November 16, 2006
Len owns a sanitation company and also drives the school bus for an 80-student elementary school that is known for its uplifting annual holiday concert. When Len asked his wife if they could attend a similar event at their own daughter’s elementary school, he learned her larger school didn’t have one.
In fact, he discovered there was no music teacher on staff at the school at all, and that his daughter’s music “instruction” amounted to singing one song each morning with the general classroom teacher.
Taking the First Step: Getting The Facts
Frustrated, Len researched the benefits of music education and quickly became worried that his daughter might be unable to measure up in the future to peers who had had the opportunity to learn music in school. Her chances for college admission might even be hurt. Digging deeper, he discovered the arts are listed among ten core curriculum subjects identified in the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). He also saw that the arts are not included in federal measurements of a schools ‘progress’ each year, making music programs even more vulnerable to scheduling squeezes and budget cuts.
Roadblocks and Some Progress
To see how local school district decisions were being made, Len attended his first school board meeting. He was told there wasn’t money or time for music education as a separate subject, and the superintendent said elementary teachers were adequately trained to teach music (even though those teachers disagreed). The board reassured him, saying ‘don’t worry, your daughter’s middle school has a band program.’
Len wasn’t satisfied. He strongly felt students at his daughter’s elementary school were missing out on the academic and social benefits of music study. He talked about the differences in access to music programs within their district, and about how the arts are proven to help improve behavior and academic achievement, even raise SAT scores.
Ultimately, the board agreed to advertise for a full-time elementary art/music teacher to be shared by six schools. However, there would be no mileage reimbursement, and, Len calculated, students would only receive 12 hours of music instruction in an entire year. He and his daughter were both excited on the day of her first session of music instruction. However, Len continues to attend board meetings to push for a proper music teacher position, one that offers more hours of music instruction for students.
Another Parent Takes Action & Saves a Music Program – For Now
Joe, a professional musician, lives in an Atlanta suburb. His school district’s longstanding music program, a source of great community pride, presents a popular orchestra concert each year featuring kindergarten through twelfth grade students from several schools.
When Joe discovered the entire elementary instrumental program – 52 schools – was being cut to “resolve” a projected $62 million deficit, he sprang into action. He talked at the next school board meeting, created a website and online petition, and spoke up repeatedly about the cuts and the loss to the kids. He contacted the media; one particular TV interview aired frequently, featuring his own kids playing their instruments.
Strong Community Support for Music Education
Local celebrities appeared at a planned rally. Parents formed committees and distributed fliers with research studies and contact information for school board members. Community attendance was huge at several board meetings. Media coverage and the web petition tipped the scales: 8,400 signatures were delivered to the board.
In Georgia, school board members still talk about the public outcry; they’d never seen anything like it, and they voted to reinstate the music program.
The Lesson: Be Tenacious & Talk About What Young People Need
A well-rounded arts education comes down to decisions and choices. Parents, working together, can create and protect music learning opportunities that enhance expression and academic achievement. NCLB requires schools to include parents in planning, but despite this legal provision, the reality is that parents need to be proactive and contact school officials to let them know they believe arts education is crucial.
These two fathers made a big difference. Here are six simple things you can do to keep music and arts in your child’s school:
1. Ask your kids how often they attend music and arts classes & what they’re learning. Once a week or once a month? Do they study music, visual arts, dance and drama? Do they want more arts instruction?
2. Chat with your child’s teachers and principal. Ask how the arts are scheduled in the regular school day. Tell them it’s important.
3. Gather information, facts and research to strengthen your case to parents, school board members, others.
4. Tell the media about the benefits of music education, the need for more arts education opportunities for all students, and the successes of students who attend schools with good programs. Write a letter to the editor. Make a few phone calls to reporters. Create broader community support.
5. Get connected. PTA, Americans for the Arts, and others have resources and influence, locally and nationally.
6. Let your elected officials know music and arts education is important; write letters, make phone calls, pay them a visit.
- Adapted from “Two Parents Fight For The Arts” in Our Children, published by the National PTA; written by John Abodeely, manager of arts education, Americans for the Arts.
