Music Education Advocates Take Message to Capitol Hill
America’s leading advocates for school music education
and some of the country’s best-loved musical artists
were in the nation’s capital in March 2000, where Rep.
David McIntosh (R-Ind.) introduced a concurrent resolution
in support of music education for children everywhere. The
resolution later passed the House of Representatives and
has been forwarded to the Senate.
Flanked by renowned singer/songwriters Michael McDonald
and James Taylor at a press conference in the Rayburn House
Office Building, NAMM-International Music Products Association
President and CEO Larry Linkin joined National Association
for Music Education Executive Director Dr. John Mahlmann
and VH1 President John Sykes in thanking Rep. McIntosh and
co-sponsor Rep. Bob Clement (D-Tenn.) for their support
of music education.
"People all over the country are waking up to the
vital role music plays in a young person’s development,
but grass-roots efforts aren’t always enough,"
Linkin said. "There’s a role for the federal government
to play in this struggle, and I’m very grateful to
Representatives McIntosh and Clement for taking an important
step in that direction."
In addition to the press conference, members of the music
education delegation spent the day in one-on-one meetings
with key members of Congress.
The McIntosh resolution, H.CON.RES. 266, cites the "growing
body of scientific research" that links music education
to improved spatial-temporal reasoning and math performance,
the evidence that music helps keep at-risk students in school,
and increased SAT scores among music students. If the resolution
is adopted by the Senate, it will become the official "sense
of the Congress" that music education enhances intellectual
development, fosters artistic and social success and enriches
the academic environment for children of all ages.
"Thanks to Congressman McIntosh, the value of music
education is poised to become part of the public record,
and Congress itself will be on board with our efforts to
bring music into every child’s life," Sykes said.
According to Mahlmann, music should be part of every school’s
core curriculum, not a frill. "There’s more evidence
every day that music education has a beneficial ripple effect
through the rest of a child’s academic and social life,"
he said. "Music shouldn’t be any more optional
than English or math. Making that a reality will be much
easier if the people here on Capitol Hill are behind us."
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, 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.
