From the State House to Home Today!
March 18, 2009Bangor High School sings and the Space Station and Shuttle fly by.
I started my day in the House of Representatives with the Bangor chorus singing the National Anthem. They were wonderful and the members of the House agreed and gave the students a standing ovation! I had goosebumps and couldn’t help but wonder why some adults struggle with the value of arts education. I often find myself in awe of what music educators like George Redman, who lead the chorus, and Jackie Frisk, who joined the group for the trip down from Bangor, are able to do with students.
I had the pleasure of visiting Jackie in a 2nd grade class two years ago. She had a Chorus in the gym. The students were poised, happy and clearly excited about their participation. It was my first time seeing a 2nd grade chorus and I admit that it was difficult to see the children through my tears. Anyone who doubts what singing can do for young students, needs to watch Jackie in action.
During that visit to Bangor I also stopped in at the middle school to see George (before school) with a chorus. As he went through the warm-up drills with the students at 7:00 in the morning I was surprised at not only how alert the group was, but also engaged in their learning.
Space shuttle at night
After supper tonight, my husband and I stepped out on the deck at 7:38 to search the sky for the space shuttle and station overhead. Sure enough, as scheduled, at 7:41, we saw the bright, fast moving light come from the west, go overhead and disappear in the clear eastern sky. We watched in the still night, waved and called out (as if they could hear me) and I had the same sense of wonder swell up in my heart that I had for the students singing early this morning.
With relatively little effort the US puts people into space on a somewhat regular basis now, as compared to the first time Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. We understand the benefits of the space program and exploration yet some struggle with spending money for arts education. Is it the spending or the lack of understanding? Whatever it is, as the space program has struggled over the years, we, who believe, and understand the value of arts education need to continue to invite all to hear the music!
Did anyone else see the shuttle and space station go over Maine?
Music, of course, is such an integral part of student’s lives today, and with the various genres that comprise contemporary music, there is so much variety and content. So many of the lyrics (another art form in itself) hold a great range of emotion and social commentary! Kudos to the chorus for getting a standing ovation from the House of Representatives for the arts!
The shuttle is awesome, and the speed once it’s right overhead is remarkable, but that speed pointed out in our “backyard” what a small part of the vast planet each of us occupies. It’s no surprise that we cling to the arts, they are what makes life wonderful!
We had a DEEP (DownEast Educational Partnership) workshop in Hancock yesterday where all the teachers were able to collaborate with their educational specialty (mine is music). One of the music teachers was saying that the arts and other disciplines together should be termed the common core – instead of dividing us up as “academics” and “specials”. I know we all know this but it helps all of us to keep reading it and also writing it… The common core of every civilization was the arts and other disciplines followed. What is played at a dance – popular music. What do people do when they’re bored and are supposed to be listening to a i.e. lecture – doodle, draw pictures. (I just read again how this helps us to remember what was said) Those of us in the room all thought the educational system as we know it in the U.S. is backwards. Thank you Argy for being such a voice in the state! We all of us working together, researching, writing, advocating for the arts someday…it could be a better world. We change it one person at a time.
Thank you for your comment Cynthia. I am sorry I couldn’t join you folks last week for your DEEP workshop in Hancock. A great book I recommend on this topic was written by Charles Fowler called “Strong Arts, Strong Schools”. I use this quote in my work, it says the same thing you do in your comment: “The arts are our humanity. They are the languages of civilizations through which we express our fears, our anxieties, our hungers, our struggles, our hopes. They are systems of meaning that have utility. This is why schools that provide students with the means and encouragement to explore these realms provide a better education. This explains, too, why the arts are a mark of excellence in American Schooling.”