Progressive Music Blog - Mark Despotakis

More on NAEP

2009-06-16T11:36:00.002-04:00

The USA Today Article - http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-06-15-naeparts_N.htm - headlines that that half of the 8th graders in the study could not correctly identify the clarinet as the first instrument to be heard in Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.

This Courtesy of ArtsBlog - http://blog.artsusa.org/2009/06/16/naep-arts-released-today/

The National Assessment Governing Board released the 2008 NAEP Arts, which presents the educational progress of eighth-grade students nationally in visual arts and music.

Theatre and dance were not surveyed because of budget restrictions and difficulty in previous years finding enough theater and dance classes to yield reliable results. In addition, the questions that assessed student creation of music were eliminated for budget reasons.

In both music and visual arts,

Average responding scores were higher for White and Asian/Pacific Islander students than Black and Hispanic students. The pattern was the same for the visual arts creating task scores.
Female students had a higher average responding score than male students. Female students had a higher average creating task score in visual arts.
Students who were eligible for free/reduced price school lunch had a lower average responding score and a lower average creating task score in visual arts than those who were not eligible.
City students scored lower than suburban, town and rural students.

Additional findings included the following:

Eight percent of surveyed schools do not offer music instruction. Fourteen percent of schools do not offer visual arts classes.
Eight percent of surveyed schools offer music instruction less than once a week. Ten percent of schools offer visual arts instruction less than once a week.
Fifty-seven percent of eighth-graders in 2008 attended schools where students received music instruction at least three or four times a week.
Forty-seven percent of eighth-graders in 2008 attended schools where students received visual arts instruction at least three or four times a week.

Although this survey is not designed to assess the frequency of instruction (unlike the 2012 F.R.S.S. in the arts will do), today’s press release began with the headline, “Frequency of Arts Instruction Remains Steady Since 1997 on the Nation’s Report Card in Music and Visual Arts.”

If you have questions, please contact Narric Rome, nrome@artsusa.org or 202.371.2830.

NAEP Released - Secretary of Education Response

2009-06-16T11:30:00.001-04:00

PRESS RELEASES
Statement from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on Results of NAEP Arts 2008 Assessment

FOR RELEASE:
June 15, 2009

Contact: David Thomas, Justin Hamilton
(202) 401-1576
or justin.hamilton@ed.gov

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan released the following statement today regarding results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Arts 2008 assessment of Music and Visual Arts at Grade 8:

These results are important for several reasons. First, they remind us that the arts are a core academic subject and part of a complete education for all students. The arts are also important to American students gaining the 21st century skills they will need to succeed in higher education and the global marketplace – skills that increasingly demand creativity, perseverance, and problem solving combined with performing well as part of a team.

The results also remind us that learning in the arts can and should be rigorous and based on high standards, and that it can be evaluated objectively, using well-designed measures.

This Arts Report Card should challenge all of us to make K-12 arts programs more available to America’s children and youth. Such programs not only engage students’ creativity and academic commitment today, but they uniquely equip them for future success and fulfillment. We can and should do better for America’s students.

###

Schuylkill Valley may drop violin experiment

2009-06-11T10:35:00.001-04:00

6/2/2009

Last Update: 6/2/2009 12:22:00 AM

Schuylkill Valley may drop violin experiment

Without $50,000 grant, district will drop effort to see if lessons improve test scores

By Greta Cuyler

Reading Eagle

Without $50,000 by June 30, the Schuylkill Valley School District will disband its four-year study to see if violin lessons boost student performance on standardized tests, Superintendent Solomon Lausch said.

The district launched the program in September, providing violin lessons to all 130 kindergartners in the elementary school. The in-school lessons were expected to continue until the children finished third grade.

The school board supports the program as long as district taxpayers don't pay the cost.

After looking for funding from federal grants, arts organizations and local donors, Lausch said he hasn't come up with the money to keep the violin program afloat.

Without the resources, it's likely the project will die after just one year.

"I don't know whether it will have an impact," Lausch said of the program. "But unless we truly ask the question on a significant enough scale over a significant amount of time, we will never know."

The $70,000 used this year was available because the state Department of Education awarded Schuylkill Valley additional funding for Title I reading instruction, which freed money from elsewhere in the budget.

But no additional Title I money is expected for 2009-10, and all of the district's stimulus money is earmarked for special education or reading instruction, Lausch said.

Educators believe there's a correlation between music education and academic performance.

What they don't know is which comes first: Do students who play musical instruments tend to do better in school, or do some high-achieving students tend to gravitate toward music?

Schuylkill Valley started the violin lessons in kindergarten with the idea of continuing them through third grade, which is when students take the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment, or PSSA test, for the first time.

Educators would then compare the violin learners' PSSA scores to those of students who took the test in prior years.

Lausch said he doesn't blame anyone for the program's possible demise, and that he is grateful the district was able to secure funding for at least one year.

"It's just a shame from my point of view," he said. "Very little of this kind of research is done in the social sciences, where controlled research is done over several years."

Contact Greta Cuyler: 610-371-5042 or gcuyler@readingeagle.com.

New Gallup Survey by NAMM Reflects Majority of Americans Agree with Many Benefits of Playing Musical Instruments

2009-05-01T14:36:00.003-04:00

New Gallup Survey by NAMM Reflects Majority of Americans Agree with Many Benefits of Playing Musical Instruments
More than Nine in Ten Agree that Making Music Helps Children Make Friends, Develop Creativity, Enhance Intellectual Development, Builds Teamwork Skills
Carlsbad, CA, April 29, 2009—According to a new Gallup survey, interest in playing music is at an all-time-high as outlined by the 2009 Public Attitudes Towards Music study, which was conducted on behalf of NAMM (the National Association of Music Merchants), the not-for-profit trade association for the international music products industry. The study indicates that more people are currently playing music and own musical instruments than have in the last decade, despite challenges to music education programs in the schools.
During these tough economic times where music education in schools is often threatened, this report confirms that it is more important than ever to ensure everyone can enjoy the proven benefits of music, especially youth. To kick off National Wanna Play Music Week (May 4-8), NAMM has recruited hundreds of schools and organizations across the country to play music at the exact same time on “Music Monday” May 4 to recognize the importance of music education in our schools and music in our lives.
According to the survey, the majority of Americans completely or mostly agree that benefits for children and teenagers playing musical instruments include:
• Helping a child develop creativity(97 percent total, 59 percent completely and 37 strongly agree)
• Helping develop teamwork skills from playing in a school band (96 percent total, 51 percent completely and 45 percent strongly agree)
• Helping a child’s overall intellectual development (94 percent total, 45 percent completely and 49 percent strongly agree)
• Relieving stress and providing relaxation, which is needed during these troubled economic times (94 percent with half completely agreeing)
• Helping make friends (93 percent total with 42 percent completely agreeing)
• Helping prepare them to be creative and innovative in the workforce (91 percent total, 42 percent completely and 49 percent strongly agree)
• Yielding better grades, teaches discipline, motivates them to stay in school (88 percent total, 36 percent completely and 52 percent strongly agree)
• Making you smarter (83 percent total with 37 percent completely agreeing)
"Everywhere you look, you see how the pastime of playing music is continuing to gain in popularity with people of all ages, as evidenced by our recent Gallup poll," said Joe Lamond, president and CEO, NAMM. "More people are realizing the fun and many proven benefits of playing music and are taking that next step without worry that they might not be good or talented enough to enjoy playing.”
Additional study highlights on America’s attitude towards playing music:
• Nearly all (96 percent) of respondents in the survey believe musical skills can be learned at any age
• Most (92 percent) completely (56 percent) or mostly (36 percent) agree that schools should offer music as part of the regular curriculum
• Eight in ten completely (43 percent) or mostly (37 percent) that music education should be mandated by states
• Most (87 percent) completely (47 percent) or strongly (40 percent) agree that music is a very important part of their life
• Eighty-five percent who do not play a musical instrument say they wish they had learned to play
• Seven in 10 (69 percent) report they would like to learn to play a musical instrument
• The majority (64 percent) of respondents completely (45 percent) or strongly (19 percent) agree they would be more likely to participate in music making, if scientific research found that it improved their health
• Most (66 percent) say time (40 percent) and too many other interests/conflicts (26 percent) are the biggest barriers to playing music
• For kids, nearly half (47 percent) say that time issues also are a major barrier with competing activities such as sports (19 percent), video games (14 percent) and extracurricular activities (14 percent)
NAMM’s ongoing nationwide Wanna Play? public awareness program is dedicated to increasing understanding of the proven benefits of playing musical instruments for people of all ages. May 4-8, NAMM will help celebrate National Wanna Play Music Week. The week kicks off with “Music Monday,” a five-year tradition of the Coalition for Music Education in Canada that encourages musicians, music organizations, school bands and music lovers everywhere to play music at the same time to demonstrate the galvanizing power of making music. Other activities that week aim to raise awareness and inspire people of all ages and talent to get involved in playing, from taking lessons to purchasing their first instrument or music software. For more information about the Wanna Play? campaign and to get involved, interested parties can visitwww.wannaplaymusic.com.

The findings are based on 1,000 telephone interviews conducted by Gallup with consumers, age 12 and older, residing in the continental United States. Interviewing was conducted during February and March, 2009. For results based on the sample of 1000 respondents, the error attributable to sampling and other random effects would be plus or minus three percentage points.

About NAMM
The National Association of Music Merchants, commonly called NAMM in reference to the organization's popular NAMM trade shows, is the not-for-profit association that unifies, leads and strengthens the $17 billion global musical instruments and products industry. NAMM’s activities and programs are designed to promote music making to people of all ages. NAMM is comprised of more than 9,000 Member companies. For more information about NAMM, interested parties can visit www.namm.org or call 800-767-NAMM (6266).

Feds Turn to ‘Brain Music’ to Boost Emergency Worker Performance

2009-04-29T09:39:00.001-04:00

Feds Turn to ‘Brain Music’ to Boost Emergency Worker Performance

By Nathan Hodge
April 23, 2009 |
8:30 am |
Categories: Bizarro, Body = Weapon, Homeland Security

As anyone who has ever cranked “Ace of Spades” knows, music can be a powerful tool. And researchers at the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate want to find ways to harness that power.

The program is supposed to study how “brain music” — a customized soundtrack designed to either boost alertness or reduce stress — can improve the performance of police, firefighters and other first responders. As described by DHS, researchers will test how an “instrumental alert track” (click here for a sample) can boost focus and energy, or act to reduce stress. A group of firefighters will take part in the experiment.

“Because of the strains that come with an emergency response job, we are interested in finding ways to help these workers remain at the top of their game when working and get quality rest when they go off a shift,” said Department of Homeland Security Program Manager Robert Burns.

The DHS news item describes how it works. Each two– to-six-minute brain music track is performed on a single instrument, usually a piano. One tune would be tailored for relaxation (Burns says it might sound more like a “melodic, subdued Chopin sonata”), while the revving-up track might have “more of a Mozart sound.”

Neurofeedback soundtracks will be created by Human Bionics, a company that markets a product called “Brain Music Therapy,” used to help correct sleep disorders. The program is part of DHS’s “Readiness Optimization Program,” which is supposed to test ways to improve the job performance of first responders by combining brain music with nutrition education.

While we haven’t seen the details on the nutrition piece, one wonders if that, too, will combine a focus component (Red Bull? Wheatgrass shots?) with a stress-relief component (doughnuts, Cheetos).

[Photo: DHS]

Fort Myers, FL Hotel Manager Trys To Help Keep Music and Arts in the Schools

2009-04-15T11:10:00.000-04:00

Hotel manager in Lee County offers to fly, lodge potential arts savior

SAM COOK • SCOOK@NEWS-PRESS.COM • APRIL 8, 2009

• Blog: Artfest Fort Myers puts up $500 challenge to help save jobs of 80 art, music teachers

If you don't believe art and music are important to folks in the Lee County School District, check out Alan Jarrett's response to an alternate plan to cutting 80 art and music teachers by the superintendent and his board.

"I find (John) Benham's offer intriguing and I am throwing in this offer from Cooper Hotels of Lee County,'' writes Jarrett, the company's regional director of operations and a county resident since 2000.

"We will pay $500 for Mr. Benham's plane ticket, offer him complimentary accommodations at one of our hotels and provide function space for interviews and town hall meetings with the parents and teachers of Lee County.''

That's a superb start.

Superintendent James Browder's solution is to eliminate teachers from traditional public elementary schools if the district's 2009-10 budget comes up $50 million short.

Jarrett isn't shy about what motivates him.

He says Cooper Hotels, which owns and operates the Crowne Plaza Hotel and Homewood Suites by Hilton Hotel at Bell Tower Shops, has more than 200 employees raising families in Lee's school district.

"Our business model is not based upon destination locations, cold winters, warm beaches and six weeks of baseball,'' Jarrett writes. "That is a first-class ticket to bankruptcy. Ours is simple. Tight-knit caring communities, strong schools and a thriving college. This has made our hotels profitable for over 20 years. So there. My cards are on the table.''

Benham, 66, lives near Minneapolis. He has saved fine arts programs in school districts for 28 years. He was recommended by Jeff Hanjian, who worked in Gwinnett County, Ga., when Benham performed his magic there in 1995.

Benham estimates his fee would be $8,000 plus transportation, food and lodging for a week - peanuts compared to Lee's possible financial woes.

Michel Wilk's daughter, Emily, is a junior clarinet player at Fort Myers High.

"Music is our lives in many ways - and my daughter would be lost without it,'' Wilk writes. "I spend countless hours fundraising - because the music program receives a hysterically small amount of money each year.

"The school does not pay for the marching band - the parents do. All of the other band ensembles are also supported by the boosters.We pay for our own buses, equipment trucks, music (for all ensembles) and instrument repair. We drive to and from.

"One wonders what would happen if they cut the sports programs or even one sports program.''

If you want to help, call Hanjian at 470-1895.

Dan Pink at TMEA

2009-03-27T16:26:00.002-04:00

If you have the extra 45 minutes, you should watch the video of Dan Pink's Keynote at the 09 TMEA Convention - http://www.tmea.org/2009keynote/ It's well worth watching to get a new perspective on why the arts are important to a complete education and to function in a 21st century economy.

Recession forcing layoffs at Sesame Workshop

2009-03-12T13:09:00.000-04:00

Recession forcing layoffs at Sesame Workshop

Posted 19h 20m ago | Comments 22 | Recommend 6

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Enlarge	By Mark Lennihan, AP file

Big Bird reads to kids during a taping of Sesame Street in New York last year.

NEW YORK (AP) — The crisis on Wall Street is plaguing Sesame Street.

Sesame Workshop, the non-profit producer of Sesame Street and other kids' programs, is cutting about one-fifth of its workforce because of the economic downturn.

JOBS GRAPHIC: Map shows states hit hardest; forecasts for rebound

LAYOFFS: Visualization of 2009 layoffs

JANUARY JOBS DATA: 651,000 jobs cut nationwide

The company said Wednesday that it's eliminating 67 of 355 staff positions.

Declaring it is "not immune to the unprecedented challenges of today's economic environment," the company pronounced a need "to operate with fewer resources in order to achieve our strategic priorities."

The statement reiterated the organization's mission "of helping children reach their highest potential here and around the globe."

Best known as the home of such Muppet characters as Big Bird and Elmo, Sesame Workshop was founded in 1968 as Children's Television Workshop, then unveiled the groundbreaking Sesame Street as a literacy-building initiative a year later. That show, which remains a worldwide hit, was the first step toward a media empire that encompasses television, books, toys and online programing.

Among the company's early TV efforts is The Electric Company, which aired during the 1970s and was revived with new episodes on PBS in January.

Sesame Workshop gets revenue from product licensing and the sale of its programs to PBS and syndication. The company is also funded by government agencies, foundations and corporations.

Total revenue was $145 million in 2008, with operating expenses totaling $141 million, according to the company's website.

Why Arts Education Is Crucial, and Who's Doing It Best

2009-03-02T11:58:00.001-05:00

Why Arts Education Is Crucial, and Who's Doing It Best

Art and music are key to student development.

by Fran Smith

Credit: Getty Images

"Art does not solve problems, but makes us aware of their existence," sculptor Magdalena Abakanowicz has said. Arts education, on the other hand, does solve problems. Years of research show that it's closely linked to almost everything that we as a nation say we want for our children and demand from our schools: academic achievement, social and emotional development, civic engagement, and equitable opportunity.

Involvement in the arts is associated with gains in math, reading, cognitive ability, critical thinking, and verbal skill. Arts learning can also improve motivation, concentration, confidence, and teamwork. A 2005 report by the Rand Corporation about the visual arts argues that the intrinsic pleasures and stimulation of the art experience do more than sweeten an individual's life -- according to the report, they "can connect people more deeply to the world and open them to new ways of seeing," creating the foundation to forge social bonds and community cohesion. And strong arts programming in schools helps close a gap that has left many a child behind: From Mozart for babies to tutus for toddlers to family trips to the museum, the children of affluent, aspiring parents generally get exposed to the arts whether or not public schools provide them. Low-income children, often, do not. "Arts education enables those children from a financially challenged background to have a more level playing field with children who have had those enrichment experiences,'' says Eric Cooper, president and founder of the National Urban Alliance for Effective Education.

It has become a mantra in education that No Child Left Behind, with its pressure to raise test scores, has reduced classroom time devoted to the arts (and science, social studies, and everything else besides reading and math). Evidence supports this contention -- we'll get to the statistics in a minute -- but the reality is more complex. Arts education has been slipping for more than three decades, the result of tight budgets, an ever-growing list of state mandates that have crammed the classroom curriculum, and a public sense that the arts are lovely but not essential.

This erosion chipped away at the constituencies that might have defended the arts in the era of NCLB -- children who had no music and art classes in the 1970s and 1980s may not appreciate their value now. "We have a whole generation of teachers and parents who have not had the advantage of arts in their own education,'' says Sandra Ruppert, director of the Arts Education Partnership (AEP), a national coalition of arts, business, education, philanthropic, and government organizations.

Yet against this backdrop, a new picture is emerging. Comprehensive, innovative arts initiatives are taking root in a growing number of school districts. Many of these models are based on new findings in brain research and cognitive development, and they embrace a variety of approaches: using the arts as a learning tool (for example, musical notes to teach fractions); incorporating arts into other core classes (writing and performing a play about, say, slavery); creating a school environment rich in arts and culture (Mozart in the hallways every day) and hands-on arts instruction. Although most of these initiatives are in the early stages, some are beginning to rack up impressive results. This trend may send a message to schools focused maniacally, and perhaps counterproductively, on reading and math.

"If they're worried about their test scores and want a way to get them higher, they need to give kids more arts, not less," says Tom Horne, Arizona's state superintendent of public instruction. "There's lots of evidence that kids immersed in the arts do better on their academic tests."

Education policies almost universally recognize the value of arts. Forty-seven states have arts-education mandates, forty-eight have arts-education standards, and forty have arts requirements for high school graduation, according to the 2007-08 AEP state policy database. The Goals 2000 Educate America Act, passed in 1994 to set the school-reform agenda of the Clinton and Bush administrations, declared art to be part of what all schools should teach. NCLB, enacted in 2001, included art as one of the ten core academic subjects of public education, a designation that qualified arts programs for an assortment of federal grants.

In a 2003 report, "The Complete Curriculum: Ensuring a Place for the Arts and Foreign Languages in American's Schools,"a study group from the National Association of State Boards of Education noted that a substantial body of research highlights the benefits of arts in curriculum and called for stronger emphasis on the arts and foreign languages. As chairman of the Education Commission of the States from 2004 to 2006, Mike Huckabee, then governor of Arkansas, launched an initiative designed, according to commission literature, to ensure every child has the opportunity to learn about, enjoy, and participate directly in the arts.

Top-down mandates are one thing, of course, and implementation in the classroom is another. Whatever NCLB says about the arts, it measures achievement through math and language arts scores, not drawing proficiency or music skills. It's no surprise, then, that many districts have zeroed in on the tests. A 2006 national survey by the Center on Education Policy, an independent advocacy organization in Washington, DC, found that in the five years after enactment of NCLB, 44 percent of districts had increased instruction time in elementary school English language arts and math while decreasing time spent on other subjects. A follow-up analysis, released in February 2008, showed that 16 percent of districts had reduced elementary school class time for music and art -- and had done so by an average of 35 percent, or fifty-seven minutes a week.

Some states report even bleaker numbers. In California, for example, participation in music courses dropped 46 percent from 1999-2000 through 2000-04, while total school enrollment grew nearly 6 percent, according to a study by the Music for All Foundation. The number of music teachers, meanwhile, declined 26.7 percent. In 2001, the California Board of Education set standards at each grade level for what students should know and be able to do in music, visual arts, theater, and dance, but a statewide study in 2006, by SRI International, found that 89 percent of K-12 schools failed to offer a standards-based course of study in all four disciplines. Sixty-one percent of schools didn't even have a full-time arts specialist.

Nor does support for the arts by top administrators necessarily translate into instruction for kids. For example, a 2005 report in Illinois found almost no opposition to arts education among principals and district superintendents, yet there were large disparities in school offerings around the state.

In many districts, the arts have suffered so long that it will take years, and massive investment, to turn things around. New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has made arts education a priority in his school reform plans, and the city has launched sweeping initiatives to connect more students with the city's vast cultural resources. Nearly every school now offers at least some arts instruction and cultural programming, yet in 2007-08, only 45 percent of elementary schools and 33 percent of middle schools provided education in all four required art forms, according to an analysis by the New York City Department of Education, and only 34 percent of high schools offered students the opportunity to exceed the minimum graduation requirement.

Yet some districts have made great strides toward not only revitalizing the arts but also using them to reinvent schools. The work takes leadership, innovation, broad partnerships, and a dogged insistence that the arts are central to what we want students to learn.

In Dallas, for example, a coalition of arts advocates, philanthropists, educators, and business leaders have worked for years to get arts into all schools, and to get students out into the city's thriving arts community. Today, for the first time in thirty years, every elementary student in the Dallas Independent School District receives forty-five minutes a week of art and music instruction. In a February 2007 op-ed piece in the Dallas Morning News, Gigi Antoni, president and CEO of Big Thought, the nonprofit partnership working with the district, the Wallace Foundation, and more than sixty local arts and cultural institutions, explained the rationale behind what was then called the Dallas Arts Learning Initiative: "DALI was created on one unabashedly idealistic, yet meticulously researched, premise -- that students flourish when creativity drives learning."

The Minneapolis and Chicago communities, too, are forging partnerships with their vibrant arts and cultural resources to infuse the schools with rich comprehensive, sustainable programs -- not add-ons that come and go with this year's budget or administrator.

In Arizona, Tom Horne, the state superintendant of public instruction, made it his goal to provide high-quality, comprehensive arts education to all K-12 students. Horne, a classically trained pianist and founder of the Phoenix Baroque Ensemble, hasn't yet achieved his objective, but he has made progress: He pushed through higher standards for arts education, appointed an arts specialist in the state Department of Education, and steered $4 million in federal funds under NCLB to support arts integration in schools throughout the state. Some have restored art and music after a decade without them.

"When you think about the purposes of education, there are three," Horne says. "We're preparing kids for jobs. We're preparing them to be citizens. And we're teaching them to be human beings who can enjoy the deeper forms of beauty. The third is as important as the other two."

Fran Smith is a contributing editor for Edutopia.

This article was also published in the February 2009 issue of Edutopia magazine under the headline "State of the Arts".

Chairman Miller Announces Plans to Examine How Arts and Music Benefits the Economy and Education

2009-02-25T13:47:00.001-05:00

Chairman Miller Announces Plans to Examine How Arts and Music Benefits the Economy and Education
Arts organizations generate $166 billion and over 5 million jobs each year
February 5, 2009 4:49 PM
WASHINGTON, D.C. – With the arts and music among the many industries being hit hard in economic downturn, U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today announced plans to hold a series of hearings this Spring to examine how the arts benefit the nation’s economy and schools – and what can be done to improve support for the arts and music fields.
“Like so many other sectors of our economy, the arts and music are suffering greatly – hurting millions of workers and families who depend on these industries for good jobs and the students who benefit from participation in arts and music education in school. Research shows that when students are exposed to arts and music, they perform better in other subjects,” said Miller. “In states and communities around the country, like my home state of California, these industries are vital engines for local economies – making up a large share of revenue and providing employment for a wide array of jobs, from construction to musicians to art teachers to sound editors.”

“President Obama has made it clear that arts and music have a critical role to play in improving our schools, our workforce and our overall quality of life. These hearings will give Congress the opportunity to hear from experts in these fields about how supporting the arts and music can help us build a stronger America.”

Arts organizations generate $166.2 billion in economic activity, support 5.7 million jobs, and return nearly $30 billion in revenue to the government each year, according to a 2007 study by The Americans for the Arts.

Recent news reports have highlighted the tough economic realities arts organizations are facing – many are cutting budgets and programs that provide important services to local communities. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, unemployment in certain arts fields was far higher than the overall workforce in 2008.

The goal of the House Education and Labor Committee in the 111th Congress is to rebuild and strengthen America’s middle class by improving the lives of students, workers and families. For more information on the committee’s work, click here.

# # #

RIver City Brass Band

2009-02-18T12:03:00.001-05:00

Brass Band fighting to play on
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
By Andrew Druckenbrod, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The River City Brass Band has postponed rehearsals this week, but officials hold out hope that the next set of concerts -- and the band itself -- will continue.

"I think that we will have a clearer picture of the future in a week," said executive director Robert Parkinson. "We have been working on this since our December board meeting and staff, musicians and board members are working as hard as they can to find solutions. There are a series of events that we have to work through: agreement on expense cuts, raise the immediate cash and implement the long-term plan. The foundations have been fabulous, but they are strapped."

Later this week the band is looking to hear responses from foundations to its request for immediate funds. The River City Brass Band, which formed in 1981, is also talking to the musicians union about restructuring the collective bargaining agreement, which is due to expire in June. The 28 musicians are paid "per service"; many also teach or play in other groups.

The staff, which is salaried, has already been asked to take "painful cuts," Parkinson said. If the band gets the necessary funds in time to squeeze in the "requisite number" of rehearsals next week -- four plus a dress rehearsal Feb. 26 in the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Homewood -- then it will proceed with a series of concerts, "American Graffiti," beginning March 1. That concert takes place at the Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center in Johnstown, with concerts to follow throughout the region.

For more details, read tomorrow's Post-Gazette.
Classical music critic Andrew Druckenbrod can be reached at adruckenbrod@post-gazette.com. He blogs at Classical Musings at www.post-gazette.com.
First published on February 17, 2009 at 6:32 pm

Museum of Making Music

2008-08-13T20:26:00.002-04:00

Check out this YouTube site - http://www.youtube.com/museumofmakingmusic

You can see some video clips from the Museum of Making Music as well as a few videos showing you some of the qualities important in violins.

Want To Learn Excel?

2008-08-12T19:56:00.002-04:00

Yes - it's been since April since this blog was updated. Hopefully, I will continue to update.

I wanted to point you to a great blog that will teach you some great tips for using Microsoft Excel. - http://www.thecompanyrocks.com/excels/

The blog is written by Danny Rocks who works very closely in the music products industry. Danny worked at Alfred Publishing and now runs his own company - The Company Rocks. I have had the great opportunity to meet Danny and have come to know him and find him to be someone full of knowledge and someone who is so willing to share that knowledge. I encourage you to check out his blog - well worth the time to view the lessons.

Create and Judge Marching Shows Online

2008-04-02T10:35:00.002-04:00

Check out http://www.micromarching.com/ You can design your own marching band drill (without music) and judge other shows and leave comments.

Might be good practice for you aspiring drill designers.

The Beat Goes On: Gibson Sues "Rock Band" Game Creators

2008-03-29T21:22:00.001-04:00

From the MMR E-Mail Newsletter

On Mar. 21 Gibson Guitar filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Viacom's MTV networks, Harmonix, and Electronic Arts relating to the "Rock Band" video game and Harmonix's previously developed game, "Guitar Hero."

The suit, filed in Federal District Court in Tennessee, relates to the same patent involved in another suit Gibson filed earlier against mass-merchant retailers of "Guitar Hero," including Wal-Mart and Target (MMR Update, Mar. 21.)

Gibson claims the games violate a 1999 Gibson patent for technology to simulate a musical performance.

Harmonix developed the first "Guitar Hero" game and was later bought by MTV. Electronic Arts publishes "Rock Band" and another company, Activision Inc.,{doesn't make sense} and the retailers either develop, distribute, or sell one or more of the games in the "Guitar Hero" series.

As reported in MMR Update on Mar. 14, Activision responded to Gibson's complaint by filing a preemptive suit against Gibson. Contrary to myriad online reports, however, Gibson has not filed a lawsuit against Activision on the 1999 patent claim.

The Activision lawsuit asks the U.S. District Court for Central California to declare Gibson's patent invalid and to bar it from seeking damages.

Gibson has been a high-profile partner in the "Guitar Hero" games. Activision licensed the rights to model its guitar-shaped video controllers on Gibson models and to use their likenesses in the game.

Activision has said that by waiting three years to raise its claim, Gibson had granted an implied license for any technology.

Pittsburgh Pictures

2008-03-21T21:26:00.000-04:00

I just came across this site - http://pittsburghskyline.com/

Some amazing pictures of Pittsburgh. It will make you fall in love with the skyline all over again.

Guitar Hero No More?

2008-03-14T15:39:00.000-04:00

Gibson Files Suit Over "Guitar Hero"
Gibson has told Activision Inc that its popular "Guitar Hero" video games infringe one of Gibson's patents. Gibson said the game violates a 1999 patent for technology to simulate a musical performance. A copy of Gibson's patent included in the court filing showed a method for simulating a live performance using a musical instrument, a 3D headset with stereo speakers, and a pre-recorded concert.

"Based on our preliminary analysis, the 'Guitar Hero' software (including any expansion packs) and the guitar controller provided by Activision being used as a musical instrument (packaged with the software or sold standalone) are covered by the ... patent," Gibson's law firm said in its January 7 letter. "Gibson requests that Activision obtain a license under Gibson's ... patent or halt sales of any version of the 'Guitar Hero' game software."

On Tuesday, Activision filed a lawsuit asking the U.S. District Court for Central California to declare Gibson's patent invalid and to bar it from seeking damages.

Gibson made its claims in a letter sent to Activision in January, a copy of which was included in Activision's lawsuit. Gibson has been a high-profile partner in the "Guitar Hero" games, with Activision licensing the rights to model its controllers on Gibson guitar models and to use their likenesses in the game.

"Gibson is a good partner, and we have a great deal of respect for them. We disagree with the applicability of their patent and would like a legal determination on this," Activision general counsel George Rose said in a statement.

Activision said its games did not infringe Gibson's patent, and that by waiting three years to raise its claim, the guitar maker had granted an implied license for any technology.

(Source: Reuters)

Ticking package strikes a bad chord at Duquesne U.

2008-03-14T12:27:00.000-04:00

Friday, March 14, 2008
By Anya Sostek, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A ticking care package shut down a Duquesne University building for several hours this morning.

A Pittsburgh Police bomb squad investigation revealed the culprit to be a metronome, which turned on as the package was transported. The package also contained food and medicine, said university spokeswoman Bridget Fare.

The building, Rockwell Hall, houses the campus mailroom along with the School of Business, various computing and technology operations and other offices.

A mailroom employee noticed the ticking sound around 7:30 a.m. and evacuated the building, said Ms. Fare. No classes were in session that early in the morning, she said.

Police gave the all-clear to re-open Rockwell Hall around 10 a.m., she said.

First published on March 14, 2008 at 10:47 am

How rockin' is your high school marching band?

2008-03-13T23:07:00.000-04:00

I stole this from the YEA! website - wouldn’t it be great to have a Western PA band on this show?
Is your high school marching band rockin' enough for MTV?
The network's producers want to know!
MTV News & Docs is casting a new show which will chronicle the inner workings and outside lives of a high school marching band. The chosen band will share their experiences of rehearsals, half-time performances, competitions and fundraisers all the while balancing the normal pressures of high school. The network is looking for outgoing, interesting, diverse band members to share their lives with them… and a proud, dedicated school that’s willing to open up their doors to its producers.
Interested parties should contact Claresa Mandola, Casting Director, to discuss making a video application: (212) 654-4871 or mailto:castingspring08@mtvstaff.com.

TV News Attitude

2008-03-12T17:22:00.001-04:00

This is a riot - good thing TV people don’t have big egos...

And The Band Played Badly

2008-03-08T15:24:00.000-05:00

I’m an avid New York Times reader and love the Sunday Times. The Op-Ed page this week took one small break from politics and had this article. There is this movement known as “Recreational Music Making.” So many in the school music world push for “perfection” in music. It’s great to see people who enjoy making music - just for the sake of making music. This piece is an example of that - and these folks don’t strive for perfection at all - just for fun.

OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR
And the Band Played Badly

By ALEXANDER McCALL SMITH
Published: March 9, 2008

Alexander McCall Smith is the author of the forthcoming novel “The Miracle at Speedy Motors.”

MySpace

2008-03-08T14:01:00.003-05:00

Based on some advice from a colleague who uses MySpace as an additional web presence for their store, Progressive Music now has a MySpace. You can visit it at www.myspace.com/progressive_music It's very basic and boring now - but I promise - as I begin to figure out how to use MySpace - you will see the page grow. Please add us as a MySpace friend.

Standardized Music Test in Florida

2008-03-06T14:41:00.002-05:00

Yes, I have not blogged in a long time. I am going to attempt to start correcting that. Take a look at the article below. Once of the things that music advocates always look for are facts. There has been no national study of access and cause/effect with regard to music. While there was some sense we would see that just a few months ago when we saw Sens. Dodd and Alexander call for a national study on arts education access. The study would have helped lawmakers make crucial decision regarding No Child Left Behind. Speaking of NCLB - haven't heard much about education policy on the campaign trail have we? Let's hope the subject does come up.

Interesting article below - regular blogging to begin again soon.

First results from Florida's first standardized music test (yes, you heard that right, music test)
posted by LesliePostal on Feb 25, 2008 6:24:00 AM
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More than two years ago, the Florida Music Educators' Association devised a 30-minute standardized test for fourth graders. Last spring, association members gave it to nearly 10,000 kids. Last week, they shared the results from this first pilot session.

The major ones:

--Kids who take music class at school know more about music than kids who do not (hardly surprising, but music teachers say it shows that if you want kids to learn about music, well, you need to send them to music class).

-- students who do well on the music test also do well on FCAT

-- minority students, as a group, do not lag as far behind white classmates on the music test as they do on FCAT reading, math and writing exams.

"One subject -- music -- gives students a greater chance to succeed, regardless of ethnicity," the group said.

The Florida Music Assessment, or FMA, was given at 106 schools in 42 counties. The test has students answer questions, sometimes after listening to snippets of music. This pilot project was paid for with state money, but it is not clear yet if the state will fund more or bigger administrations, said James Perry, executive director of the music association.

That question likely will be answered in the coming session of the Florida Legislature. Meanwhile, the association is working to develop middle and high school music exams, too.

The group devised the test as a way to spur improvements in music education and to highlight its importance in public schools. It comes as some schools, feeling pressure to improve students showing in more academic fields, have cut back on music education.

In the 106 pilot schools, some students had no music classes and a few at a magnet school had daily instruction. The average was about 38 minutes a week.

Students who took music and took it more often did better on the test than those who had the class less often or not a all. So, Perry said, "it would certainly be unreasonable to start lessening the time you have in music."

Good scores on the FMA also correlated with good scores on FCAT, suggesting that improving one might improve the other, the association said.

The so-called achievement gap between minority and white students was smaller on the music test than on FCAT, confirming national studies that also show music lessons "reach across all ethnic and socio-economic boundaries" in a way some other subjects do not, Perry said.

The art of education must include the arts

2007-12-17T22:37:00.001-05:00

The art of education must include the arts

Barbara Hall
is a freelance journalist

who writes on education

His name is Andrew, and we nearly lost him.

Around 2000, Andrew was a 12-year-old, at-risk student at Harding Elementary School in Erie. He was saved from dropping out, his teachers believe, by an all-community arts-education program focusing on opera. The program, an ambitious and successful effort, thrives today.

Erie has received a $15 million, five-year math-and-science grant from General Electric. Thinking creatively, Erie administrators are directing a portion of this to Harding's school opera program. As a result, a resident visual artist, poet and dancer will work with students on this year's production.

Arts education in Erie is flourishing.

Not so in Philadelphia. School district administrators confirm there are literally no music or art teachers in the city's middle and high schools - even though music and art are core curriculum subjects with minimum standards for instruction.

Those who care about arts learning in Philly schools are hoping that the School Reform Commission's new CEO, Sandra Dungee Glenn, will include art and music in her priorities.

For now, organizations such as the Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership and the National Endowment for the Arts are picking up some of the slack. The NEA's 2007 Learning in the Arts for Children & Youth grants total five. They cover an Asian youth folk-arts festival, a Latino youth artist program, a young playwrights project titled "Exploring Ourselves and Our Cultures," a youth mural project, and an advanced study program at the Settlement Music School of Philadelphia.

Such help, though, cannot compensate for the arts-teacher vacuum in city schools.

Why does arts education matter?

A recent survey by Target Corp. polled millions of American parents over age 18. Ninety-four percent said they consider arts education important to their child's intellectual development. And more than half said they feel their music and art school programs were underfunded.

"Arts have traditionally been the first programs to go when there are tight budget constraints," says Philip Horn, executive director of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. At the same time, he adds, "Pennsylvania does pretty well by comparison to other states."

What can parents do for their children and the arts?

Join parent organizations and advocate, urge Horn and Michael Faison, program head at the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.

"A school can only be as strong as its families," counsels Dennis Creedon, administrator for creative and performing arts in Philadelphia schools. "Help offset school cuts in arts education by doing your part. That way, school will never be out!"

Take full advantage of culture around the state. There's the Barnes Museum (for now) of Merion, the Brandywine in Chester County, and, of course, the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The Philadelphia Orchestra, led by conductor and artistic director Charles Dutoit, has a spectrum of year-round cultural events.

As former U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige observed, "From music and dance to painting and sculpture, the arts allow us to explore new worlds."

Conn-Selmer to Close Kenosha Woodwind Facility

2007-12-07T14:35:00.001-05:00

Conn-Selmer to Close Kenosha Woodwind Facility
On Dec. 4, the Conn-Selmer subsidiary of Steinway Musical Instruments, Inc. announced it will be closing its woodwind manufacturing operations in Kenosha, Wis. The production of the 95,000-square-foot plant will be transferred to the company’s woodwind facility in Elkhart. Conn-Selmer reports it has sufficient inventory to meet customer needs during the transition of production, which is expected to be completed over the next 12 months.

The closing marks the end of an era in Kenosha, where the late Vito Pascucci founded G. Leblanc Corp. in 1946 and built it into a leader in the band instrument field. Conn-Selmer acquired Leblanc in August 2004 for $36.8 million. The acquisition also included the Holton brass instrument factory in nearby Elkhorn, Wis., which is not expected to be directly affected by the closing of the Kenosha woodwind facility.

John Stoner, president of Conn-Selmer, commented, "We have achieved a high level of expertise at our Elkhart facility through the team’s steady commitment to continuous improvement. This consolidation will help us gain efficiencies and remain a viable U.S. manufacturer in the student clarinet and flute categories."

As a result of the Kenosha plant closure, which will affect approximately 100 active employees, the company expects to incur charges of $800,000 to $1 million over the next few quarters. The charges include severance costs, make-ready costs to prepare the Elkhart plant, and costs for the relocation of machinery and inventory from Kenosha. In addition, the company expects to incur expenses associated with terminating the use of certain capital equipment and real estate assets.

Dana Messina, CEO of Steinway Musical Instruments, explained, "This very difficult decision regarding Kenosha reinforces our commitment to remain a profitable U.S. manufacturer of band instruments. We are confident that our strategy will improve profitability and allow us to compete with lower-cost offshore manufacturers."