The Sky is Falling!

Almost every day, I read or hear one of the following statements:
Music education is in trouble.
Music education is in danger of extinction.
Music education is going the way of the dinosaurs and the Flobie.
 
Okay, I made up the part about the Flobie.
 
The problem is, none of the statements above is rooted in fact. Here are some facts:

• The number of music programs in this country growing.
• 94% of all public elementary schools currently offer music.
• A similar number exists for secondary schools.
• Instrument sales are increasing annually
• Eleven months ago, USA Today ranked “Music Director” as the #3 fastest growing job in the United States. 

A conspiracy theorist might suspect that there has been a calculated and systemic campaign designed to trick people into believing that music education was in trouble, and I would agree.
 
Who would do such a thing? Who would plot against music and America’s children?
 
Music teachers, that’s who.
 
It seems like every time I speak to a teacher, they lament the current state of music education in America. They often speak with a sense of despondence that would make Eeyore seem like a motivational speaker!  Yes, music teachers, the very people in charge of spreading the good news are the ones most often deaclaring doom and gloom.
 
When did we decide that music education was in trouble? When did we get so down on music education? If you look at the long-term growth of music education, you might scratch your head and wonder why we aren’t all celebrating our gains instead of predicting our deaths.

• One hundred years ago music education did not exist.
• Seventy-five years ago it was an after school activity.
• Fifty years ago there were few options for festivals and performances.
• Twenty-five years ago, there were no national competitions.
• The level of demand and achievement for most ensembles is increasing annually. 

I do believe teaching music is getting harder, but not because it is diminishing, because it is growing. It is growing in quality and quantity.  It’s getting harder because you are doing, teaching, and achieving more than ever before. 

If easy were what you were looking for, you would not have survived ear training and class piano, so I figure you're up to the challenge. When it comes to music education, I don’t think the sky is falling, I think the ground is rising.

The Results Are In!

The ballots have been cast.
The votes have been tallied.
The results are in.

WAIT A MINUTE.  I just want to be sure we are talking about the same thing. You know...the votes you cast about music education advocacy.

As was the case with the general election, some results were expected while others came as complete surprise. Rather than have you sift through seventeen pages of data, I will provide a quick synopsis of the results and a brief take on what it might all mean. But first the results:

• 96% of you listed advocacy as either somewhat important or very important to the survival of your program
• Only 55% of respondents listed current efforts as having an impact in the area of advocacy
• According to respondents, the number one priority in the area of music education should be to develop resources to increase enrollment
• The next two priorities were developing research materials about academic successes of music students (2), and creating materials to save threatened music programs (3)
• Awarding grants(4), lobbying politicians (5), and teacher in-service events (6) rounded out the field.
• As far as non-profit institutions making an impact, the top five were as follows (in this order): NAfME, MFA, VH1 Save the Music, NAMM, and the Grammy Foundation
• As far as for-profit institutions making an impact, the top five were as follows (in this order): Local music store, Conn-Selmer, Yamaha, professional publications, and JW Pepper Music
• 51% of respondents stated NAfME was “effective in this area." An additional 5% of respondents stated that they were very effective.

There is much more information to share, but your time and my attention span are limited.  If you are a data geek or are just generally interested in all of the results and comments, shoot me an email and I will send them to you.

If you have not taken the survey, it is not too late as we are still collecting both data and comments. You can take the survey by clicking here.

Joe Hart Has a New Job

Yesterday was election day!  The country's bi-ennial electoral process is complete and the results are in. The result? Exactly half of you are in ecstasy and the other half are in agony. The only people who are one hundred percent happy are the cable news networks.

Like most of you, I voted. I cast my ballot and affirmed the right granted to me by our forefathers and inscribed in our constitution. I made my voice heard and ensured that my vote was counted. Yes, that’s right. Yesterday, I proudly cast my vote for… State Mine Inspector!

Seriously? They want me to vote on mine inspector?  

Look, I am not saying we shouldn’t inspect mines, in fact, I’m pretty sure that’s good idea. I am just saying that I might not be your go-to guy on this one. I don’t know anything about mines or any other holes in the ground, so it is unlikely that I am going to be able to make the right call. For this decision, you might be better off talking to my dog Rexi. She has considerable expertise and experience in hole digging and is, dare I say, somewhat of a savant in this area.  Don’t believe me?  I have a back yard full of evidence that says otherwise. Heck, Rexi should run for the office of State Mine Inspector.  But she didn’t so I voted for someone else.

Joe Hart is the guy who got my vote for State Mine Inspector. You know why? Not because his party affiliation. Not because of his qualifications. Not because of his impressive background in all things mine related.  I didn't vote for him because of his website, campaign literature, or his incredible performance in the Mine Inspector Debates. I voted for him because he was the only one on the ballot.

That’s right, he is running unopposed. And he’s not the only one. His candidacy is joined in its singularity by the offices of State Treasurer, City Constable, two State Supreme Court Justices, three appeals court judges, four school governing board members, and the County Dog Catcher; where once again, Rexi would make for a more informed voter.

As a country, we like politics in the same way we like our schools: we talk a lot and walk a little. We want to expend very little effort but achieve great results. We want to spend no money but achieve great things. We create a fuss when we are mad but don't praise when all is going well. We want ACTION, as long as it coincides with our beliefs. Most of all, we want accountability for everyone else, while we sit on the couch and watch re-runs of season sixty-four of Survivor

Through it all, you take the beating and keep on teaching. You do the job that everyone thinks is important, but no one wants to do. You work longer hours, achieve greater results, and do it for for less money than ever before. While everyone (myself included) talks about democracy, you teach it. While everyone else cries for better schools, you build them. While everyone hopes for a better future, you create it.

Thank you for your service to our country and our children. Thank you for teaching them in your classes, eating with them at lunch, and supervising them while at play. Thank you for caring for them morning, noon and night. Thank you for safeguarding the minds, hearts, and bodies. Just… Thank you!

Yes, our mines are now safe, because of Mr. Joe Hart, but our children's minds are safe because of you.

Your Opinion Matters

In today’s high stakes testing climate, advocacy efforts on behalf of music education have become paramount to the success of our programs. To that end, the better we understand what organizations and programs are having the greatest impact in this area, the greaterer the gains we can make.

Two weeks ago, we “teased" this issue by asking what you would do to help music education if we gave you one million dollars. The answers were as diverse as they were impressive. It was evident in reading the responses how important you believe advocacy is, and made us want to hear more from you. To that end, we have put together a brief survey to get a “wide-angle” look at this important issue and are hoping you will share your thoughts with us.

We recognize that their are many dedicated and AMAZING educators and organizations doing incredible work; however, in the interests of clarity and brevity, we have tried to limit the response choices to organizations that are widely recognized and operate on a national level. Since our email database is primarily made up of instrumental music teachers, we have not included organizations affiliated with choral music as the results would not be statistically valid.

You owe us nothing and have no reason to participate other than professional kindness. However, the more responses we get, the more valuable the information becomes. As was promised with the “million-dollar” question, we promise to share the data with you in the coming weeks.

This survey is not meant to stand the scrutiny of a doctoral dissertation or question the work of the many dedicated people who believe in the power of music in our schools. We are merely trying to better understand what works and what is having an impact that we can develop and modify programs to have the greatest impact possible.

Please share this with all of your colleagues/assistants/friends/music supervisors/etc. All responses are completely anonymous.

Take the survey now.

No, really…

Please take the survey now.

Thanks to all of you who work tirelessly to teach your students and advocate for this activity. You do make a difference and you are having an impact.

With great sincerity,

I LOVE Halloween!

As a teacher, one of my favorite events of the year was our annual sectional pumpkin carving contest. If you have never done one of these, you should try it. It was a ton of fun and gave the kids a creative outlet during the last part of the season. I would award caption prizes and let my administrators serve as judges. 

However, this usually meant having to explain that abstract piece of “art” that was the trombone entry, and that they were not a danger to themselves, the school, or society in general.

Don't contact me next Saturday, I will be pillaging my son’s Halloween haul for Butterfingers. Don’t judge, he’s four and I changed his diapers, so I'm taking what I want.

I may need to go to Butterfinger rehab.  What’s your drug of choice?

I Am No Tom Cruise

Disclaimer: As I write this, I under the the influence of Nyquil. Please attribute any nonsensicleness you read to my drug induced stupor. Better yet, grab a bottle of your own and join me. Trust me, my newsletters are much funnier this way.)

As is my custom, when my seven month road tour ends, I get sick. It's an annual tradition I would rather not participate in, but I have no say in the matter. It’s as if my body has been politely waiting for a less hectic, more convenient time to breakdown. My body, much like myself, is nothing if not polite.

This morning, in an effort to expedite the recovery process, I slipped on my "sickee" outfit of choice, a plain white tee shirt and my favorite pair of jeans. It’s amazing the difference comfortable clothes can make. 

A trip to the drug store was in order as the last of the Nyquil was gone. I grabbed my faux aviator sunglasses, the car keys, and headed for the door. Concerned about my driving skills, appearance, or both, my wife asked me where I was headed. I pulled my shades down my nose, gave her my best sexy look and said, “I feel the need…the need for speed.” 

Trust me, when you are high on cold medicine, this is much funnier.

She laughed out loud and said, “Ok Maverick, but let's be clear, you are no Tom Cruise.”

“Come on," I said. "I got the white tee shirt, the jeans, the aviators, and we are both 5’6. All I need is a motorcycle and my wing man Goose.”

“Think what you want,” she giggled, “but if you start dancing around in your tighty whitees, I’m taking away the cold medicine.”

I guess you could say that she’s lost that lovin’ feeling. (See what I did there?)

She has a point though. Just rocking the outfit (and I was rocking it) doesn't turn me into a sexy film star or heartthrob. If only it was that easy. My sweet wife had a point, I am much closer to Lawrence Welk than I am to Tom Cruise.

Like a movie star, this weekend, your students will be involved in a production of their own. They will don a costume, and play their part on a stage of grass. They will expend all of their musical and physical energies in an effort to take their audience to another place, even if it is just for for a brief time. Oh the magic of it all.

And like a movie set, the production crew will be on hand as gaffers, costume managers, roadies and a food truck stand ready to serve in whatever capacity needed. It may not be as lavish production, but this unlike Tom's last movie, we are on a budget and can't just show you the money (is it the Nyquil, or am I on FIRE today?)

In just a few short days, entire organization will come together in a Herculean effort to create nine minutes of magic. But in order to truly enjoy it, you have to pay attention and know what you are looking for because just as quickly as it begins, it ends. 

The uniforms will come off while the performance props are returned. The food and equipment trucks will be loaded and the set will be cleared. Yes, the performance is over, but for the students and parents, the magic remains. 

That nine minutes on a stage represents months of work, and countless hours on a practice field. It represents early morning rehearsals and late night bus rides. It represents hot summer days and cool fall mornings. It represents parents knowing their children are safe and students knowing they have a safe place to be. It represents frustrations and failures, but more important, it represents the people who helped students work through them. That nine minutes represents an entire community of people coming together to help young people succeed in music and in life. 

This weekend's performance is so much more than the nine minutes the audience sees.

Tom Cruise never won an Academy Award, but his performances will always be remembered.  And similarly, the entirety of your efforts can not be represented with an award or plaque. That would be demeaning to the performance and performers alike. They don't give awards for what that nine minutes truly represents.

So as the director, be sure to sit back and enjoy the performance for what it is, MAGIC!

Be Part of the Band Survey Results

Hey everyone:

As promised a year ago, we have undertaken a study of the effects of Be Part of the Band. Last week we administered a nation wide survey to determine the efficacy and impact of Be Part of the Band. The survey concluded last Friday and the results are nothing short of AMAZING!

Our goal twelve months ago was to add 350,000 new students by providing high quality recruitment materials to every school in America for free. We believed that by adding five new students per school, we could make a substantial impact on every band room in America.

We not only met that goal of 5 additional students per school, but more than DOUBLED it.  Directors that utilized our materials showed a 20% greater enrollment in 2014 than in 2013 with an average growth of ELEVEN additional band students per school. Needless to say, we are ecstatic.

To see the highlights from the complete survey in an info-graphic, click here.  

If you know of any music educator that is not aware of the materials, please forward this on. The more people that are utilizing these free resources, the more students we can get to Be Part of the Band!

Thanks for your support, feedback, and continued efforts on this very special project.

Have a great week everyone!

p.s.  Our newsletters typically arrive on Wednesday, but the last month of travel and project deadlines have put us behind some weeks. We are sorry, and promise to do better.

If I Had a Million Dollars

BNL is one of my favorite rock bands. I would list their entire name, but it would likely trigger your spam filter and create a firewall issue that would make the Great Wall of China seem like my son’s Lego project. So let’s just leave it at BNL. I love this band as much for their catchy melodies as their snarky and amusing lyrics. Still stumped? Try Googling “Be My Yoko Ono.” That should solve the mystery for you, and explain why I can’t type the band's name.

One of BNL’s greatest hits is “If I Had $1,000,000.” Their answer to the timeless question of ”What would you do if you won the lottery?" will leave you laughing out loud. Don’t believe me? Click here.

Lately I have been thinking about the big picture of music education and how to ensure its viability for future generations. As a part of this process I asked myself, “If I had a million dollars to use towards making music education better, how would I spend it efficiently to get the greatest impact for every dollar spent?"

Do you know what you would do with the money? Would you lobby Washington? Would you hand out free instruments to disadvantaged youth? Would you invest in teacher training? How would you spend your million dollars on music education? What if I upped the ante to ten million? Would it change your answer?

For ten years I have been writing to you, now it is your turn to write to me. Click here and tell me how you would spend your ten million dollars. I might publish some of the answers in next week's e-zine.