imperative for music and arts education to keep us from developing "culturally bankrupt societies." In "The Arts Make America Rich" Michael muses, "If conservative legislators can find no reason in their shriveled souls to support the arts, maybe they will consider their wallets."
He continues later in the article, "We call upon the nation's lawmakers to return quality arts education to the nation's agenda this year...Even if they put aside any consideration of beauty and aesthetics, they simply must set the stage for the nation's economic growth in the changing times ahead."
The remainder of the article explores the various industries which demand the skills only provided by arts education and the economic impact these industries have on the U.S. economy. He closes with a call to arms, "History will judge us harshly if we allow the strangulation of our arts education to continue. Take the fight to your community and let your artistic indignation ring loud and long. In this we must not fail."
Source: Grammy Magazine
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President Clinton urged all Americans to support music education in the schools during a taping of the "VH1 Save the Music" campaign. The remarks, which were later edited for broadcast on VH1 as part of the "Diva's Live" broadcast, should be another powerful tool for advocates across the country. Below is the complete transcript:
"I want to thank Hillary and John Sykes for their comments and I want to tell you how pleased I am to help launch VH1 Save The Music which is already improving the quality of music education across our country."
"You know music education is something very dear to my heart. When I was in high school I had music teacher, a wonderful man, named Virgil Sperling who taught me a lot more than scales and keys and how to hold a steady note on the saxophone. He taught me about patience and practice, hard work and dedication and teamwork. The music I made on that first tenor saxophone of mine wasn't always beautiful to the ear. My mother can certainly testify to that. But as I learned and improved, I came to understand how important a musical instrument can be as an outlet for creativity, for ideas and emotions that only music can express."
"That's why VH1 Save The Music is so important. One small investment of a donated musical instrument can help a young artist to fulfill his or her God-given ability. I think that's a pretty good investment. In that spirit, I am very pleased to present a saxophone of mine to an accomplished young artist, Gregory Thompson. Gregory's been playing the saxophone since the 4th grade and last year he won an invitation to play in the Duke Ellington Youth Music Festival. That's a very high honor. He even plays the drums which he learned when his church ensemble played at the White House holiday party last year. Gregory, I'm proud and I know your parents are proud, that you've developed your gift for music, and with the help of "VH1 Save The Music", other students will develop that gift too."
Source: VH1 (http://www.vh1.com), American Music Conference
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In the April 23, 1998 issue of Nature, Researchers at the University of Munster in Germany reported their discovery that music lessons in childhood actually enlarge the brain. An area used to analyze the pitch of a musical note is enlarged 25% in musicians, compared to people who have never played an instrument. The findings suggest the area is enlarged through practice and experience. The earlier the musicians were when they started musical training, the bigger this area of the brain appears to be.
In a May 5, 1998 New York Times article it states: "The discovery, described in the April 23 issue of the journal Nature, was made after scientists put musicians and others into a magnetic brain imaging machine pointed at the auditory cortex, where sounds are processed. This part of the brain contains cells, called neurons, which are sensitive to different sound frequencies. Neurons that fire in response to the same frequency tend to cluster into little islands, forming a kind of sound frequency map in the auditory cortex. The researchers said that skilled musicians use more neurons for processing sounds from a piano or better synchronize those sounds because of their training. Furthermore, the younger the musicians started playing their instruments, the greater their response to piano notes. Musicians with perfect pitch or absolute relative pitch showed no differences. The increased response to piano tones was the same in those who played piano, woodwinds or stringed instruments, although most of the musicians said that they had received early training on the piano.
As we mentioned before we are about to see an avalanche of information which will go on to show the incredible impact music making has on the overall development of human beings OF ALL AGES. This is just one more important piece of the puzzle!
Source: Nature, New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com)
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Thanks to Bob Morrison of the American Music Conference for allowing CMEA Bay Section to post these articles. If you are interested in what the American Music Conference is doing, visit their website.