Intro (audience): Principals and administrators of public high schools in the United States. The decision makers of school funding

Thesis: The benefits of music programs outweigh the costs of implementing them and removing them can lead to severe institutional and cultural ramifications for your school.

Outline:

1. Benefits of a music program. Why music should stay at your school

• Social, psychological, and intellectual benefits
  • Raises student achievement. Students with an education rich in the arts have slightly higher GPAs, slightly higher test scores, and lower dropout rates no matter his socioeconomic status (Cohen). Mixed evidence
  • Intellectual
    • Nobel laureates in the sciences are 17 times more likely to be actively engaged in the arts than average scientists. (Cohen)
    • These traits, found in musicians, are also common among world-class athletes and top-level managers. Is it a coincidence that Condoleezza Rice (piano), Alan Greenspan (jazz clarinet), Paul Allen (guitar), James Wolfensohn (cello) all studied music for years as children? (Boyd)
    • Musicians can be intellectuals. History of music and science, Pythagoras was a musician before a scientist
  • Neurological
    • A study by Virginia Penhune at Concordia University shows that musical training, particularly instrumental training, produces long lasting changes in motor abilities and brain structure (McGill: https://www.mcgill.ca/channels-contribute/channels/news/early-music-lessons-boost-brain-development-224936)
  • Music therapy can reduce anxiety, stress, and pain for patients
  • High arts concentration → higher civic engagement → more social cohesion, higher child welfare, and  lower poverty rates (Cohen)
  • Comradery
    • Promotes the pride of accomplishment
    • Promotes responsibility
    • Develops self-discipline
    • Teamwork. This is huge
  • Participation in music programs enhances cognitive abilities and social skills that support learning, including memory, problem-solving, and communication (Createquity)
    • Music is all about communication
  • Participation in early childhood: promotes social and emotional development, social cooperation
  • Low-income schools: “Low-income students probably benefit disproportionately [especially] from access to arts education. Benefits such as improved cognitive abilities from music participation, or improved measures of tolerance for museum attendees, tend to be higher for students from low-SES households.” (Createquity)
• Music programs spark creativity and innovation
  • Livelihood of a school
    • Provides constructive entertainment
    • Makes schools better places to learn

2. Removing music programs can lead to severe institutional and cultural ramifications for your school. What a school without a music program could look like and why you should avoid it.

• How public schools are different than private and performing arts schools
• Comparison to music opportunities abroad, especially in Italy where school programs typically do not exist and students are instead involved in community bands
  • Credibility: I have attended the ANBIMA band conference at the Boyer College of Music and learned about Italian community bands
• Comparison to sports and heavily funded programs
  • Sports are reliable money makers
• Removing music programs can violate the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which is part of a well-rounded education (Adams)
• Problem: Music standards and teacher qualifications vary from state to state (Czarnecki)
  • How to overcome this: ___
• Starving artist stereotype. It’s true that art is a form of entertainment and is paid as such
  • History of discrimination against musicians
  • Let’s foster a learning environment where all sorts of subjects can be studied because the arts are an important part of life, even if they historically haven’t been well-compensated
• Removing the music program violates tolerance and diversity
  • New outlook: “Manliness”. Personal experience. Placing musicians below athletes violates character education
    • Having differences in interests doesn’t mean that you’re unequal
    • Why can male athletes be seen as “manly” while musicians aren’t? Is brute strength and physical prowess what defines a person’s manliness?
      • Such a mindset can violate your school’s mission to promote character (see character education)
    • There are several personality differences between athletes and musicians
    • Musicians aren’t generally seen as being “tough”
  • Music activities develop greater tolerance
  • Promotes cultural awareness
  • Public schools shouldn’t be specialized to such an extent that some programs aren’t funded at all. Lopsided, creates a less diverse student body. Private schools are different
  • “One successful program is theater at Minot High School-Central Campus. Chad Gifford, English and theater teacher, said he thinks one of the reasons that he has had great success with his theater programs at Central is because he has a policy of inclusion.” (Hambek)
    • “I’ve always been happy to include students with differing backgrounds and abilities and have made whatever accommodations are necessary to include as many students as possible,” Gifford said. “Did it seem odd to have an actress in a wheelchair during ‘Romeo and Juliet?’ Maybe, but I thought it added something to the production.”
• Financial feasibility. Is a public high school a business or a learning environment for all sorts of subjects? Has money driven your school’s decision to fund/cut your music program? Principals: You can promote arts education at your schools with or without a budget
  • Removing music programs can actually inadvertently harm your school’s funding because concerts and performances can be a revenue stream
  • Patrons of the arts frequently donate arts centers. A music program could very well be at little cost to your school if you reach out to successful alumni

 

Sources: min 10

• Adams: http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/politics/328640-why-we-need-to-continue-funding-the-arts
• Cohen: https://blog.americansforthearts.org/2014/03/20/top-10-reasons-to-support-the-arts-in-2014
• Createquity: http://createquity.com/2017/11/benefits-of-the-arts/
• Createquity: http://createquity.com/2016/12/everything-we-know-about-whether-and-how-the-arts-improve-lives/
• Hambek: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/mar/14/arts-programs-in-schools-often-in-danger-of-being-/
• Pergola: https://www.nemc.com/resources/articles/music-education-in-crisis_90
• McGill: https://www.mcgill.ca/channels-contribute/channels/news/early-music-lessons-boost-brain-development-224936
• Facts and Figures, Arts.gov: https://www.arts.gov/infographic-nea-funding-the-arts
• Czarnecki: https://www.noodle.com/articles/music-education-in-public-schools-various-programs-and-benefits
• Intro story?, Nuttall: https://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsburgh/sour-notes-when-school-funding-is-slashed-music-education-often-suffers/Content?oid=1737594

Evaluating the discussion as a whole, I felt that the Greek life deliberation was a success. The highlights of the event were the large number of students that attended, the exciting, active discussion that persisted throughout the entire event, and the fact that the event achieved the target duration of two hours. Areas of improvement included the issue brief, which could have been organized better and contained less white space to distract readers from the main points of the document. The responsibilities of each team member were not completed by all and the division of work deviated slightly from the duties assigned at the beginning of the assignment.

My role in the deliberation was to prepare the issue brief and the opening remarks that explained what’s at stake. As for my delivery, I felt that I spoke calmly and carefully. The venue was somewhat inconvenient due to its unsatisfactory acoustics, but the audience’s close proximity to the stage made communication less of a problem. I made clear the exigence of the issue and effectively introduced the conversation. I do feel, however, that I could have done a better job engaging the participants. My introduction would have been stronger if I had asked a question to stimulate discussion or opened with my personal experience with Greek life.

The issue brief was not cohesive, which might have been the reason why a few participants commented about its lack of clarity in purpose. I felt that certain group members should have contributed more to the issue guide, being that it was largely design and maintained by two or three individuals. It also should have been more concise; the audience seemed to spend a considerable amount of time reading it instead of actively engaging in the discussion. The questionnaire, on the other hand, was successful in receiving meaningful, significant responses from our participants. The survey was an appropriate length, especially when the discussion lasted nearly two hours and our participants appeared tired.

If I did the deliberation again, I would do a better job making sure that every group member was doing his or her part. The introduction and opening remarks were the “meat” of the discussion when the three approaches and potential policy suggestions should have been the main focus of the event. I found great value in the deliberation project, particularly in how it has helped shaped my management style and oral communication skills.