Abstract
The Meaning of Education
After the dust settles from the election, Congress will no doubt return to the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, a long overdue process that will be hotly debated in both the House and the Senate. The Music Education Policy Roundtable, of which ASTA is a founding member, will work diligently to protect the status of the arts as a core academic subject. This is one of the core “asks” of the roundtable for the coming year.
The roundtable met in June to talk about the year ahead and discuss some of the key issues that music educators face. One of these is, of course, that the arts—specifically music—be funded at the level of a core academic subject. The belief that the arts are core to education is the foundation of all our missions. Education is more than learning to read and write and do mathematical calculations. A true education inspires our children to think and act creatively and to express themselves in open and inspiring ways. We all know that music education delivers this in droves.
We also know that music educators must be supported with opportunities for professional development and learning. We believe that music educators must be evaluated by qualified individuals using reliable education goals. Every music educator in America has a great deal at stake as these conversations continue. That's why the roundtable is also asking that all core academic subjects should be required to collect and report data. Now, more than any other time in history, music educators must take an active role in their associations.
During the roundtable discussion in June, members also talked at length about the issue of access. The bottom line is that way too many students in America do not have access to a complete and comprehensive music education curricula that includes strings, band and choir. This is nothing short of a national tragedy. Too many kids, in mostly urban and rural areas, are being shortchanged and denied equal access. If we believe this is wrong then we must collectively fight to change this—even if we have to do it one school at a time. This requires funding, more music teachers, access to instruments and grassroots efforts in local communities. We not only need to become music advocates, we need to create an army of advocates that includes parents, grandparents, community leaders and even students.
ASTA Board of Directors
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Duquesne University
Mary Pappert School of Music
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UNCG School of Music, PO Box 26170
Greensboro, NC 27402
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Michigan State University, 203 Music Practice Building
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ASTA National Office
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Plato once said: “Do not train children to learning by force and harshness, but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.”
Music education brings out the genius in so many youngsters. It lays the cultural foundation for our communities. It teaches and reaches so many students who are not educationally inspired in other classes. If we fail to act boldly and with unwavering passion, then we are not nurturing the next generation of Americans.
It has been said that education is not filling a pail but the lighting of a fire. ASTA and the Music Education Policy Roundtable invite you to not only join us in this important work, but to inspire others. The fires we light today will spark the next generation of genius!
Executive Director