NCLB Leaves Music Education Behind

[Bob Schaeffer <bobschaeffer@earthlink.net>]

New Harris Poll Links Music Education to Advanced Studies and Higher 
Incomes;
National Association for Music Education and Artist Steven Van Zandt 
Endorse Findings

No Child Left Behind Act is Leaving Music Education Behind, Despite 
Proven Benefits

   WASHINGTON, Nov. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- At an event with actor
and musician "Little" Steven Van Zandt and MENC: The National Association
for Music Education, Harris Interactive today released an independent poll
which shows a positive association of music with lifelong educational
attainment and higher income. Nearly nine in ten people (88 percent) with
post graduate degrees participated in music education. Further, 83 percent
of those with incomes higher than $150,000 or more participated in music.

   With the No Child Left Behind Act currently up for reauthorization in
Congress, a discussion on music education is more important right now than
ever. Music is recognized, on paper, as a core academic subject but with
actual testing in only a narrow range of subjects, music is usually one of
the first programs to be cut.

   "Research confirms that music education at an early age greatly
increases the likelihood that a child will grow up to seek higher education
and ultimately earn a higher salary. The sad irony is that 'No Child Left
Behind' is intended to better prepare our children for the real world, yet
it's leaving music behind despite its proven benefits," said Dr. John
Mahlmann, Executive Director of MENC: The National Association for Music
Education. "While music clearly corresponds to higher performing students
and adults, student access to music education had dropped about 20 percent
in recent years, thanks in large part to the constraints of the No Child
Left Behind Act."

   Musician, actor and music education activist Steven Van Zandt adds,
"Obviously, music is a big part of my life and I've had remarkable
experiences as part of the music industry. That is why I am now combining
my life's work and my passion for music education. The Harris Poll and
other studies like it document the fact that you don't have to be a rock
star to benefit from music education. Music benefits everyone in all walks
of life. Through my Rock and Roll Forever Foundation, I am working with
professional music educators on the development of 'Little Steven's Rock
and Roll High School.' This curriculum will be available at no cost to
schools and can help future generations learn about music, history, culture
and the arts -- all through Rock and Roll."

   "If you want to be a CEO, college president or even a rock star, the
message from this survey is: take music," Mahlmann added. "As with reading,
writing and arithmetic, music should be a core academic focus because it is
so vital to a well rounded education and will pay dividends later in life,
no matter the career path taken."

   Respondents of the Harris Poll cite skills they learned in music as
helping them in their careers today. Seventy-two percent of adults with
music education agree that it equips people to be better team players in
their career and nearly six in ten agree that music education has
influenced their creative problem solving skills. Many also agree music
education provides a disciplined approach to problem solving, a sense of
organization and prepares someone to manage the tasks of their job more
successfully.

   An earlier Harris study shows significantly higher graduation and
attendance rates in schools with music programs (90.2 percent compared to
72.9 percent and 93.3 percent compared to 84.9 percent, respectively).

   Other studies show the value of music programs to our future
generations:

   -- Students in top quality music programs scored 22 percent higher in
      English and 20 percent higher in math on standardized tests mandated
      by the No Child Left Behind Act (University of Kansas)
   -- In 2006, SAT takers with coursework in music performance scored 57
      points higher on the verbal portion of the test and 43 points higher
      on the math portion (The College Board, Profile of College-Bound
      Seniors National Report for 2006)

   "Parents, educators, state legislatures and the Congress need to take
these studies seriously. This relationship between music education and
better performance in life is not accidental. How are we supposed to
continue as a creative society without exposing our students to the arts?
Rock and Roll shapes our culture and is the great equalizer among people of
different racial, social and economic background. It belongs in the
schools!" said Van Zandt.

   MENC: The National Association for Music Education, the world's largest
arts education organization, marks its centennial in 2007 as the only
association that addresses all aspects of music education. More than
130,000 members represent all levels of teaching from preschool to graduate
school. Since 1907, MENC has worked to ensure that every student has access
to a well-balanced, comprehensive, and high-quality program of music
instruction taught by qualified teachers. MENC's activities and resources
have been largely responsible for the establishment of music education as a
profession, for the promotion and guidance of music study as an integral
part of the school curriculum, and for the development of the National
Standards for Arts Education.

   The Rock and Roll Forever Foundation:
   To educate and promote the history and achievements of Rock and Roll
music as well as other traditional and modern music forms. To save,
safeguard, archive, and collect important Rock and Roll and other musical
documents, histories, or artifacts. To preserve original analogue tape
master recordings. To help save or safeguard important Rock and Roll music
sites or venues, and to raise public awareness of the historical
significance of certain music sites or venues. To provide scholarships,
fellowships, or grants to young aspiring musicians. To teach the history of
Rock and Roll and its origins and document its impact on our nation's and
world culture. To donate or provide access to musical instruments,
training, recording equipment, and other musical skills to those who might
otherwise not have the opportunity to receive them. To insure that the
tremendous cultural and artistic benefits and achievements of Rock and Roll
music be passed down to future generations.

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