Klarinet Archive - Posting 000228.txt from 2002/09

From: Ken Bryson and Nancy Sulfridge <kbryson@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Music/Academics studies
Date: Sat, 14 Sep 2002 23:54:59 -0400

If you are going to be fighting this battle with your local school
officials, I recommend the book "Strong Arts, Strong Schools: The
Promising Potential and Shortsighted Disregard of the Arts in American
Schooling" by Charles Fowler (1996: Oxford University Press, New York).
In particular, Chapter 14, "The Correlation with Academic Achievement",
should give you some ammunition. It cites studies that indicate that
students who study the arts are more likely to graduate, more likely to
go to college, and score higher on both the verbal and the math sections
of the SAT. The footnotes for that chapter include:

Florida Department of Education, 1990 ("found a direct correlation
between an active fine and performing arts program and increased student
motivation and a lower dropout rate"),

College Board, Profile of SAT and Achievement Test Takers for 1990,
1991, 1992, and 1993 (New York: College Board, 1994) ("students who
study the arts do substantially better on their verbal and math scores
than do students who take no arts courses"), and

Gertrude J. Spilka, with Charles Fowler and Bernard J. McMullan,
Understanding How the Arts Contribute to Excellent Education
(Philadelphia: Organization and Management Group, 1991) ("A 1991 study
sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts . . . . found links
between strong arts program and educational quality and
accomplishment.").

The rest of the book is good, too, and includes some suggestions on how
to get your point across to the school administrators, the school board,
and the community.

I commend anyone who takes up this battle. Education in the arts is, to
my mind, a "basic" of any education, and students who are not afforded
the opportunity to study the arts are being shortchanged. My father,
now in his late 70s, still regrets that his high school cancelled "Music
Appreciation" classes (for economic reasons, of course) before he was
able to take one--so obviously this battle is not new. I wish we could
emulate the example of Venezuela, and give every child the opportunity
to learn an instrument or develop their vocal musical talent, with
instruments and high quality instruction provided to all, for free!

Good luck with your endeavors.

Nancy

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