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Iowa Bandmasters Association May 15, 2015 Wilhelm Furtwangler “Never has a society needed the arts more than when they think they can do without them.” ENLIGHTENING THOSE IN THE DARK Budget Cuts Misperception of what we do? Approaching our evaluators •“Why Music Matters” – YouTube (find out their favorite hymn or holiday carol) •Classroom Observation – have the evaluator sit within the band. Let him experience what the students are doing from “the inside”. •Involve other disciplines: Math, Science, History •Always have an “off campus” performance validated by a post email from someone at the site. Society’s concept of music Competing with evolving forms of music media The “instant gratification” society FRIEND OR FOE? Can we create wind instruments that operate with just the thumbs? Though, technology has advanced society in so many ways, it is slowly eroding humanity. Low Tech vs. High Tech Computers, sequencers, drum machines, etc., versus Band Instruments Can we survive the instant gratification of technology in today’s society? Can we use technology to enhance the teaching of music? Are traditional ensembles antiquated and new forms of music instruction needed in the schools? Humanity? Technology is de-sensitizing society. The “i-Brain” will soon be incapable of carrying on a face-to-face conversation with another human being. How do we teach an art form to be academic? The importance of music lies in its “Aesthetic Education” Its effect can not be measured by a standardized test, though there are things taught in music that are “testable”. Which other subject teaches all of these? We say this about music, but do we incorporate this idea in our teaching? RESIDUAL EFFECT PROACTIVE Meters and note duration Play a piece by someone famous Italian terms Play a piece based upon a literary work Talk about open notes and partials 12-tone or set theory type of piece which analyzes mathematically Give a history lesson about the time period, composer; involve the history teacher Play a work composed by a nonAmerican; explore culture Research the literary work and its author; involve the English teacher Teach the overtone series, intonation discrepancy demonstrations; involve the Physics teacher Scores on tests or scores from a competition Aesthetics can not be measured with quantitative data. Recognizing Aesthetics My experience has been that many school “officials” are former athletic coaches who understand winning and losing, i.e. scores, more than they do aesthetics. Standardized Test Which Characteristics are Arts (MUSIC) specific? * Creativity * Sense of Wonder * Sense of Beauty •Persistence, Curiosity, Enthusiasm, Courage, Leadership, Resourcefulness, SelfDiscipline, Compassion, Reliability, Motivation, and Resilience, though available through other activities, are all present in Music Education! Qualities not measured by most tests Tolerance Sense of contribution as an individual, yet working as a group Self-confidence Breakdown of gender and racial stereotypes Sensitive, expressive individuals What is the school system’s philosophy of Music Education? Do they have one? What is your philosophy of Music Education? Do you have one? What is the purpose of Band? Are we creating lovers of music or just band geeks? Being Wounded Frank Battisti: “Art experiences should wound you. You should have scars for life!” Are we wounding our students with arts experiences, or just numbing them? REFLECTIONS ON MUSIC AND MUSIC EDUCATION Military General – Norman Schwarzkopf “I hate war.” “War is a profane thing.” “The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.” U.S. President This is maybe the strongest statement we have about the importance of music education. This cites the ability to function in a diverse world and its relation to the importance of Music Education. Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything. -Plato Music is intended and designed for sentient beings that have hopes and purposes and emotions. -Jacques Barzun (historian) I think music in itself is healing. It's an explosive expression of humanity. It's something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we're from, everyone loves music. -Billy Joel Music may achieve the highest of all mission: she may be a bond between nations, races, and states, who are strangers in many ways; she may unite what is disunited and bring peace to what is hostile. Dr. Max Bendiner It has come to survival Almost exclusively, we have justified the teaching of music based upon how it enhances an individual’s success in other academic areas. Justifying Our Existence This is how we have justified our existence in the past; through what music does for other subjects. Philosophers A strong statement by Plato. But, still, another example of what the Arts do for other disciplines. 78% of Americans feel learning a musical instrument helps students perform better in other subjects. Gallup Poll, "American Attitudes Toward Music," 2003 The schools that produced the highest academic achievement in the United States today are spending 20% to 30% of the day on the arts, with special emphasis on music. International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IAEEA) Test, 1988 88% of Americans believe participation in music helps teach children discipline. Gallup Poll, "American Attitudes Toward Music," 2003 Music majors are the most likely group of college grads to be admitted to medical school. Lewis Thomas, Case for Music in the Schools, Phi Delta Kappa, 1994 High school music students have been shown to hold higher grade point averages (GPA) than non-musicians in the same school. National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988 Martin Gardiner of Brown University tracked the criminal records of Rhode Island residents from birth through age 30, and he concluded the more a resident was involved in music, the lower the person's arrest record. Music Linked to Reduced Criminality, MUSICA Research Notes, Winter 2000 71% of Americans surveyed by the Gallup Poll believe that teenagers who play an instrument are less likely to have disciplinary problems. Gallup Poll, "American Attitudes Toward Music," 2003 Students of lower socioeconomic status who took music lessons in grades 8-12 increased their math scores significantly as compared to non-music students. But just as important, reading, history, geography and even social skills soared by 40%. Gardiner, Fox, Jeffrey and Knowles, Nature, May 23, 1996 THE AESTHETIC EXPERIENCE The importance of teaching Music Music develops the right side of the brain. Whole Brain Theory Right side for the feelings and emotion. Left side for the technique and mechanics. College-age musicians are emotionally healthier than their non-musician counterparts for performance anxiety, emotional concerns and alcohol-related problems. Houston Chronicle, January 11, 1998 “Through music we may wander where we will in time, and find friends in every century.” ― Helen Thompson A Columbia University study revealed that students in the arts are found to be more cooperative with teachers and peers, more self-confident and better able to express their ideas. These benefits exist across socioeconomic levels. The Arts Education Partnership, 1999 Music integrated into seventh- and eighth-grade social studies results in better social behaviors and attitudes. National Educational Longitudinal Study, 1988 When a child learns by experience that music forges direct links between self and world, selfexpression becomes more fluent; the music helps interpret "who I am." Growing up Complete, the report of the National Commission on Music Education, 1990 I love the way music inside a car makes you feel invisible; if you play the stereo at max volume, it's almost like the other people can't see into your vehicle. It tints your windows, somehow.” Chuck Klosterman, Killing Yourself to Live: 85% of a True Story . “A grounding in the arts will help our children to see; to bring a uniquely human perspective to science and technology. In short, it will help them as they grow smarter to also grow wiser.” Robert E. Allen – Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, AT&T Corporation What does music do that no other subject does? Develops the right side of the brain Teaches self- expression Allows for other worldly experience and the comfort to share it with others It develops a feeling, sensitive individual Music and Non-Musical Skills No one “sits on the bench” Non-discriminatory; you don’t have to be a certain height, weight, speed, or look to play an instrument. Non-gender discrimination Anyone is allowed to achieve and succeed through hard work and dedication What is the reason that kids “hang out” in the Band Room? They feel connected there This is their homeroom They feel important in this space The Band Room is a “safe haven” THE POWER OF MUSIC Studies have shown how effective music therapy is on various kinds of mental illness. Math and Science build the mind Athletics builds the body The Arts, particularly music, builds the soul Faith-based schools believe in the Resurrection Then music and the arts is what go to heaven since the body and the mind stay “in the ground” and the soul is what resurrects. We are the music-makers, and we are the dreamer of dreams. Never give up your dreams! Dreams Music gives a child hope, a sense of being, and a safe haven by which to express themselves. Man of La Mancha I believe that we are called to “cultivate” those Don Quixotes of the world; those who seek what can be and not just what is. Do We Have a Responsibility to MUSIC as an art form? Who is responsible for great, historical music’s survival? Who is responsible for creating consumers of music? Is this even important? Is the large ensemble an antiquated form of musical instruction in the 21st Century? Orchestra Hall – Minneapolis, MN – 6/29/14 A beautiful Sunday afternoon in the beginning of summer, and Orchestra Hall is packed with concertgoers! I. Music is a Science II. Music is Mathematics III. Music is a Foreign Language IV. Music is History V. Music Develops Insight and Demands Research VI. Music is all these things, but most of all MUSIC IS ART That is why we teach music; not because we expect you to major in music; not because we expect you to play or sing all of your life (though it is a life-long skill). We teach music so you will be human, so you will recognize beauty, so you will be closer to an infinite beyond this world. So you will have something to cling to, So you will have more love, more compassion, more gentleness, more good—in short, more LIFE. An “exit poll” response from a high school graduate. Are we teaching music through performance in band or are we teaching the activities where band is involved ? Are we teaching our students to love music or love the activities that surround band? How will we be remembered? Our legacy is not the trophies we received, the ratings we attained, the recordings we made, or the compositions that we created. Our legacy as music teachers is our students. Job Hopping? Every Child Deserves a quality music education from a quality teacher! What is your legacy? When students leave your program, what would you like them to carry with them for the rest of their lives? Aesthetics We work to create feeling, compassionate, sensitive students who will continue to function that way in “the world”. Aesthetics This young boy performs at the funeral of his music teacher. We can save the world A teacher affects eternity. They never know where their influence stops.