Recently I was privileged to participate in the centennial celebration of the National Association of Music Educators in Orlando, Florida.  I have been to their conferences before, and they are like no other education conference you will ever attend. The participants thrive on celebrating the gift of music in every aspect of their meetings. They sing, they play instruments, and they include student performers throughout their meeting. Their days begin with the singing of the National Anthem, and their love for this nation is evident in every note.

They, like most groups, probably have a diversity of viewpoints within their ranks on the challenges facing the nation’s schools. But it’s not evident when you are among them, because they are united in their belief in the power of music and its relevancy in the nation’s curriculum. That belief transcends all else.  It is no coincidence that the 2007 National Teacher of the Year, Andrea Peterson is a music teacher and that she has used her discipline to support learning in nearly every subject matter in her school. Her school and community truly understand how music can impact teaching and learning.

Americans, indeed, all humans, respond to music and use it in almost every aspect of their lives. Music is used to celebrate and morn, to entertain and sooth.  Music transmits cultures and values and is one of the greatest teachers of history that we have at our disposal. How is it then that some school districts must struggle to keep something so central to all our lives in their curriculum? When funding and time are at a premium, the arts are viewed as electives that can be shelved. We are too often penny wise and pound foolish when it comes to music and art education.

Clearly there is inconsistency between rhetoric and practice. Few would argue the value of music education, but the preeminence of the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) agenda in much of today’s discussions on where the school focus needs to be does not encourage the study of music or art. Unfortunately, it gives some schools and districts an excuse for not teaching the arts because they are not the subject matters that are tested and are not considered essential to addressing global competition. This, despite the fact that the nations that dominate in math and science measurements place a high premium on arts education.

There is an abundance of data that demonstrates that students who participate in some form of music education have better grades, present less discipline problems and possess greater higher order thinking skills. Given that data, I think it’s time to put some magic in the STEM agenda. Music and Art Generate Imagination and Creativity.

Brenda Lilienthal Welburn
Executive Director