Music In Our Schools Month Reaches Capitol Hill

–Branford Marsalis Joins Coalition of Music Organizations to Bring Facts on Music Education to Key Lawmakers–

Jazz saxophone legend Branford Marsalis was among the notable advocates for music education who visited the halls of Congress and briefed the House Education Caucus on the importance of music in the lives of all children.

The event was a cornerstone of "Music In Our Schools Month," an annual program of MENC: The National Association for Music Education, in cooperation with the American Music Conference (AMC), NAMM - International Music Products Association, VH1 Save the Music and Sesame Workshop.

"Anyone can see that music education changed my life," Marsalis said. "But that’s not only true of performers. Learning to make music isn’t about a career choice. It’s about developing your brainpower—it makes doctors, engineers and leaders as well as musicians. We’ve got to make sure that every child studies music as part of the regular school day."

Marsalis was joined by recording artist and original Sesame Street co-host Bob McGrath; NAMM Chairman Paul Murphy; MENC Executive Director John J. Mahlmann; VH1 President John Sykes; music researcher Martin F. Gardiner, Ph.D.; Representatives Bob Clement (D-Tenn.) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.); and a student and teacher from Calvin Coolidge Senior High School in Washington.

Through two days of Congressional office visits, a caucus briefing and other special events, the assembled representatives of the music community have pressed for wider recognition of music as a vital core subject for young students and called for increased federal funding for music education.

The lobbying effort takes place as President Bush’s proposed federal budget, his "No Child Left Behind" education reform package, extension of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and other important legislation moves toward action by Congress.

Rep. Clement, a consistent supporter of music education, submitted a concurrent resolution in the House calling in part for all students to have "access to a well-balanced, comprehensive, sequential program of music taught by qualified teachers."

"This time of change in our federal government provides an opportunity to make great strides in protecting and promoting music as a part of every child’s school curriculum," said NAMM’s Murphy. "Recently, Washington has focused a lot of energy on facets of the arts that some people think need to be regulated. We’re here talking about a part of the arts world that needs to be nurtured—not with a blind flurry of dollars, but with a structured commitment to reform based on hard research."

(L-R) Secretary of Education Rod Paige, VH1 President John Sykes, Texaco Foundation President Anne Dowling and NAMM Chairman Paul Murphy discuss the benefits of early childhood music making, on March 15 on Capitol Hill.

Dr. Gardiner, a research associate at Brown University’s Center for the Study of Human Development and a faculty member at the New England Conservatory of Music’s Research Center for Learning Through Music, offered his insight into the value of music education based upon his ongoing scientific research. In 1998, Gardiner published findings linking music and arts education with improved math and reading skills in first-grade students, and he is now working on a three-year project to investigate the benefits of music training for children with learning disabilities. Gardiner’s current work is funded by the International Foundation for Music Research (IFMR), the research arm of NAMM - International Music Products Association.

Representing Calvin Coolidge Senior High School were Band Director Benjamin Sands, a 19-year veteran teacher who also lends his expertise to the D.C. Youth Orchestra Program, the International French School, the Montgomery County Sixth Grade Honors Band and the Mount Lebanon Baptist Church Choir; and Nathaniel Miller, a senior student who has played in the marching band, jazz band and concert band through all four years at the school. Miller, an honor roll student who is active in local community service, recently took first place in "Futurefest" at the 50th anniversary of Washington’s Carter Baron Amphitheater.

Marsalis, best known to many people as the musical director of NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno from 1992 to 1995, recently won his third Grammy® Award for Contemporary Jazz (Columbia Records, 2000) by the Branford Marsalis Quartet. In addition to having produced more than a dozen highly acclaimed albums in a career of almost 20 years, the jazz saxophonist hosts National Public Radio’s weekly program JazzSet with Branford Marsalis, and currently serves as an Artist-in-Residence at San Francisco State University’s Jazz and World Music Studies Program.

The first Music In Our Schools celebration took place in 1973. It was expanded to Music in Our Schools Week in 1977 and became Music in Our Schools Month in 1985. That was also the year of the first World’s Largest Concert, an annual nationwide sing-along sponsored by MENC, which took place this year on March 8.

Nathaniel Miller, an honor student at Calvin Coolidge Senior High School, demonstrates his talents on the trombone and talks about the positive effects of participating in music programs.

The American Music Conference, based in Carlsbad, CA, is a national non-profit educational association founded in 1947. AMC is dedicated to promoting the importance of music, music making and music education to the general public. AMC’s goal is to build support for music and music education, especially at an early age, and to expand that portion of the population that enjoys and makes its own music.

Founded in 1901, NAMM - International Music Products Association works on behalf of more than 7,000 music products retailers, manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers and publishers in more than 100 countries to unify, lead and strengthen the global music products industry and to increase active participation in music making.

The VH1 Save The Music Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of education in America’s public schools by restoring music programs in cities across the country, and by raising public awareness about the importance of music participation for our nation’s youth.

The National Association for Music Education (MENC), founded in 1907, is dedicated to advancing music education as a profession and to ensuring that every child in America has access to a balanced, sequential, high-quality education that includes music as a core subject of study.