Klarinet Archive - Posting 000116.txt from 2006/04

From: o4rmondtoby@-----.net (Ormondtoby Montoya)
Subj: RE: [kl] Business aspects of music performance & education
Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2006 15:07:00 -0400

Sarah wrote:

> The Israeli educational system is completely
> different from the US. The children are at
> school until 13:00 from age 6-14, and then in
> high school, they would get maximum 7-8
> hours, and will go home at 15:00. =A0 All the
> musical education as well as arts and sports
> is done at the afternoon in special music
> schools (there are about 700 schools of
> music in a country off 6 million citizens).

Sarah, I would like to ask a question about the Israeli system, about
which I know nothing.

I do not intend an editorial, but as background information (which you
may already know, my apology if so):

The U.S. system originally intended to offer equal education in more
than just math & English at public expense to every child. I believe
this is part of most state constitutions.

Thus I was *required* to take music classes, graphic arts, and physical
education in public elementary and high school. (Private schools were,
and still are, available; but since they account for a small minority of
our population, I'd rather not include them in this discussion.)

Even with NCLB in full force, students in my town today are still
required to study some philosophy, history, government, health care and
food preparation, parenting skills, dangers of substance abuse, sex
education, and so forth. But none of these things are measured by the
NCLB tests which determine whether a school 'passes' and receives full
funding, and in some cases whether a school is allowed to retain its
students and accreditation.

So what I would like to ask is:

(A) Are the special music and physical education schools to which you
referred above financed publicly, and therefore they are open to all
children regardless of their parents' income?

(B) Can you give me a description of the curricula (both required and
'elective') of the two levels of school In Israel? I assume there's
more than just math & language skills, but where does the 'average'
Israeli school draw the line?

Thank you,
Bill

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