The article discussed how the US government gathered a group of 8Th graders, put in a CD, and asked them if they could define the instrument playing. First off, I could see how it would be very hard for any 8Th grader to tell the difference between a drum and a piano playing, if music isn't in their life. With the reduction of time allowed for the arts because of the emphasis put forth on Math, Reading, and science, its a miracle that any student knows what music is, or what paint is used for.
The bottom line with the testing and constant questioning of educators teaching their subjects, is that it is a farce. How can any teacher do a good job teaching their subject, if their time is constantly getting reduced to less and less. The USA today article talked about how many of these music students only have music two, maybe three times a week. How are students supposed to learn an adequate amount let alone remember what they have learned when you space it out, with a day in between each session. Its a sad thing to see art, music, and phys ed take a back seat to the big three.
If you are to look in any culutre that is successfull, you will find they have a rich past in the arts. We always look to Japan as being the role model for our students in education. No culture is as rich in the arts as Japan is. While looking around for examples I came across this website, that had a great article on Hanga. Hanga is the Japanese word for prints. Many of our greatest artists have learned how to make prints from the Japanese. The Japanese find a happy medium between the arts and core classes, allowing for them to use both sides of their brains.
I'm not saying the arts is what makes Japan's students #1 in the world, but it definatley doesnt hurt them. Until the US government extends class times for the arts, I don't think they will have a legitimate argument when it comes to testing students knowledge in the arts.
That, of course, is just one of the things I have huge problems with when it comes to NCLB - a bill that I consider to be just a disaster. So much emphasis has been placed on math and reading, other things get shorted and guess what really gets the short end of the stick? Yes, the arts, and I think that could really be damaging to our society as a whole.
ReplyDeleteYou may not say it, wesley, but I will - one of the big reason our kids are getting ever more shallow both academically and culturally and other countries are soaring past us is they think the arts are important and we don't. they are turning out well rounded students and we are turning out professional test takers who can't tell a piano from a drum in 8th grade (by the way, if that example is true, that is just pitiful). We need to change our focus and realize math and reading alone don't mean squat if the make us eliminate other things that make our students well rounded.
A great first step would be to burn every copy of NCLB and write a bill the makes sense.
Wes, Not only are the arts important for a rich, national consciousness, brain studies are showing that music, for example, improves math skills. That if babies and children listen to cetain kinds of music, it actually creates new synapses in the brain. A few years ago, the governor of Georgia sent every new baby home with a Mozart CD.
ReplyDeleteThe arts are the soul of a nation. We must fight for their survival and help them to thrive. And, unfortunately, not everyone knows what a clarinet sounds like.
Wes, this is a very important topic. Thanks.
Wes,
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Japanese students outperform the world when it comes to math and science. Somehow, they still maintain an ageless history and artistic culture. The Sado way of tea, Shinto religion, kabuki theatre, and Hanga printing are miraculously preserved traditions. We don’t get it. Japanese students spend far more time in school. They strenuously compete for entrance into the best schools. They honor their teacher and are proud of their schools. Many Japanese schools don’t employ janitors. There students, faculty, and administration stop everything and clean up their mess. What a concept! Teachers are respected and better paid. The simple allot more time for all disciplines and encourage people to become teachers.
The following information comes from a study of humanities education conducted by the National Endowment for the Humanities. According to this organization, the purpose of public education is to transmit a uniform culture to all students. Culture includes history, events, personalities, literature, art, music, and languages. Another belief is that practical skills are more important that knowledge. My principal is considering cutting a half-credit of our social studies curriculum. We offer an extra half-credit more than the state mandates. He sees this as an opportunity to offer another upper echelon math course. It does not matter to him that our teaching schedules would be juggled. He cares not that our social studies curriculum would be further shortchanged. This is coming from the same administrator stated the social studies curriculum was already “an inch deep and a mile long.” This is a great reason for the state to butt out of education.
The Endowment states that public schools are failing to teach, and students aren’t learning about their past or culture. Two-thirds of American 17-year olds are unable to place the Civil War within the correct half-century. In addition, that same number cannot identify the Reformation or Magna Carta. I am a history teacher and I find these results despicable. I could add several examples of ignorance to the research.
Five years ago our school went through a budget crisis. A recent referendum has solidified our position. The school’s superintendent first suggestion to resolve the crisis was to cut our family and consumer science program completely. The art program would be cut in half and that department’s teacher would teach social studies. My position would have been cut, which is inconsequential to my point. Angry students and elementary parents saved the art program. Thankfully, my job also was saved. W-A-O, a neighboring school cut elementary physical education to trim the fat. Elementary school students were to spend recess in the gym. This quickly turned into a fiasco. It is not that difficult to diagnose the childhood obesity epidemic’s genesis. The point being art, music, FACS, and physical education are first to go when times get tough.
We have a long ways to go if we are going to assimilate Western history, humanities, and values. Lots of people are going to have to pull their heads out of the sand.
I can definitely relate to what you said. At the end of the school year, the orchestra teacher and I (I teach band) got together to show the instruments to the third graders. This was just so they could see and hear the instruments and to prepare them a little for next year. Even though the students learned the band and orchestra instruments in third grade, many of them could still not name the instruments or name the correct instrument family they belonged to. Something else that I find sad is one day, during one of my flute lessons, I wanted the kids to play “Home on the Range”. They were having troubles with the rhythm, so I told them to sing it to help them. Most of my kids had never heard the song. I could not believe it. This is a traditional American Folk Song that the kids should know. I then proceeded to teach them the words to the song and made them sing it. I am hoping if I continue to teach this way, none of my kids will end up on a show like Late Night with Jay Leno when he use to do his Jay Walking segment. I know they have had people on there before attempting to sing or give the words to the “Star Spangled Banner” and they do not know them.
ReplyDeleteBeing a music teacher I have to say that I love the topic of your blog. You are right arts are taking a back seat to the core subjects of education. I am very lucky, so far my school district has been very supportive of the arts because we are well funded and I get to see the students three times in a two week period. I realize that is not the case in every school district in America. Music can be very helpful to students who learn how to play an instrument. It teaches them discipline and time management skills to name a few. The best way to sum up the importance of the arts in education is to quote from the move Mr. Holland’s Opus where the main charter Glen Holland addressed his principal saying, “Well, I guess you can cut the arts as much as you want, Gene. Sooner or later, these kids aren't going to have anything to read or write about.”
ReplyDeleteI think that students need options in school so that each student can find something that they are successful at. For many students, math and science are not where they experience this success. Students that rely on these elective classes to earn credits generally are not the students that go on to attend M.I.T. or Stanford. I really think we must offer something for every type of learner in our school system. If we do not, couldn't this be called "discrimintation"?
ReplyDeleteOops, make that "discrimination"!
ReplyDelete