Letter to the Editor

This week there was an article in the Carroll County times about the budget for next school year.  The article paraphrased a community member who suggested our school district has excessive arts offerings and should look to the arts as an area to trim the budget.  The link is here if you want to read it.  I wrote this letter to the editor in response . . . 

Letter to the Editor in Response to:

Residents, Board Members Comment on Budget

By Alisha George

Published January 26, 2012

Dear Carroll County Times,

I was dismayed to read the suggestion by a community member that Carroll County Public Schools should look to the arts as the place to reduce electives and trim the budget.  With the increased emphasis on standardized testing and the traditional three “R’s”, some have lost sight of the inherent worth of that very essential fourth “R”—the aRts.  As we prepare our students to be college and career ready, I hope our community will remember that human beings are more than just the grades we earn or the jobs we perform.  Our true value lies in the compassion, beauty, and understanding that we bring to our fellow human beings-- all emotions that are nurtured through the arts. 

Beyond this, it would be shortsighted to assume that the arts are not careers for which we should be preparing our students.  Every time we turn on the radio, watch a movie, or enjoy the graphics on our computer screen, we are benefiting from the hard work of someone who chose the arts as a career.  Musicians, actors, dancers and visual artists are the most obvious of these; but let us not forget sound engineers, graphic artists, video game designers, choreographers, music therapists, interior designers, writers, fashion designers, photographers, and museum curators, just to name a few.

I am personally very grateful that my children will have the benefit of a diverse arts education in Carroll County.  I encourage everyone in our community to learn more about the arts programs in our schools.  Check out a concert.  Attend a drama production or an art exhibit.  I think you will see that our young people have amazing talent and potential, which is being nurtured every day by some very dedicated arts teachers. Let us do all that we can to support their efforts and ensure strong arts programs for our students.

Sincerely,

Maggie Fischer
Music Advocates of Carroll County
www.musicadvocatescc.com

Dear School Administrator . . .

I wrote this letter as a member of the Music Advocates of Carroll County.  We sent it to the principals at every middle and high school in our county.  Will it have an impact?  I don't know.  But I do know that doing nothing gets us nowhere.  Speak up!  Let our schools know that the community values arts education.

Dear Principal,

Happy New Year from the Music Advocates of Carroll County!  As the scheduling process for the 2012-2013 school year begins, we wanted to take a moment to thank you for your efforts to ensure that students have access to a high quality music education.

As the school principal, you wield powerful influence over the strength of the ________Music Program.  Your leadership makes it possible to:

• Create schedules that give students access to music classes.
• Offer curricular performing ensembles that meet consistently during the entire school year.
• Offer opportunities for consistent, specialized instruction such as through sectional rehearsals.
• Foster an environment where the accomplishments of music students are celebrated.
• Educate non-music teachers about the value of the arts as core subjects.

In an era when there is so much pressure to raise standardized test scores, please know that many of us in the community value the arts and the richness of experience that these “non-tested” subjects bring to our young people.  We appreciate your efforts to strengthen the music program at _________.  We hope that as students begin the scheduling process, they will be given every opportunity to participate in a high-quality, standards-based, sequential program of music study.

Thank you for your support of our young musicians!

Sincerely,

Maggie Fischer

Music Advocates of Carroll County

School districts with strong arts education programs report that superintendents and school principals who collectively support and regularly articulate a vision for arts education are critically important to the successful implementation and stability of district arts education policies. (“Gaining the Arts Advantage,” The President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, 1999)

Band doesn't fit and other 9th grade scheduling issues

Can you believe Junior is almost ready for high school?  How the time flies!  Over the next few weeks and months there will be visits from high school reps, parent meetings, scary lists of graduation requirements and charts of which classes to take during the next four years.  It can feel like our teenagers' entire futures depend on the choices they are making right now. 

So . . . how do we navigate through this pressure cooker to help our kids fulfill their requirements, learn what they need to learn and still have time to pursue their passions for music?  

I asked my band director husband for advice.  The three questions below are the ones he hears most often during scheduling time and the responses are what he tells parents each year. 

Help! I’ve been told music courses won’t fit in my schedule. What do I do now?

We hear this every year, and 99% of the time, music WILL fit if you are willing to find a way to make it happen.. Talk with the music directors at the high school.  They have helped numerous students resolve schedule conflicts, so they may know a way to help you. 

I was in band/orchestra/choir in middle school, but I’m not sure I’m going to sign up in 9th grade. Can’t I just add music back into my schedule later?

Well, technically that is true. You can always add it later; but the truth is that once you quit, you will probably never return. Unfortunately, the vast majority of students who quit band and orchestra after middle school never pick up their instruments again.  We strongly encourage you to continue with music in 9th grade. Give it a try, and we think you will like it!

If I sign up for music, can I still take a challenging academic schedule?

Yes. Music students are among the most academically gifted.  Music programs teach hard work, discipline and perseverance which enable our students to excel in the most challenging AP and G/T courses. Studies have shown that music students score an average of 62 points higher on the SATs than students who are not enrolled in music courses.