MUSIC EDUCATION NEEDS PASSIONATE AMBASSADORS

hi.music to me is like without it life could n't be. cause even religious books say that after this life the will only be music "if at all it is true". so i came to realise the the more passion & insipiration you get, the more music is likely to evolve. am a network administrator & a dancer, but its totaly different when am dancing. i feel like there is something else in that i know nothing about. when i play the keyboard for a public, i just feel like maybe its not me cause every touch if far different from the last. maybe if the music teachers told us about the phenomenon waves of music we could do more in life. music is a formular that could be applied to all areas of life when broken down to the least pieces. music passion can drive some one crazy..........'

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The discussion has been fascinating all week. Thank you for including all of us in the thoughts of this committed and varied group of people. I'm going to comment from the position of action, rather than philosophy, since I completely buy the concept that the arts are integral to a complete education.

Let us not only demand arts education, but let us also demand excellence in the arts produced by students. I recently had the distinct pleasure of conducting the pit orchestra for West Side Story with a group of high school students. The orchestra parts were impossible, but through dedicated work by over forty musicians, the orchestra achieved what had seemed impossible six weeks earlier. It was a complete artistic experience for them, filled with passion, hard work and artistic focus on interpreting a transcendent work of art.

My dream for arts education in America is based on Tom Lehrer - "More, more, I'm still not satisfied." I believe that all children should have the opportunity to experience art actively, through training with skilled artists; have highly trained classroom teachers who integrate artistic content and processes into their teaching in other subjects; and connect with the highest quality arts offerings available in their communities. Because the arts are products of individual expression, the experience and the output in any community will be unique.

In Hawai‘i, we have formed an ArtsFirst partnership that works toward including all of the above means of accessing the arts. The group is mandated by the State Legislature and includes the State Arts foundation, the University of Hawai‘i Departments of education and humanities, the Hawai‘i DOE, the Hawai‘i Arts Alliance, the Hawai‘i Association of Independent Schools and two arts organizations - the Maui Arts and Cultural Center and Honolulu Theatre for Youth (both members of the Kennedy Center Partners in Education).

Strategic planning over several years has lead to a detailed focus on Advocacy, Research, Teaching and Standards, including action steps (such as getting graduation requirements in the arts, developing a cadre of teaching artists, etc.) The group has developed a toolkit for classroom teachers with many integrated lessons - the toolkit is shared with teachers statewide through workshops and institutes. We are still far from our goal of "more, more", but the steps are in place, and we're relentless.

Just having this conversation online is important to the future of the arts and arts education in America. Is it possible to include an ongoing sidebar on arts education that allows people from everywhere to share their ideas and their local means of ensuring arts learning for all ages?

hi.music to me is like without it life could n't be. cause even religious books say that after this life the will only be music "if at all it is true". so i came to realise the the more passion & insipiration you get, the more music is likely to evolve. am a network administrator & a dancer, but its totaly different when am dancing. i feel like there is something else in that i know nothing about. when i play the keyboard for a public, i just feel like maybe its not me cause every touch if far different from the last. maybe if the music teachers told us about the phenomenon waves of music we could do more in life. music is a formular that could be applied to all areas of life when broken down to the least pieces. music passion can drive some one crazy..........

The discussion has been fascinating all week. Thank you for including all of us in the thoughts of this committed and varied group of people. I'm going to comment from the position of action, rather than philosophy, since I completely buy the concept that the arts are integral to a complete education.

Let us not only demand arts education, but let us also demand excellence in the arts produced by students. I recently had the distinct pleasure of conducting the pit orchestra for West Side Story with a group of high school students. The orchestra parts were impossible, but through dedicated work by over forty musicians, the orchestra achieved what had seemed impossible six weeks earlier. It was a complete artistic experience for them, filled with passion, hard work and artistic focus on interpreting a transcendent work of art.

My dream for arts education in America is based on Tom Lehrer - "More, more, I'm still not satisfied." I believe that all children should have the opportunity to experience art actively, through training with skilled artists; have highly trained classroom teachers who integrate artistic content and processes into their teaching in other subjects; and connect with the highest quality arts offerings available in their communities. Because the arts are products of individual expression, the experience and the output in any community will be unique.

In Hawai‘i, we have formed an ArtsFirst partnership that works toward including all of the above means of accessing the arts. The group is mandated by the State Legislature and includes the State Arts foundation, the University of Hawai‘i Departments of education and humanities, the Hawai‘i DOE, the Hawai‘i Arts Alliance, the Hawai‘i Association of Independent Schools and two arts organizations - the Maui Arts and Cultural Center and Honolulu Theatre for Youth (both members of the Kennedy Center Partners in Education).

Strategic planning over several years has lead to a detailed focus on Advocacy, Research, Teaching and Standards, including action steps (such as getting graduation requirements in the arts, developing a cadre of teaching artists, etc.) The group has developed a toolkit for classroom teachers with many integrated lessons - the toolkit is shared with teachers statewide through workshops and institutes. We are still far from our goal of "more, more", but the steps are in place, and we're relentless.

Just having this conversation online is important to the future of the arts and arts education in America. Is it possible to include an ongoing sidebar on arts education that allows people from everywhere to share their ideas and their local means of ensuring arts learning for all ages?

Aloha