- Address from Richard W. Riley
About Music Education
-
- Following are excerpts from an address by former U.S.
Secretary
- of Education Richard W. Riley to the National Assembly of
- MENC on Tuesday, July 13, 1999:
-
- Several weeks ago, I went to England, Scotland, and Ireland
to
- visit schools and share ideas with educators. While I was
in
- London, I went to see a play, "The Prisoner of Second
Avenue,"
- starring Richard Dreyfuss. Afterward, I spoke with him
backstage
- and he said that of all his movies, he was most proud of
"Mr. Holland's Opus."
-
- As a child, I took piano lessons for three or four years. I
was not
- destined to become a great musician. But I know that
through
- music, children learn to reach for their very best. You have
all
- witnessed the intensity with which children prepare for a
recital.
- They practice and practice until they can play the piece
without
- errors. Imagine if, when they are a few years older, they
approach
- a geometry test with the same intensity. Then imagine if
they
- continue to strive for excellence as college students, as
citizens,
- and as parents.
-
- As music teachers, you lead children to do their best, and you
teach
- them that through practice and persistence they can
achieve
- something close to perfection. You also teach them to
appreciate
- the joy of music.
-
- No one ever derived more joy from music than the great
cellist
- Pablo Casals. At the age of 93, after his long, wonderful
career,
- Casals decided it was time to write his autobiography, which
he
- called "Joys and Sorrows." You have to admire a man who
waits
- until he is 93 years old before he begins his autobiography.
Casals
- was either very confident of his longevity... or an
incredible
- procrastinator.
-
- For eighty years, he began each day by sitting down at the
piano
- and playing two of Bach's preludes and fugues. In his
- autobiography, Casals explain this morning ritual:
- "It is a sort of benediction of the house. But that is not its
only
- meaning for me... It fills me with awareness of the wonder of
life,
- with a feeling of the incredible marvel of being a human
being.
- The music is never the same for me -- never. Each day it
is
- something new, fantastic, and unbelievable."
-
- None of us claim to have Casals' understanding and talent
for
- music. But all of us share part of his experience -- the
miraculous
- feeling when music lifts our spirits, transports us, and helps
us
- sense the beauty of the world.
-
- As music teachers, you help your students experience that
- miraculous feeling. And your best students, when they
become
- accomplished musicians, can inspire that feeling in others.
You are
- giving all your students-- whether they are musicians or not
-- a
- tremendous gift.
-
- The American composer Charles Ives' first teacher was his
father.
- As you know, Ives' compositions ignored tradition, jarred
listeners,
- and could not be played by the best musicians of his time. So,
you
- won't find it surprising that his father employed some
unusual
- teaching methods.
-
- For example, while Charles sang "Swanee River," his father
would
- accompany him on the piano. Now, that's normal enough. But
the
- trick is, his father would ask Charles to sing in the key of
E-flat,
- but he would accompany him in C major.
-
- Why would he do such a thing? No, the discord was not a form
of
- punishment. As Charles recalls it, his father created this
odd
- musical exercise so the Charles would "stretch" his ears,
leave
- customs and habits behind, and take nothing for granted.
-
- A more recent American musician, Leonard Bernstein, could
- identify with both Casals and Ives. Like Casals, he loved the
pure
- beauty of music. Like Ives, he promoted avant-garde
music.
-
- And Bernstein was a teacher. In his "Omnibus" television
- programs, he led millions of viewers -- children and adults --
to a
- better understanding of music.
-
- He wrote a book, "The Joy of Music," that was based on
the
- television programs. In a chapter called "What Makes
Opera
- Grand," he describes the power of opera. According to
Bernstein,
- when we watch the greatest operas, we enter a different world,
and,
- afterwards, "we are enriched and ennobled."
-
- So, what does all this mean? Casals says music fills him with
the
- wonder of life and the "incredible marvel" of being a human.
Ives
- says it expands his mind and challenges him to be a true
- individual. Bernstein says it is enriching and ennobling.
-
- To me, that sounds like a good case for making music and the
arts
- an integral part of every child's education. Studying music
and the
- arts elevates children's education, expands students'
horizons, and
- teaches them to appreciate the wonder of life.
-
- Communities all across America are coming to realize the
- necessity of including music and arts education as core
subjects in
- the curriculum. In doing so, they are improving their schools
and
- giving more children the opportunity to succeed.
-
- In Las Cruces, New Mexico, every school board meeting begins
with a
- student performance. What a great way to remind school
officials that
- music and art should be at the heart of the curriculum.
-
- In Miami's elementary schools, every child learns art and
music,
- receiving 60 minutes of art instruction and 90 minutes of
music
- instruction every week. When schools emphasize music and the
arts,
- teachers and students become more enthusiastic and the entire
school
- day is infused with energy.
-
- In the early 1980s, the Charlottesville, Virginia, orchestra
program
- had eight members. That's not an orchestra -- that's two
string
- quartets bumping into each other. Thanks to enthusiastic
teachers
- and support form parents and community members, the
orchestra
- now has nearly 100 members. And they have won state
awards,
- earned national honors, and performed at the White House.
-
- And in a suburb of Washington, D.C., a young girl named Riley
-
- whose grandfather is very proud of her and likes to mention
her in
- speeches from time to time -- recently participated in an
- elementary school band concert. The turnout and enthusiasm
for
- the concert was incredible. The parking lot was full. Parents
were
- supportive. They praised the band teacher. And, of course,
the
- music was great.
-
- All of these are good reasons for supporting music
education
- throughout the country. And I'm sure that you are all aware of
the
- research that shows a connection between studying music
and
- improving skills that are useful in other academic areas.
-
- When the Jet Propulsion Laboratory put together a team of
- engineers and scientists to work on the Mars rover project
they
- weren't looking to form a band. However, most team
members
- were artists. There were metal sculptors, photographers,
actors, and
- musicians.
-
- To celebrate a successful launching in June 1999, a group
of
- engineers and scientists at Jet Propulsion Lab did in fact
form a
- band, calling themselves "The Big Band Theory."
-
- If we can develop strong music education programs in schools
all
- over the country, good things will happen. Our schools will
be
- stronger. Our children will be smarter. Our nation will be
greater.
- And our lives will be filled with music.
-
- What message does it send our students if a modern prison is
built
- right down the road, but their band room has a leaky roof?
We
- need your help so that Congress will understand the need
for
- modern schools across America.
-
- I'd like to close with a few more words from Pablo Casals,
who
- wrote about the important role that teachers played in his
life:
- "To be a teacher is to have a great responsibility....
Children and
- young people are our greatest treasure; when we think of them,
we
- think of the future of the world. Then consider the
significance of
- nurturing their minds, of helping form their outlook on the
world,
- of training and preparing them for the work that they will do.
I can
- think of no profession more important than that of
teaching."
-
- I am grateful to each of you for your work in the classroom.
When
- you teach children to love and appreciate music, you are
helping
- them lift themselves up to new places of the mind and the
heart.
-
- Thank you.
-
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