Page 2 of 51, showing 20 records out of 1018 total, starting on record 21, ending on 40

The Reason I Teach Music

Added: Jun 24, 2010 - View

“The reason I teach music today is because of the choir teacher from junior high I had over 25 years ago! She loved music and helped us to love music and do it not just for ourselves but for others also. She challenged us and yet gave us room to explore and be creative. That is what I do today and still love doing every day!”-Rebecca S., Arizona

There’s Nothing Like Watching the Joy of Students Learning Music

Added: Jun 24, 2010 - View

“I am a music teacher for 600 elementary students and love my job every day. There is nothing like watching the joy experienced by the students as they learn a new song or master a rhythm on an instrument. The learning processes are solidified and reinforced for everything they are learning in their other classrooms.”-Anonymous, Florida

One Last Song for My Mom

Added: Jun 24, 2010 - View

“My mom asked that I play my trumpet at her funeral. As hard as it was to play, I was able to honor her wish by performing ‘Amazing Grace’ before she was laid to rest. My ability to make music helped my mom deal with her condition while she was alive and gave her great peace. It also showed how I can use my talent to make the world a better place. As a result, I know she died knowing that I can serve my community through music and make peoples' lives better by giving to society rather than taking from it. “Music provides an excellent means to give back to our community. If we don't learn the power of music in our nation's schools, the youth of our nation will miss boundless opportunities to enhance society and will miss out on opportunities to promote a deeper understanding of cultural growth.”-Russell S., Indiana

A Mighty, Awesome Gift

Added: Jun 24, 2010 - View

“I was raised by my hard-working mother in inner-city Chicago. Music is the cornerstone of my life. It has opened the world to me. I've sung in Europe, Japan, all across the US. I've directed church choirs, school choirs and found a welcoming place in those communities. I've sung at Polish weddings, for Cesar Chavez' farmworkers, at a Korean wedding, in a Louisiana prison, a Mexican funeral and many other moments that this inner-city black child would never have found without the key of music. I know music to be magic, fostering community across all boundaries. Old people and young can share the gift - and should. It is a mighty, awesome gift we share.”-Marilyn M., California

Strength to Survive

Added: Jun 24, 2010 - View

“Music has saved my life many times when I otherwise would not have had the emotional strength to survive. The most recent example is my fight with breast cancer. While I was going through treatment, my daughter was accepted into a magnet school for the performing arts. It brought the light back into her eyes again. Her school nourishes her gifted intelligence as well as her musical and creative abilities.”-Rebecca B., Ohio

Improvement of Special Education Students

Added: Jun 24, 2010 - View

“Music kept me in school when I was a teenager. Music provided me with my college education. I now teach music to students in 5th - 12th grades. I've seen the impact that music can have on a student’s life. “I've seen Special Ed. students begin to improve and some even taken out of Special Ed. classes and put into regular class settings. Music matters! Mandate that music and the other arts be part of every child's core curriculum. Ensure that music and the other arts are included as a part of a balanced education addressing the whole child, to prepare them for the creative thinking necessary for success in the work force of the future.”-Robert R., Tennessee

Learning the Alphabet through a Song

Added: Jun 24, 2010 - View

“Kids learn so much more when there is music. Isn't that why they put the alphabet to music? because it helped the kids learn to remember it. It is known that children who learn how to play a musical instrument or sing get better grades. We cannot take music from the kids.”-Sharon D., Florida

Observations after Nearly 40 Years of Teaching Music

Added: Jun 24, 2010 - View

“I am finishing 36 years of teaching choral music. Needless to say I would not have stayed with it if I didn't feel I made a difference in children's lives. My wish and belief is that if more students were exposed to music early in their school years on a more constant basis, we would see a difference in student behavior, self-confidence and self worth.”-Rolf M., Illinois

From Seventh Grade Choir to Carnegie Hall

Added: Jun 24, 2010 - View

“A dedicated music teacher convinced me to join choir in the seventh grade. For the first time in middle school, I felt confident in my abilities and myself. At that difficult time in my life, music helped me develop self-esteem and find a group of peers that accepted me. Thanks to the fabulous music education I received, I have been a part of amazing aesthetic experiences ranging from performances at nursing homes to concerts at Carnegie Hall. More than eight years later, I have chosen music education as my career path. Every student deserves the opportunity that I was given.”-Jillian L, Oregon

The One Place I Fit In

Added: Jun 24, 2010 - View

“Growing up, choral music was an integral part of my life. The choir was the one place I fit in as an awkward teenager. As a choral music educator for the past 27 years I have tried to give back the gift of singing that was given to me.”-Marily B., New Jersey

What You Learn in Music Class Never Leaves You

Added: Jun 24, 2010 - View

“What one learns in a music class never leaves that person. It is extremely important to teach music at an early age so this life-long skill is always with them no matter where they go or what they do. Music is the fabric of life!”-Doris U., Kansas

Creating Yourself

Added: Jun 24, 2010 - View

“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”

Do It Now

Added: Jun 24, 2010 - View

“When you start a new song, don’t walk away from it until it is complete. Don’t try and come back and finish it on another day…complete the song…RIGHT NOW!”

Music and Positive Choices for Teens

Added: Jun 24, 2010 - View

“I have the privilege of seeing the impact music makes on young people's lives everyday. Music not only challenges their critical thinking skills, but gives them an outlet for emotions that they often don't know how to release. “I know of students who were able to turn around their lives and make more constructive chooses because of music. I even know of one student whose life was saved by choir. She was anorexic and suicidal. The only thing that kept her going was the drive to make it to the next choir rehearsal. The benefits of learning music stretch across the spectrum and can be tied into any subject area.”-Rachel V., Arizona

Principals Strategize to Provide Arts Education

Added: Jun 24, 2010 - View

School principals have used several strategies to provide arts education; however, some struggled with decreased budgets and competing demands on instruction time, according to those GAO interviewed. Strategies for maintaining arts education include seeking funding and collaborative arrangements in the arts community. Competing demands on instruction time were due to state education agency or school district actions taken to meet NCLBA proficiency standards.

The Importance of Teamwork

Added: Jun 24, 2010 - View

“Being involved in music in middle school and high school taught me about teamwork and the importance of working hard. I discovered the rewards that come when you work hard on something. Also, being a student with some mild learning problems, I discovered that music was one that that I could for sure be successful at. Please allow all students the opportunity to experience music--it will make a huge difference in their lives.”-Anonymous, Kansas

Arts Education Funding Levels

Added: Jun 24, 2010 - View

While basic state requirements for arts education in schools have remained unchanged in most states, state funding levels for arts education increased in some states and decreased in others, according to GAO's survey of state arts officials. Arts education officials attributed the funding changes to state budget changes to a greater extent than they did to NCLBA or other factors.

Elementary Arts Instruction Time

Added: Jun 24, 2010 - View

According to data from Education's national survey, most elementary school teachers--about 90 percent--reported that instruction time for arts education stayed the same between school years 2004-2005 and 2006-2007. The percentage of teachers that reported that instruction time had stayed the same was similarly high across a range of school characteristics, irrespective of the schools' percentage of low-income or minority students or of students with limited English proficiency, or the schools' improvement under NCLBA. Moreover, about 4 percent of teachers reported an increase. However, about 7 percent reported a decrease, and GAO identified statistically significant differences across school characteristics in the percentage of teachers reporting that the time spent on arts education had decreased. Teachers at schools identified as needing improvement and those with higher percentages of minority students were more likely to report a reduction in time spent on the arts.

Students with Disabilities and Equal Access

Added: Jun 24, 2010 - View

“Recognizing the need for music education is about access to learning and enjoying the beauty in life for all students. Furthermore, for students with disabilities, it's about equal access and belonging to a school community--participating at their own individual level like everyone else. Diversity enriches our lives. Music enriches our lives.”-Emily W., Illinois

A Science Teacher on the Importance of School Music

Added: Jun 24, 2010 - View

“All children deserve equal access to a rich music education. My own children have thrived having been exposed to the outstanding fine arts programs here in our district! There is so much more to learning than just Math/Reading/Social Studies/Science (coming from a Science teacher). The world WILL be a better place when we all have equal opportunities in education.”-Theresa C., Minnesota