A Long December...

... and there's reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaason to belieeeeeeeeve, maybe NEXT year NCLB will FINALLY get reauthorized! la la la!

Grr. Charlie Brown is accurately representing how I feel about NCLB's chances of getting reauthorized anytime soon (shameless plug: see the latest MENC Legislative Memo for more on this!)

Anyways, afternoon, music education lovers!!

I hope that everyone is doing well on this lovely, but chilly (at least here in the Commonwealth) Friday! 'Tis officially the season!! MENC is full of holiday cheer! This week, each staff member received a lovely mini holiday tree for our desks, complete with bulbs and little snowmen! I'm extremely excited for my tree, but also TERRIFIED of killing it (much like the plants in my office which HLS swooooooooooore that she would help me take care of), so i'm definitely soliciting "tree care" advice!

I do music education advocacy people, horticulturist I am not.

In addition to the holiday trees, this has been an exciting week here at MENC for other reasons as well! I spent some more time on Capitol Hill discussing the new music education Harris Poll results and our legislative recommendations for NCLB with a number of congressional staffers. It's absolutely critical that we continue to take full advantage of the Harris Poll's impact and publicity in order to remind Reps and Senators that if and when they finally, FINALLY decide to tackle NCLB again, music education should be at the top of their lists (no Christmas pun intended)!!

It's also been a good week for the Government Relations & Outreach Department because the braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand new MENC Legislative Memo is out! Woohoo! Be sure to check it out when you get a chance--if you're a subscriber, it should be in your e-mail already!

HLS and SKJ have been hard at work this week as well, HLS playing congressional scheduler, setting up and coordinating meetings with Hill offices and preparing leave behind materials for me, and SKJ researching away on the new MusicFriends newsletter and working on various other important outreach projects. We're a busy bunch indeed!

Well, that's all for now gang! Enjoy the festive spirit and snow (if you've got it already where you are!, if you're somewhere warm... well, then we're jealous!)

And now... here are the Friday...

"Government Relations & Outreach Department Album Picks of the Week!!!"

SKJ: Josh Groban - Noel
HLS: Various Artists - A Very Special Christmas 3
CBLW: Sufjan Stevens - Songs for Christmas

Midweek Meanderings and Miscellany XXXVII: Lite!

Due to the last two week's Miscellany columns being rather long, this week's will be relatively short! Lots to do, so, will just share a few thoughts and info with you!

A member wrote to MENC in response to the November question of the Month, regarding boys in middle and high school choir.....this member has elementary choirs, and the survey hadn't asked about elementary level....so, in the December Question of the Month, we WILL ask about boys' participation in elementary level ensembles and music classes (as well as about the Sacred music/holiday issue!).

This very active and dedicated member shared all about his music program - see THIS LINK,
and check out The Eagle Orff Ensemble (scroll down the page for photo!), 4th and 5th graders who practice and perform songs on xylophones, metalophones, glockenspiels, and other non-pitched percussion instruments!

A colleague at MENC found this question in a blog..... If you could save only 7 pieces of music from any time on any level, what 7 pieces would you choose?
As one comment said, "if you ask me again in 5 minutes, the list will change!" Read the short article and see what pieces some people have listed! What would YOU list?

Recently, MENC announced the results of a Harris poll, and mentioned that Steven Van Zandt had created a Rock 'n Roll curriculum - read more about it, below. Curriculum will be available for the school year 08!
Little Steven (Van Zandt) Rock and Roll High school curriculum-

and MORE INFO.....and the MENC Press Release

Finally, just for fun.....
In several of the Wednesday blogs, I've mentioned "El Sistema", the Venezuelan Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra. One graduate of that program, Gustavo Dudamel, (who currently leads the Youth Orchestra) has been chosen to be the conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic starting in 2009/2010. See his bio/story HERE
On his website, in his(click this link: "personal/FAQ") section you can find:
Marcel Proust's questionnaire
Bernard Pivot's questionnaire

If you've ever watched James Lipton's Inside the Actors Studio on Bravo, you will be familiar with Bernard Pivot's short survey. Try it, if you need a break from the stress!

The last question always asked in the Pivot questionnaire is: If God exists, what would you like to hear him say to you after your death?

And Dudamel answers he'd like to hear God saying: "Wake up, you have to assist the annual composers' and conductors' reunion, headed by Mozart and Mahler... and by the way, hurry up, your grandpa is waiting for you! "
Read just a bit more below.....

If you're interested in a LISTENING LIST suggested by teachers back in August (i.e. pieces/artists recommended music students listen to), please write info@menc.org and we'll send the list of input!
Have a good week, and see you next Wednesday! SR

Tuesday after Thanksgiving

And now ... More "Famous Student Stories!"

I recently received this great message from Dr. David Ashcraft, MENC Life Member, Past President of AzMEA, and Past Editor of AZ Music News. He writes:

"During my 33 years as Choral Director at Sahuaro High School in Tucson, Arizona, I was privileged to teach a number of brilliantly talented students, many having gained positive notoriety since graduating. Five former students immediately come to mind:

"Danyelle Bossardet – A singer, dancer, actor, choreographer and director throughout high school, Danyelle participated in Sahuaro musical theatre productions, playing the role of Lucy in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown and Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes. A graduate of the University of Arizona Theatre Arts Department, Danielle has appeared in numerous shows in the United States and Canada, most recently charming audiences as Belle in the American national touring company production of Beauty and the Beast.








"Ben Crawford – A member of the Sahuaro Concert Choir and Advanced Vocal Ensemble, Ben was highly involved on stage as well as on the volleyball court. He played the role of Tevye in Sahuaro’s Fiddler on the Roof that led to other musical theatre pursuits. A graduate of the University of Arizona Theatre Arts Department, Ben has followed his dream by recently accepting the parts of Factory Foreman and understudy for Jean Valjean and Javert in the Broadway production of Les Miserables.



"Shawn James – A member of the Sahuaro Concert Choir and Advanced Vocal Ensemble, Shawn handled the role of Mayor Shinn in Sahuaro’s production of My Fair Lady. He also competed as a member of the school’s varsity basketball team. Shawn graduated from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis where he sang in the Glee Club, participating in several performances including concerts at the White House. Following the completion of his career as a Naval Intelligence Officer where he served on active duty as director of intelligence for the Naval Special Warfare Development, he was appointed group vice president of maritime security and domain awareness for Lockheed-Martin prior to working for BAE Systems North America as president of Business Development for the Technology Solutions Sector.



"Steve McLaughlin – A member of the Sahuaro Concert Choir and Advanced Vocal Ensemble, Steve also appeared in school productions in the roles of Arab in West Side Story and Andrew Carnes in Oklahoma. A standout on the school’s football team, he went on to serve as place kicker for the University of Arizona Wildcats. Steve set several school records, received All-Pac 10 and All-American honors and helped the team to a Fiesta Bowl victory over the University of Miami. He was later named to the Lindy’s Collegiate Team of the Decade. As the top place kicker in the nation, the broadcast journalism major received the coveted Lou Groza Award and was subsequently drafted by the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. Also a kicker for the Atlanta Falcons and Baltimore Ravens, Steve ended his football career with the Arena Football League where he captured leading scorer honors prior to retiring. He was later inducted into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame. Off the field, Steve’s passion for music has manifested itself in his continued association with Pet the Fish, a rock band he formed in college for which he has served as lead singer and guitarist. The band enjoyed touring the Western United States and once opened for Dave Matthews. Steve said he always had a favorite tune running through his head as he envisioned the ball splitting the uprights.

"Paul Whitthorne – A member of the Sahuaro Concert Choir, Advanced Vocal Ensemble and varsity soccer team (where he captured a state championship) Paul had leading roles in school productions including Freddy in My Fair Lady, the title role in Snoopy and Tony in West Side Story. Continuing on to UCLA’s renowned Film and Theatre School, he subsequently received theatrical training as part of Julliard’s Group 24. Having starred in Young Riders and Critters 4, Paul appeared as Bradley in Guiding Light as well as in several other television shows and commercials. Broadway credits include The Tempest. His extensive Off-Broadway work has included the New York Shakespeare Festival at Central Park’s Delacorte Theatre where he shared the stage with Star Trek’s Patrick Stewart. "

Thank you, Dr. Ashcraft! If you have a "Famous Student Story" to share, please email it to ElizabethL@menc.org.

It's another busy week here at MENC, so that's it from me today. Onward! -- EWL

Harley Gives Thanks in our World

Well, Turkey Day came and went. In our world we were thankful for: 1) sharing a day together with family and friends; 2) having a great time with my brother and nephew who come every Thanksgiving Day; 3) cooking a full dinner and not poisoning anyone (Harley is the taster); 4) enjoying a week off and sleeping in. We hope your holiday was blessed with happiness and abundance. What went on around the hallways of MENC last week -- I'm not sure! We did have a number of staff off for the holidays. Guess what -- I did manage to decorate for Christmas on Saturday so as my nephew said, "We arrived for one season (Thanksgiving) and woke up to another (Christmas)."

This morning I woke up at 3:30 AM in order to get brother and nephew off on their car trip back to St. Louis (a 14 hour drive) so my perkiness today is starting to wear off. Last week, EWL sent an email out to the membership reminding all that this holiday season, online shoppers can make a big difference to music education by making purchases at Amazon.com through the MENC web site (http://www.menc.org/) and clicking on "Make Purchases on Amazon.com via MENC's Associate Link." MENC will receive a small commission on any purchase of books, music, movies, and more. Have a great week!

Here is my brother and me on Thanksgiving Day -- (Harley was too busy gobbling to get in the photo):

Midweek Meanderings and Miscellany XXXVI: Turkey Trot to the Future!

This turkey knows HIS future! But, do Music Educators know THEIRS?

In this month's Question of the Month survey, we asked members how optimistic they were that music education will continue to be offered in K - 12 schools over the next 20 years. As of 11/19, the answers showed:


26% very optimistic; 31% optimistic; 27% somewhat optimistic; 9% not optimistic; 3% very pessimistic

Is this what the music student of the future will look like?!

We asked members to elaborate on their answers. Again, as of 11/19, here are a few choice responses (and there were many more describing the effects of the NCLB act on their deteriorating programs...)

Money Talks...if it's funded well (school system/booster organization), it will survive.


Schedules of students, teachers, and extra curricular activities are taking a toll on time. I find that many students want to be in extra groups, sectionals IF it is during the school day. I must blame much of it on television and video games, I find that guitar hero is very popular with students, I'm not sure that "Oboe Hero" would have the same effect.
As long as the world needs music, music will continue to taught in schools.


The last principal I worked under told me not to bother teaching the curriculum (sight singing, vocal technique, music history, etc.) just to make it fun for the kids as a release from their academic stress - needless to say, after banging my head against the wall for 7 years with that lack of cooperation by the administration, I quit and now teach privately!



If music education is not offered, students will loose out on so many brain and thinking and human expression opportunities, the social fabric of the country will just crumble. Oh wait, that's already happening. Seriously, at some point (hopefully, not too late) decision makers will see that test to oblivion is not serving our nation and will make steps to swing the curriculum back to the arts and social studies instead of just math and science. Skills taught in music education are already sought after. Eventually, political leaders will see this too and fund arts education.


We've been dumbed down as a nation. We now have people in charge who think that anyone who can speak in complete sentences are "elite," let alone anyone who knows about music and the arts... If music is not valued, music education won't be funded. And music is not valued in our society; it's seen merely as another consumer product, not as a natural means of expression, not as our heritage, not as our birthright. When I look at music education in countries like Finland or Germany, I could weep...Have you seen the Bobby McFerrin video, where he sings the piano part to the Schubert "Ave Maria," and the entire audience (thousands of people in a city square) sing the melody together, all the way through? Can you imagine that happening anywhere in our country? We're swimming upstream, and it's a mighty fierce current that's flowing in the opposite direction.


I have retired from public school music teaching and am now teaching music education classes at the college level. The young men and women who are teacher candidates are as enthusiastic as ever about their profession. If we help them in their early years of teaching by mentoring and by modeling good teaching practices, I have no doubt that the future of music education is secure. Whether it will remain an integral part of the public schools is more questionable, however. It is essential that the public make its expectations for continuing arts education known to those who fund and legislate education.

I feel as if I have been fighting "for music" for the last 43 years. Maybe that's the only way to keep it.

American education will not survive without music ed.

As long as there is football, there's a need for a band show at halftime.

Band linked to sports will never go away....keep it connected to athletic contests, community celebrations (parades), awards events (graduation), etc.

Administrators love to use musical groups as a public relations tool.

Humanity's love for music will not die - it is part of who we are. The only reason I would worry is because there seem to be less and less people pursuing music education as a career, partially because it is so demanding, and largely because of the dismal pay scale in most places, especially in the early stages of teaching.

Music education has deteriorated over the past fifty years. As a result, school administrators generally have not had a rich music education, and so equate music with entertainment rather than as a deep and intellectually powerful discipline. The sheer number of skills developed by a musical education outstrips that of any other subject by far; yet it is the most undervalued subject. It is considered a "special" subject, a "minor" subject, an "elective" subject, but certainly not an academic subject. This ignorance is what we must deal with every day as music educators.

They will always need coverage for prep time for "core" ( I use that loosely) subject teachers

As teachers, we have been too limited. Music in American society is not as much about art as it is about making money and fame. Most has little to do with making good choices about meaningful, edifying use of the musical elements. Colleges need to teach our future teachers more about how to reach the musical soul.

We still have fathers forbidding sons from taking vocal music because it's wussy. (Even though my group has traditionally had a slew of football players, wrestlers, basketball players, etc.

I thought that this was a battle I could eventually stop fighting. I was wrong. I've been teaching 35 years. This one will be my last.

Music is part of the very fabric of life. I believe today's parents appreciate the quality and quantity of musical information/performance experiences offered now as opposed to when they were in school. Unfortunately, those who make budgetary decisions regarding public musical education often are non-musicians. It may be helpful to poll children on this, as they are the ones directly affected by these decisions. They have no agenda and can very succinctly get to the point of how much they would miss it.

This leads me to mention yet again (past posts....), the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra from Venezuela, "El Sistema", currently directed by Gustavo Dudamel, a 26 year old graduate of the program, who will soon lead the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In the last few weeks, as the Youth Orchestra has received much press and media attention during its U.K. and U.S. tour (recently playing Carnegie Hall), MENC received a few calls and emails, asking whether such a system could be sustained in the U.S., and why our music education "system" is so pale in comparison to the robust reach of the Venezulan organization. For the last 30 years, (to quote MB of MENC): "El sistema" has had a positive and pretty widespread effect in Venezuela, using music education as a vehicle both for music itself and for social equity." (for more info on El Sistema, see Dudamel's site HERE)

When answering a constitutent's question on why the U.S. education system does not seem to value music education, MB continued: "The comparison (of "El Sistema") with school systems in the U.S. is apt in that it throws into relief the question of why we, in a prosperous nation, are unable to provide all our children with the benefits of music education. Our system's solution to the problem will doubtless be somewhat different from that in Venezuela, but we all need to work for the goal of universal access to music programs -- a goal we share with our colleagues in Venezuela. "

What do YOU think? Comment below!

(And see theYouth Orchestra play "Mambo" from West Side Story at the Proms in London (their encore; they don red, yellow and blue Venezuelan flag colored jackets over their concert dress), and then the Shostakovich 10th Symphony);

and READ MORE about their performances HERE and HERE!

In future weeks, we'll be sharing more results from Question of the Month surveys, so keep an eye out! (eventually, hope to have a new Question of the Month Answer Archive page on the coming NEW OVERHAULED MENC website!)

Please see below for some interesting reads and a few hopefully fun and useful resources for your post-Turkey perusal!

Hoping your Thanksgiving is thankful and peaceful. Thank YOU for being part of MENC!
See you next week! SR

RESOURCES

Little Steven's underground garage: Rock n roll via Van Zandt of E. St. Band

Thanksgiving songs

Holiday and other songs for classroom use

Music for All Seasons: Live music performances to neglected communities
READ "THROUGH the EYES OF MUSICIANS" professional musicians' reactions to playing for the needy

THE ISRAEL PHILHARMONIC 70TH ANNIVERSARY GALA CONCERT TONIGHT, NOVEMBER 21 on PBS

(check local listings!)
Founded in 1936 by Polish violinist and Zionist Bronislaw Huberman, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra -- known at thattime as the Palestine Orchestra -- was established to save Jewish musicians in Europe from the imminent Holocaust. For a brief description of the program and highlights of what's included on its companion Web site at CLICK HERE

SCHOOL of ROCK EXPANSION (with a video on line too! click HERE)

NO MUSIC DAY (in honor of SAINT CECILIA, the Patron Saint of Music and Church Musicians, whose day is NOVEMBER 22!)

Article about No Music Day

BRAIN on MUSIC: The love of music is a human need for social interaction, says Clive Robbins

BLOG on the FUTURE of CLASSICAL MUSIC: should musicians MOVE while they play?

Tuesday News

Last week's media blitz coinciding with the release of the Harris Poll connecting music education with advanced studies and higher education is still reverberating! If you haven't already, check out MENC"s "social media" site with photos and video from the November 12 event at the National Press Club. We've had print, radio, and TV mentions galore in the last week, and lots of Web sites are picking up the story.

We had some great reaction in the blogosphere to the poll. The American Bar Association Law Journal "Law News Now" picked up the story with an article called "How Did Music Education Influence Your Life, Career?" The comments posted by lawyers are revealing and gratifying! (Thanks to former MENC staffer PK for the heads up on that article.)

I was very excited to go on Capitol Hill visits last Tuesday. MENC and Steven Van Zandt were checking in with important decision makers (Edward Kennedy, Mitch McConnell) to encourage them to consider our requests for the NCLB reauthorization and to tell them about Steven's music education foundation and curriculum plans. Steven was stopped by staffers, security guards and Senators at every turn, and it was cool to be in the halls of Congress, where I had not been since a stint as an intern many, many, many years ago.

I enjoyed spending some time with MENC member Joe Pignato, who is writing the curriculum for "Little Steven's Rock & Roll High School," and Warren Zanes, musician, educator and head of Steven's Rock & Roll Forever Foundation. Both very interesting fellows. That's Joe on the left, Warren on the right, as we made our way through a Senators' lunch gathering.

Here's a photo from our meeting with the two Senators from New Jersey. Lots of professional photogs and reporters. You can see fellow blogger CW, MENC Deputy Executive Director MB, Warren Zanes, and Joe Pignato behind NJ Senator Robert Menendez and Steven Van Zandt.

Now I'm back in the office trying meet a million deadlines before we break for Thanksgiving. I'll leave you with more music education in the media! MENC staffer LB alerted me to the following and I thought you might find it interesting. In Frank Deford's segment on NPR's Morning Edition last week, he mentioned that he had been criticized for suggesting that sport should be held in the same high regard as art. He shared some of the more restrained comments he received. We wonder if any of them were from MENC members?

Onward! -- EWL

Harley Rocks in My World

Harley did it with the help of EWL.... YES, Harley and Steven Van Zandt sat down to discuss serious matters regarding music education and the newly released Harris Poll which you have been reading about on these pages. As a matter of fact, today Harley and I are not at work but are out trying to catch the illusive turkey for our upcoming Thanksgiving Celebration. Turkey doesn't want to be caught - do tell. Have a glorious Thanksgiving! MENC offices will be closed on Thursday and Friday (11/22-23).

Magic!

I think that one word says it all.

What an AMAZING week for music education, AND for music lovers generally (which amounts to everyone who works here at MENC!). This week started with the release of a truly exciting new music education Harris Poll highlighted by a splashy press event at the National Press Club here in D.C. Steven Van Zandt of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and "The Sopranos" fame was on hand for the Harris Poll unveiling (he was a huge hit) and the entire press conference received glowing media attention (SO cool!).

As if all of that weren't enough already though, the next day myself, MB and EWL attended a series of energy-filled, engaging Hill meetings with several prominent U.S. Senators and one truly amazing Congressman (Steven Van Zandt accompanied us). While it was obviously BEYOND cool to get to spend the day with a true rock legend (it also reeeeeeeeeeally doesn't hurt your advocacy cause to bring one along with you FYI--people seem to like you a LOT more ;-)), the absolute highlight of the day for me was the half an hour spent in the office of Georgia Congressman John Lewis...

For those who may not already know, Congressman Lewis is a true American hero. It was terrific to get to engage Mr. Lewis in a meaningful conversation about music education, but it was absolutely AMAZING to get to listen to him describe his many ordeals and experiences during the civil rights movement. Congressman Lewis showed us photo after photo of himself, Dr. King, and many other prominent civil rights leaders and politicians of the time period. I was absolutely shocked. Many of these photos I had actually seen before, but most likely my attention had previously been entirely focused in on Dr. King, so never had I viewed the images from this perspective...

I'd never noticed that Mr. Lewis was there too... standing tall, right alongside the others. What a remarkably strong, dedicated and brave man he was, and still is today. Steven Van Zandt was just as impressed as the rest of us. It was a stirring, memorable experience for all involved. I won't soon forget it.

As for the rest of the week... it's been a whirlwind of follow-up excitement for the Harris Poll results! Newsletters, alerts, PR and more! We've all been running ragged to get the message out to everyone about all of this fascinating new information! Whew! I'm kinda thankful that Friday is finally here ;-)

No new albums this week... sorry gang... half of our department is out of town, so it just doesn't seem like it would be right! If you're looking for something good to listen to this week though, put on some Bruce Springsteen--it should put you in the mood to celebrate music education ;-)

Take care!!

Thursday Interlude: Music Education Rocks!

A photo from a rock concert at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. on November 12 because everyone knows cameras are not allowed. Cell phones are ubiquitous, though.

Let me say just one thing here. If you ever, ever sit behind me at a concert or a play, or even at a church service, you have hit the lottery, my friend. Unless you happen to be a five-year-old child, you are pretty much guaranteed a clear view of whatever is in front of you. That is because I am 4 feet 11 inches tall, a height I have proudly maintained since I was in 6th grade.

On Monday night when I went to the Bruce Springsteen/E Street Band concert at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC, my scratch ticket came up empty. Sort of. I had the double whammy of a really tall guy with a really big head right in front of me (no offense to those of you out there with large noggins).

It was such a fun concert, though. I had never seen Springsteen on stage before, nor the E Streeters and I was excited to see both, especially since earlier in the day I met Steven "Little Steven" Van Zandt of E Street and Little Steven's Underground Garage fame. He is now our new MENC friend and on Monday along with our own Dr. M. he spoke at MENC's mega super duper, standing room only press conference as EWL reported on Tuesday. More on that later. Seeing Little Steven up on stage with his guitar was pretty cool after having chatted with him about kids' views of and rock and roll and music programs earlier in the day.

And actually back to my tall friend, we were oddly in sync, when I popped up to dance, he was often sitting down. When he was standing, I craned my neck toward the video screen, so it worked.

As I am sure you know, Springsteen concerts usually draw people (like my sister-in-law C out in California) who has seen Springsteen and E Street in concert more than 50 times. I did my best to play my part like any good citizen of the Back Streets Nation. fist pumps at the right time. dancing, waving my arms. Alas, I felt a bit out of it, though, when people started singing songs like "Badlands" and "Born to Run." The only song I knew by heart was "Dancing in the Dark" so I did sing that at the top of my lungs.

And I felt like we were in a cell phone commercial when everyone held up lighted cell phones to signal, yes, we knew the encore of several songs was coming. I really don't miss the lighters with their tiny flames.

But back to the press conference, which was held at the National Press Club in the National Press Building in DC. As a newspaper reporter and magazine writer I have covered a lot of press conferences, but not so much since I have been at MENC.

It was interesting to see how press conferences have evolved over the years though. Back in my olden days, print journalists, armed with pen and notebooks were the rule, but now even the print folks are writing, as well as recording audio and video so everyone comes equipped with laptops and digital recorders and video cameras. The room was filled with people and stuff, but EWL, who watched from the control room said it made for one slick, high definition television feed. In fact, EWL just gave us a link here that you can use to view the press conference and photos of the event.

Plus we were savvy enough to schedule a press conference on the Veterans Day holiday when there wasn't a lot of other news going on. We got a lot of local media, newspapers like The Washington Post as well as national magazines like Mother Jones as well as local radio and television stations and NPR. Nice to be the only game in town. The press conference here generated local coverage in other parts of the country as well, as this story in The Kansas City Star demonstrates. Immediate Past MENC President David E. Circle shared the story with Monday MENC blogger ML. Thanks David.

The main part of the press conference was the release of a new Harris Poll about music education and its lifelong career benefits whether you pursue a music career or not. You can read the survey findings here if you like. SR covers this issue in great detail in yesterday's post, how music education is being "left behind" in the No Child Left Behind legislative debate. Scroll down for more on that.

Well, gotta go. I am finishing up January Music Educators Journal and not surprisingly the Harris poll, press conference and visits to Capitol Hill this week by Van Zandt and MENC staff to discuss the No Child Left Behind and its implications for music education are my lead stories. Look for MEJ in late December.

Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving ahead of time. MENC is closed next Thursday and Friday, so I will not be posting . I will be wrist deep in turkey giblets and stuffing next Thursday (and I mean cooking of course) Hope you have a great holiday and a little break from the everyday.
Til Next Time
RF

Midweek Meanderings and Miscellany XXXV: WHY? (this unfairness?!)...and WHY! (we do it)

Please see the three blog posts prior to today's - (EWL (11/13); ML (11/11) and CW (11/9).
All three write about a big press event MENC had this week, as a way to drum up attention to our cause. What cause? The cause to keep music in the schools, and to improve the lot of music teachers.
No doubt everyone has heard of the No Child Left Behind Act - see the MENC document which explains how to advocate, since Music (arts) are listed as a CORE subject in the No Child Left Behind Education policy. (ME and the LAW).

NCLB is one culprit responsible for the declining situation for music in the schools. But there are OTHERS! See the comments and info below to understand what these other culprits are.

And TEACHERS, you can USE THESE DOCUMENTS LINKED BELOW to help offset some of these other issues and concerns: (ALSO: see RESOURCES/ARTICLES at VERY VERY end of this blog post!)

MENC Opportunity to Learn Standards

GOVERNMENT INFO and RESOURCES

ADVOCACY CENTRAL

MENTORS and Member Discussion Forum

MENC POSITION PAPERS

In the October Question of the Month (informal on line survey) we asked: What are the major issues of concern you have as a music educator related to your particular situation where you teach, and related to the profession as a whole? Reading these responses, some of which are listed below, really makes you wonder in dismay and amazement: "WHY?!" Yet, these responses also tell us, partly, WHY we here at MENC do what we do every day......

Below is a sample of responses from the 200 which were sent in.

These are RESPONSES from teachers about their OWN particular situation , which can generally be summed up to cover these concerns:
not enough prep time
not enough funding
no support from administration
no understanding of the value or importance of music
no respect for our profession or our curriculum
not enough time to see the kids
scheduling problems
competing w/ other activities
behavior of kids
retention of kids
not enough teachers
poor facilities
not treated equally with other subjects
burn out, being asked to do too much, more than other teachers
not enough mentoring support
cohesiveness of k - 12 programs

The responses from teachers about issues of concern for the entire profession of music education teaching can generally be summed up:
TESTING/NCLB effect
music is seen as obsolete
no respect for the profession from admin/society/community
lack of administrative/ society and community support
image problem of music as fluff, fun, play, vs. serious discipline
funding/budgets, music 1st to be cut
poorly prepared teachers
mentoring and support
burn out

BELOW are some TELLING SELECT COMMENTS - WHY!?!?! we ask....and, WHY we are here!

* Burn out. We work very hard and are always in the spotlight.

*Music is being relegated to planning time or entertainment only instead of a true educational entity.
On the elementary level, music teacher is often regarded as a sitter to give teachers a break or go to meetings. Yet, we are expected to carry on all the same responsibilities, etc. as any TEACHER!

We often do not feel the same respect. Many times a music teacher's schedule reflects twice as much work with three times as many students to be done in only 1/2 the time.

The lack of qualified music teachers. Children are being taught music by parents who were "in choir once." The students are missing out on information because "all they do is sing anyway."

Lack or community, administrative, and society support. I feel I am an excellent teacher, and give more to this world than any sports figure, therefore, why are THEY making such big bucks?

Lack of respect and support for the importance of teaching music.

I don't think we are reaching the media in a positive way. The general public is still unaware of the benefits of a sound, structured music education, and hence, does not support it. Congress still views it as an extra, hence a proclamation declaring it important, but no legislation requiring it. We are still preempted and eclipsed by every other subject in the spectrum. It's an image issue.

Music classes being seen by other teachers and administrators as unnecessecary, not academic/curricular,less important, not rigorous

The pressure put on schools and districts from standardized tests is creating an atmosphere where arts education is not important. I feel like my administrators are very supportive, but their hands are tied when it comes to issues like scheduling because of the requirements placed upon them. There is lip service for supporting arts education, but no one seems to really care if it really happens.

Where are the future music teachers? I am scheduled to retire soon and wonder where we will find someone qualified to take my place.Music programs are being cut because of budget woes. Music still considered a "frill" in the curriculum.

We need meaningful inservice and professional development opportunities for music teacher - not just lumping us together with classroom teachers to listen to irrelavant lectures and pep talks.

1. lack of administrative support 2. lack of funding 3. scheduling conflicts

There is never enough funding for music education. It is often one of the first curricular subjects to be cut.

We struggle, sometimes against overwhelming circumstances, to do our best to teach good music to kids, while also needing to struggle against the entirety of society to argue that it is a valid and worthwhile thing to do. We justify or rationalize our field by relating it to math/science/English/foreign language/whatever. The cross-curricular aspects of music are entirely valid and important, but music isn't good enough to stand on its own, in the eyes of our society at present.

respect for the work we do and the skills we have

After talking to other music teachers, scheduling is getting to be a major problem...school districts are under pressure to pass state test and the arts are being left by the road side...districts give great lip service to the arts, but have no problem bending state and national requirements to get the job done of passing tests.

How to combat loneliness and burnout????

Networking with other music teachers is a major concern with me. Being able to have time to communicate is sometimes difficult with my hectic schedule. I do enjoy when I can take time to do these surveys.

How do we get more musicians as administrators instead of physical education teachers (ex-coaches) as administrators?

Too few people recognize the value of music education.
treating music as a core subject and not expecting more from music teachers than is expected from other teachers

Educators and administrators outside of music see no value in what we do.
Respect

I am concerned that we as music teachers are too flexible...in order to save our programs we cut and paste our schedules, allow students to come during lunch, offer after school chorus, etc., instead of demanding our equal rights and responsibilities to offer quality programs to all students that we serve.

NCLB has had devastating effects on our music programs.

I am concerned that NCLB will eat into an already crowded elective schedule.
Reputation in the schools - music is not seen by many as a valuable part of the student's learning. It is thought of by some teachers as no more than "breaktime for teachers".

The major concern is that the emphasis on testing is driving the arts, both fine arts and manual arts out of the schools as we plunge ahead trying to get all kids into college. At what point do we re-evaluate this emphasis and realize that there is value to having students learning other than readin', ritin' and rithmetic? Our basic culture is going to suffer greatly in the future, and more young people are going to feel undervalued because they don't succeed on these tests.

seems that music teachers on the whole are overworked and underpaid. :(

The constant battle to keep arts at the forefront of education. Without arts, students have no outlets and become little math and language arts zombies.
Everything revolves around the FCAT and other standardized tests. In fact, I'm rated as a teacher on whether my chorus students' writing scores improve.

Kids aren't willing to make the commitment it takes to become a good musician. Fewer and fewer good piano accompanists coming out of our high school programs.

The lack of recognition of how long it takes to prepare a group of students for a performance. i.e. I had to educate a coach on the fact that I saw students for 40 min. 2 x's/week and he saw them for 1 1/2 hours 5x's/week, and he wanted to know why he could have 8-10 games in a season and I only had 2 concerts/year (plus a song or two here and there for school functions)

WE KEEP ON! See you next week - see below for a few articles and resources! SR

RESOURCES:

AP THEORY

BERKLEE Extension/On-line Prep courses

AEP State Arts policy database

ARTICLES

Movie themes

Female conductors

The Brain and Music

Tuesday Whirlwind!

Hello! MENC had an exciting media event in Washington DC yesterday! The occasion was the release and dissemination of results from a brand new Harris Poll on the impact of music education on our society. The report links music education to advanced studies and higher incomes. "Little Steven" Van Zandt (Bruce Springsteen band member and "The Sopranos" star) was there to lend his support to the poll release and to talk about his efforts to support music education through his Rock & Roll Forever Foundation. The release of this poll is timely, given MENC's recent efforts to improve music education's standing in the upcoming reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act currently being debated by Congress.

Dr. Mahlmann was interviewed extensively by the Washington Post and other reporters. The New York Times, Bloomberg, NPR, and many others were in attendance. CNN carried the press event live on their channel that is aired in airports, etc. Great exposure for the cause of music education!

I'm off to Capitol Hill to help out with some visits to key members of Congress. Fellow blogger CW (govt relations director) and our deputy executive director MB will be joined by Steven Van Zandt for these meetings. More to come!!

Onward!! EWL

Harley Salutes the Veterans in our World

Sunday, November 11, Reston, VA.....Veterans Day -- 2007: Truth, Justice, and the American Way -- Harley salutes the military and all veterans! This holiday is "intended to thank veterans for their service, to acknowledge that their contributions to the United States national security are appreciated, and to underscore the fact that all those who served - not only those who died - have sacrificed and done their duty." Tomorrow (Monday) the MENC offices will be closed in honor of Veterans Day. According to Wikipedia, "both a federal and state holiday in all of the states, it is celebrated on the same day as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other parts of the world, falling on November 11, the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11h day of the 11th month of 1918." (Wheeee -- a lot of 11s there!)

Although MENC is not opened for business tomorrow -- something really exciting will be happening in downtown Washington, D.C. at 10 a.m. Eastern Time. MENC will be on hand for the release and dissemination of results from a brand new Harris Poll on the impact of music education on our society. "Little Steven" Van Zandt, Bruce Springsteen band member and "The Sopranos" star, will lend his support to the poll release by making an appearance at the event. The release of this poll is timely, given MENC's recent efforts to improve music education's standing in the upcoming reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act currently being debated by Congress. Harley has offered to testify but no one either on the Hill or here at MENC is listening. Already the poll has garnered a significant amount of media attention from print, radio and television outlets, so be certain to watch for further event coverage Monday night. Dr. M was interviewed extensively in a dozen radio interviews last week along with an interview by NBC and a USA Today reporter who is writing an article (we hope) for publication on Monday. CBS and the Washington Post have said they will attend the news conference at the Press Club. Stay tuned. Harley is hoping against all hope that he will have his photo taken tomorrow with Little Stevie (Harley with his new bandanna tied by MENC Goddess MJ thinks he can call Steven "Stevie") Van Zandt (who will also be in a bandanna). He really really really wants to look cool like Stevie. I keep telling Harl that he always looks cool in our world. EL and CW will also be in the mix tomorrow and will be taking real good care of the little critter in all the Washington, D.C. hustle and bustle. More later.................

Friday Ramblings

Hi everyone!!

Oh MAN what a crazy week it's been! (good crazy, lots of interesting things afoot!). My main priority right now is educating Congress (who are about to run away and hide for the holidays!!) about MENC and our arts in education friends' legislative recommendations for NCLB. It's really exciting work, because if we can get Congress to support these changes to the language during reauthorization, we could make a WORLD of difference for music educators and their students!! (THAT'S why we come to work :-)). In weeks to come, the Government Relations & Outreach Department will be conducting Hill visits to spread the word about our recommendations and foster relationships with members of Congress. It's always an adventure up on Capitol Hill, every office is completely different!

In other news, we're all getting very excited here at MENC for the upcoming holiday season! I personally LOVE everything between Halloween and New Years, my absolute favorite time of year! I was thrilled when I walked into Starbucks yesterday, and amazingly, it had been transformed into a holiday wonderland -- woohoo! I suppose no one will ever be able to accuse me of not enjoying life's simplest pleasures haha ;-) Or a good old fashioned Gingerbread Latte for that matter! (which by the way, is DEFINITELY the favorite bev of the average MENC employee!).

Oh, and as a final note: I am now keeping a guitar in my office. I can't play it, I'm embarrassed to say, but it makes me feel really cool to have it in here, and I'm hoping that it will somehow encourage me to learn!! (or at worst, send good "musical vibes" my way). If anyone has any suggestions for how I could quickly learn to play, please don't hesitate to share!!

Have a wonderful weekend music education lovers!!

And now... here are the Friday...

"Government Relations & Outreach Department Album Picks of the Week!!!"

SKJ: Various Artists - Dreaming Wide Awake: The Music of Scott Alan
HLS: Jack Johnson - On & On
CBLW: Sigur Ros - Hvarf-Heim

Thursday Interlude: Jump Aboard the Carousel

MENC Headquarters in Reston, VA is ringed by colorful trees.

Hi All,
If you are regular blog visitor (and if y0u aren't, where have you been? welcome aboard!) you may recall that a short time ago I was complaining about the lack of fall color around here. Well, here in Reston, we got a reminder that Mother Nature is in charge, a lesson in patience really. The foliage around here is really, really beautiful right now, drought or no drought.

We love the trees in the parking lot here.

One year in our pre-kid days, my husband and took a fall foliage tour of Vermont and New Hampshire. We joined a swarm of other leaf peepers in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and around Shelburne, Vermont, near the Canadian border. We visited the Shelburne Museum near Lake Champlain, a sprawling "museum" of some 39 buildings, many of them historic structures, that were relocated to the site. The museum is an eclectic gathering of folk art and Impressionist paintings, quilts and other textiles, vehicles and farm implements. And even covered bridges that were trucked to site once upon a time.

One of our favorite things was the 1920s vintage carousel near the entrance. Wonderful music and carved animals as you gracefully spun in circles.

I liked that almost as much as going to the Ben and Jerry corporate headquarters in Stowe, Vermont where I had my first ever taste of Cherry Garcia ice cream. Yum. What a cool factory tour if you are ever up that way. All in all, a good trip.


Now, I'm not saying that Reston is the same as Vermont, but the trees around here make for a beautiful commute into the office each morning.

And speaking of the office, this week I am working on the December online news as well as news January.

Doing the former gives me a chance to look back at what I did for December. Oh, wait, you haven't seen that issue yet. Hmm. If you promise not to tell anyone I will give you a sneak peak. Just between us, OK?

One of my favorite stories this month was about general music teacher Linda White, (shown at the Great Wall, below) teaches at Haycock Elementary School in Falls Church, VA. She is such a neat teacher. She writes MENC lesson plans for various projects. In October USA Today named her to the 2007 All-USA Teacher Team.

This past summer she took a trip to China as part of the Fulbright-Hays International Education Programs . The program motto is "The World is Our Classroom." She handed out CDs of her choral group performing and MENC's Liberty for All: Volume 2 Westward Expansion—Industrial Revolution to music educators she met on her trip.
White is writing a musical about dragons for her students at Haycock to perform. She says she is helping to educate "citizens of the world" in her classroom.

Here are a couple of photos she shared with us. You can see more photos and read her story in the December Teaching Music online news is posted at the end of November.

In my job, I get to talk to a lot of music teachers, which I truly enjoy because music teachers enjoy working with kids. My son is in high school now, but he attended the same elementary school from kindergarten through sixth grade and his music teacher was wonderful.

I remember the kindergarten play about farm animals when he played a pig and sang and oinked and fifth grade when the kids performed sophisticated madrigal music. She taught them to play recorders and read music. They also studied Renaissance history and American folk music

His music teacher was a wonderful and all of the kids just loved her, loved her energy, the way she worked with the kids, loved her plays. I wish every kid could have a music teacher like my son's or like Linda White.

Buh Bye Til next Thursday
RF

Midweek Meanderings and Miscellany XXXIV: Miscellaneous All Around!

What an interesting week already! (if you happen to like such things!) Call after call, email after email, with people seeking assistance! It's nice to feel needed! And I get to learn at the same time!

In two days, have had I'd say about 20 calls/emails/requests, seeking resources/help on:
assessment
funding (2)
special needs discrimination
vocal articles/resources
survey help (three students with their graduate studies!)
career info/music biz info
starting a string program (elem choral gm teacher)
Leonard Bernstein info (someone doing their dissertation on!)
classroom management
working with MENC
feedback on the Question of the Month survey
copyright
Sacred music
advocacy information
scheduling
sports/PE vs. music

Just because it's busy, and because time is short, will leave you with a few links to articles that caught my eye in my weekly perusal of various arts education/arts news sources, and a few things I ran across. Perhaps one or some of these may be of interest to your students as well.

Have a good week, and see you next week! SR


RESOURCES


Berklee College of Music Alumni Newsletter, BERKLEE TODAY: stories about musicians of all stripes, some who have become quite well known! Interesting articles about many things musical!


In one of the Berklee alumni newsletters, saw a link to jokes about musicians, check it out!


NPR: new music website! amazing stuff on there; Stephin Merritt, composer, given 48 hours to compose in a studio, and record it; what he came up with; jazz profiles, Thelonious Monk; Yo Yo Ma's top five favorite recordings; career information/interviews; Spanish guitar; African pop music; much more!

From October 31 news Culture Policy Newsletter from Americans for the Arts:
Senate Passes Arts Education Funding10-29-2007: The U.S. Senate has passed their FY2008 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill by roll call vote, 75-19. This bill funds a large number of domestic programs including the Arts in Education programs at the U.S. Department of Education, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). The Senate bill provides $36.3 million for Arts Education compared to the $39 million level of the House bill


LEONARD BERNSTEIN: did you know he's in the MENC Hall of Fame?
Read about him at his official site HERE

ARTICLES
Child Composer Prodigy, and Joshua Bell

Itzhak Perlman interview

Iraqi Orchestra plays on

Comeback for older Prodigy

Gustavo Dudamel, the latest! (LA Philharmonic and El Sistema!) "Revelatory!"

Music Therapy

Election Day Tuesday

It's a chilly, windy, drizzly morning here in Reston, VA. (A former MENC blogger just e-mailed me to ask why it always seems to rain on election day, at least here in the East?) However, blue sky is peeking through the clouds as the morning goes on. Perfect November weather ... this is why this month is one of my favorites. Today I'm going to be working on recording and editing our next podcast, doing an annual review, having the Weekly Web Meeting, drafting a promotional letter for our national conference, analyzing the first responses from the online Web site focus group, etc. etc. etc. ... plus today is the day MENC has arranged for interested staff to get flu shots right here in the building. So let's move on straight way to another Famous Student Story!

MENC member Patti Dunham of Sea Cliff, NY writes:

"One of the things all music teachers hope for is that their students will find their dreams. We want to pass on what we’ve learned to help them pave their way. Nikki Blonsky, star of the feature film Hairspray, has fulfilled that dream for me.

"I am a singer and voice teacher from Sea Cliff. I owe everything to the public school music program. I came from private elementary school, where there was no music program. When I joined the Hicksville High School Chorus, I knew I had found a home. I was lucky enough to sing with Billy Joel, who sang bass and entertained us with his bands. He was also a great educator. He’d take us to the piano, assign notes and movie us up and down naming the chords – my first theory lesson.

"I earned a degree from Fredonia and pursued a career in music, touring with the Philip Glass Ensemble, Ensemble for Early Music, Midsummer Night’s Swing Big Band at Lincoln Center and as a chorister with the New York Philharmonic. I am now a teaching artist for the Tilles Center for the Arts School Partnership.

"Nikki Blonsky had a marvelous voice when she came to me at age 12. She always had the instrument of someone much older. We worked hard on both her pop and classical voice to maintain a healthy balance and never do any damage. A sound vocal technique is more important than ever with the difficult style young singers sometimes have to perform. Pop, Rock and Broadway demand a lot of “belting” which really has to be used judiciously.

"Nikki sang “Hero” for many firefighters after September 11. Her family always took her wherever she was needed to give comfort with her song. Dr. Levy from Great Neck South encouraged her to sing the roles of Mrs. Lovett in “Sweeney Todd” and “Carmen” in their High School productions.

"Nikki is a natural actress. When I saw her up on the screen in “Hairspray”, it was a surreal experience. I was so thrilled that someone who is so talented and hard working finally got what she deserved in such a tough field. She’s now filming her third movie.

"I was inspired by another local student from the Public School Music Program who passed it onto me. Now Nikki is an inspiration to every young singer. Follow your dream, work hard, and SING!"

Want to tell blog readers about your famous student(s)? We want to hear about scientists, mathematicians, humanitarians, authors, athletes, businesspeople, etc. as well as musicians! Send info to ElizabethL@menc.org.