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Leadership, Laugher & Loud Opinions on Music Education
Finding Your True North and Magnetic Declination
We don't know precisely when the compass was invented. However, historians know it was used ubiquitously throughout Europe as early as the twelfth century, and even earlier in China.
The idea of letting the Earth's magnetic field guide your travels has been a time tested foolproof way of getting from point A to point B. Whether traveling by land, air, or sea, compasses exist in virtually every vehicle that travels from one place to another.
Even with the advent of modern global positioning satellites, adventurers, young and old, rarely leave home without their trusty directional companion.
Except it is not foolproof. The compass is a little faulty.
Starting with its first use, early navigators noticed that the compass did not always align with Polaris (the North Star). The degree of variation would change, but the inconsistency remained an unexplained constant for over five hundred years. The mystery remained unsolved until the early 1830's when British scientists initiated what became known as the Magnetic Crusade - a worldwide survey meant to measure and track the deviation, now known as Magnetic Declination.
It turns out that true north and magnetic north are not the same things. At least not at this moment as magnetic north is a moving object and changes locales every year, whereas true north is fixed. As of today, the two are separated by approximately two hundred and fifty miles.
For everyday use, the difference between the two is insignificant. When using a compass to walk a mile, the variation between the two might cause you to miss by a couple of feet or yards—traveling one hundred miles? Well, you might miss by a half-mile or so. A thousand miles could have you in a different state or country. The greater the distance you travel, the more significant the gap between the two. Use magnetic north to get to the gas station? No problem. Use it to get from Los Angeles to Hawaii, and you will likely miss the entire chain of islands.
Navigating by your true north matters, not just in your travels, but in your life and profession as well.
For our students (and ourselves), magnetic north is all of the fun and exciting things that draw them in. Halftime performances, trips, competitions, uniforms, etc. are the things that consume our thoughts, drive our efforts, and guide our decision-making processes. We set budgets, rehearsal schedules, and a host of other things based on this false north. Still, our true north lies slightly adjacent to its magnetic counterpart and centers not around performances and crowds, but building character, making music, and creating memories.
Remember, over short trips and small distances, true north and magnetic north are virtually identical. But in the seven months, since the pandemic struck and distant learning began, the time and length have the two destination feeling miles apart. Through it all, it's essential to navigate yourself and your program by your True North because…
Magnetic north changes from year to year, but TRUE north is forever.
I'm Back. Kids Are BACK. MUSIC IS BACK!
After a lengthy medical delay (a severe case of writer's cramp), I'm BACK!
I never really left or even stopped communicating, but my new book and COVID related communications and webinars delayed the return of my weekly Wednesday missive. (Fun stat: I have sent 245,729 emails in the past 30 days. Now, do you understand the writer's cramp?) With kids going back to school, it's time for me to get back to writing.
I'm not the only thing that's back... Music is back, and it's back in classic form.
Wanna be a Juke Box Hero? Got stars in your eyes? (someone explain this classic Foreigner lyric to the under 40 crowd) You're not alone. In the past six months, guitar, keyboard, and drum set sales have hit record high numbers. A music store company executive recently compared sales on a summer day to that of Black Friday. This six-string comeback started with the pandemic and stems from people's need to stop bumming and start strumming.
The growth isn't limited to making music. It expands to listening as well. Vinyl records just eclipsed CD sales for the first time since Van Halen was, well...Van Halen! In fact, despite the pandemic's impact, the music industry as a whole turned a small profit during the first half of the epidemic. So no bailout for Beyonce and Cardi B can forget about the PPP (someone explain that to the over 40 crowd).
In these times, music has struck a chord and is resonating with Americans in ways we once thought were long gone (see what I did there with the musical puns?).
As Alex Williams of the New York Times puts it in his article Guitars are Back, Baby!, "It's not just graying baby boomer men looking to live out one last Peter Frampton fantasy. Young adults and teenagers, many of them female, are helping to power this guitar revival, manufacturers and retailers said, putting their generational stamp on the instrument that rocked their parents' generation while also discovering the powers of six-string therapy."
In other words, music is proving not just to have healing powers, but is helping to address issues related to gender discrimination and female empowerment.
Yes, for nearly all musicians young and old, concerts are canceled, rehearsals are postponed, and audience seats are empty. But that has not stopped the music from being made. Yes, it make look and sound a little different, but it is still music.
Through all of this, numbers are showing that music not only survived but in some instances, even thrived. And so will music education.
The recent sales data shows that there is not just a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, but we have grown in unexpected and meaningful ways through the experience. A chance to return to a simpler time when we made our own music and listened without earbuds. A time without pitch correct and sampled instrumentation. Real people, making real music, in real-time. Difficult does not necessarily mean better (Adagio for Strings) and more notes and drill does not always equate to more learning. We do not teach music. We teach CHILDREN.
Our jobs have changed, mine included. They have become more distant and difficult. But, kids are still kids, and music is still music. It will not be the same, but that does not make it worse. We did not sign up for easy. We survived music theory, ear training, and classes that meet six days a week for one credit. We achieved a college degree with a 70% drop/failure rate and teach in a profession with an equally high departure rate. We fight with parents, administrators, and even mother nature. We are strong, battle-tested, and resilient.
Our students need us, so we will meet them where they are, when they are there, and show them what is possible! Recent events and trends show that neither music or students are going away. So neither am I!
My mask is on, and my plane boards in five minutes!
See you soon!
A Note of Gratitude
My dear friends and colleagues,
Maybe you haven't noticed or even care, but another Wednesday has passed, and my weekly emails are still absent.
Traditionally, I give teachers a break from the first week in June until the last week in July, but this year has been anything but traditional. I've been writing. In fact, I've been writing so much that even when I'm not in front of a screen, my fingers default to the QWERTY configuration. But, I have not been writing to YOU. I feel guilty.
Today my two boys began their school year. It is delayed by two weeks and spent in front of a computer, but it is school none-the-less.
I know you are sad, angry, and FRUSTRATED! I imagine that from time to time, you feel them all simultaneously. Let's be clear, Zoom is not in-person, and Google Classroom is not a real classroom, no matter what you call it. This is not what you signed up for, and it's not necessarily fun. But it is here, and I wanted you to know something.
I am thankful for YOU.
Because of YOU, they went to bed at a reasonable hour, and got up early. Because of YOU they were not on an iPad or Xbox for hours. Because of YOU they were able to interact with another adult other than my wife and me. But mostly, because of YOU for the first time in five months, there was structure, purpose, and a sense that we are FINALLY moving forward.
Yes, I am thankful for YOU!
I know that many of you are not likely going to clean drill, adjust a violin bridge, or practice vocal warm-up anytime soon. But perhaps more than ever before, you are making a difference and having an impact, not just on your students but their entire family. You brought order to their day, purpose to their house, and an optimistic belief that we are closer to the end of this than the beginning.
I will be back to our Wednesday chats soon, I promise. But in the meantime, I will offer these resources.
Click here to learn more about my new book (we're going to make another big announcement)
Click here to receive free online leadership curricula.
Click here if you would like to view any of my COVID webinars.
Click here if you need to set up your own free website for recruitment and retention.
In addition, I hope you join me this Friday as we take a more in-depth look into Music FUNdations. I promise you will be glad you did. Bring your administrator and show them the power of what you are teaching in addition to music.
Take care; let me know how else I can help.
- Scott
Red, White, and Really Blue.
Typically, as America moves towards the Fourth of July weekend, we are filled with patriotism and pride. A time to give thanks for the freedoms we enjoy and pay tribute to those who have sacrificed. Think of it as a patriotic Thanksgiving, if you will.
Plus, we get to blow stuff up. And lot's of it.
With widespread civil unrest, a global pandemic, and a national Presidential election, you would think that patriotism is low. But apparently, it's not, at least if you measure patriotism by gross tonnage of black powder.
A recent article in the Chicago Sun-Times revealed that "Calls for fireworks complaints have skyrocketed this year in Chicago. From January 1st to June 21st, there were 7,042 calls to 911. There were just 842 calls during the same period last year. That's an increase of more than 736 percent."
On the same day as the Sun-Times article was released, an unrelated, but equally important, the Associated Press published a survey stating that Americans are the unhappiest they have been in almost fifty years. We are red, white, and BLUE.
Do you think those two facts are related? Do you think we are blowing stuff up in record numbers because we are filled with unfettered joy and national pride? Or is it because we are scared and angry?
As I mentioned last week, fear and anger are part of the grieving process, and we are all grieving. I would be concerned if you didn't feel that way.
The impact of COVID has been far and wide and is not even close to being over. Its effects on your program will likely be significant and pervasive. It will impact the way you rehearse, where you travel, who you hire, and how you perform. It will change your budget, facilities, and enrollment, both now and in the future.
If directors are as human as the rest of the world (and I would challenge that assertion), 50% of you feel pretty blue right now, and it's not the red, white, and star-spangled kind.
But before you go looking for a blanket to crawl under, consider the following:
You likely still have a job—a way to feed and provide for your family.
You are not likely sick, nor will you become sick in a way that would compromise your life.
You will still get to see great kids and make great music.
You get a chance to reinvent a part of yourself and your program in a meaningful way.
You get a chance to experiment with new instructional models with virtually no consequences.
In the grand scheme of things, life ain't so bad, and in fact could be much, much worse.
You still get to do what you love with young people you care about and make a real difference in people's lives.
So as our country approaches its national birthday party, what do you say we blow less stuff up and spend that energy taking broken things, and people, and putting them back together?
That's a red, white, and not so BLUE that would make Sousa proud.
Have a great week. I am taking a break next week, so you may or may not hear from me. I suspect you will all be fine (if not better off) without my supervision.
- Scott
An Industry in Grief and Finding Meaning
Today's missive (along with everything else lately) is running a bit tardy. It's not for lack of effort, but lack of time. I have three LARGE projects in the works, all with looming deadlines. And to be honest, any free moments I do have are consumed with finishing a one thousand piece Star Wars puzzle that has confounded me for over a week. Darn you, Darth Vader!
Elisabeth Kübler-Ross will forever be known for her groundbreaking work on grief. As noted in her book On Death and Dying, the Kübler-Ross Grief Cycle has five components: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Otherwise known as the grieving process.
People experience grief throughout their personal and professional lives. It can be brought about by many different situations such as a divorce, job loss, terminal medical news, or a death.
Co-author and colleague to Kübler-Ross, David Kessler, said this: "The five stages are a part of the framework that makes up our learning to live with loss. They are tools to help us frame and identify what we may be feeling. But they are not stops on some linear timeline. Not everyone goes through all of them or in a prescribed order. Our hope is that with these stages comes the knowledge of grief's terrain, making us better equipped to cope with life and loss. At times, people in grief will often report more stages. Just remember your grief is as unique as you are."
It's important to know that grieving is not limited to death, but applies to any scenario that involves the loss of something beloved.
COVID has left a wave of grieving victims in its wake. Lost friendships, opportunities, experiences, and even jobs have wreaked havoc with our emotional and mental health. Music teachers and students are impacted in very significant and meaningful ways. As decisions are made, and students prepare to return (or not) to school, it's crucial to acknowledge that we are all grieving for what is lost, and what will be missed moving forward.
In order to move forward, we must acknowledge and allow ourselves, and our students, to grieve.
As we return to summer rehearsals and the restart (or not) of our schools, we will be face to face with young people filled with equal parts ecstasy and angst. They will be looking to you for answers and taking their cue as how to react to the new changes. They will follow your lead and adopt your tone and attitude. With that in mind, know that where YOU are in the stages of grief will have a significant impact on how your students react and respond.
I do not mean to rush you through the grieving process, and perhaps, you feel fine. But in the event you are not quite at acceptance, know that even though you may be isolated, you are not alone. My inbox is open, and my phone is on: (480) 577-5264. Unlike my wife, I am not a counselor, and I have no training in this area. But after thousands of emails, and countless calls, even I can recognize an industry in grief and can at least have a chat.
But there is more we can do to be at peace, we can find meaning.
David Kessler has recently continued the shared work of the Cycles of Grief and has added a sixth stage (and a similarly titled book) called, Finding Meaning. In this landmark work, Kessler states that finding meaning after loss "can transform grief into a more peaceful and hopeful experience."
Like you, I want this to be over. I want answers to my questions and a plan to build on. But it is not here yet, and waiting for the unknown is the worst part.
So for me, I will plan for every possibility and prepare for all contingencies. I will write, work, and speak. I will push as hard as I can and provide value where possible. I will speak with positivity and focus on solutions. This is how I move forward. This is how I work towards acceptance. This is how I find meaning.
Darth will just have to wait.
- Scott
The sky is falling, the sky is falling!
The sky is falling, the sky is falling!
(While looking for an old post, I ran across this article I wrote nearly 10 years ago. I thought you might enjoy it. I am re-sharing it exactly as I wrote it, but have added some new thoughts at the bottom.)
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 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 declaring 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.
Fast forward a decade...
I do believe that COVID will have an impact on our profession, but I also believe that the level of impact is somewhat in our control. Is it possible we will see a reduced capacity? Yes. But, it might make for more leveled ensembles and student growth. Is it possible we will see a reduced schedule? Yes. But, it might force us to be even more efficient with our time. Most obstacles also present an equal opportunity.
When it comes to all things COVID, we are not in charge. But we are in charge of how we react and respond. we are in control of how and what we communicate to those looking to us to lead. We are responsible to pivot and change in whatever way is necessary to minimize the impact and provide for safe learning environment. React, respond and be responsible, that is our role, but is also our opportunity.
Right now, I am knee-deep into two MAJOR new projects that are tracking for a mid-July release. Had it not been for COVID-19, they might never have come to fruition. Would I rather be running around the country, working with great kids and talented teachers? YES! But, has all of the content creation associated with Leadership University, the COVID webinars, and these two new projects made me better able to serve the profession? No question about it.
I wish that we never had to endure what this pandemic has brought and will continue to bring. But as painful as it has been, it has made me a better teacher, father and person. Husband? The jury is still out and that one. She's not used to me being around THIS much.
Have a great Wednesday. If I have not said it already. Thanks for reading. You give me a sense of purpose and I appreciate you.
With gratitude,
-Scott
Tell Me What You Want, What You Really, Really Want!
Never in my life did I think I would be quoting the Spice Girls, but these are strange times indeed.
Like many of you, I am following the ever-evolving recommendations regarding the re-opening of schools. Almost daily, a new governmental group, organization, or industry expert comes out with new guidelines for re-opening. Clearly, plagiarism does not apply here, and the Control C function is alive and well because every report says the exact same things.
Care to play a little COVID bingo? I will use the "go-to phrases," and you shout out when you have five in a row.
Split-schedule
Social distancing
Distance learning
Deep cleaning
No large gatherings
Smaller classes
Masks
BINGO!
Every document I have read contains these same suggestions. There is a good reason for their omnipresence as they represent real and vital steps that aims to keep kids and teacher safe.
But, as time marches on, fewer and fewer people are confused as to WHAT we should do,
it's HOW we do it that is causing the concern.
Think about it like a music teacher for a second. Looking at the recommendations from the CDC is like looking at a festival rubric:
Plays correct notes and rhythms
Demonstrates characteristic sound
Plays in tune and in time
Achieves harmonic balance and blend
Performs in an artistic manner
That's WHAT you need to achieve to meet the mark!
WELL, NO KIDDING!. I know WHAT the goal is, , I am just not sure HOW to do it. After all, teach in the real world with my seventeen saxophones, one tuba, nine percussionists, three of which are on a 504 plan, a block schedule, and three kids with limited English proficiency. The goal is much harder to achieve when you lack the requisite resources required to be successful..
How do we implement it the CDC's recommendations? How do we pay for it? How do we make it work with existing buildings? How do we determine what works for kindergarten classes versus what works for a high school band class? How do we account for students who cross-contaminate and become infected outside the school and then return to infect their classmates?
Most importantly, HOW do we accomplish this with as little impact to the students as possible.
The answer starts with asking the students and parents WHAT is important to them. I know HOW we can teach music safely, but we have to first be able to demonstrate that music is WHAT students and parents want and need.
In schools, music and life, the WHAT comes before the HOW.
As the timeline for decision making becomes compressed, it becomes incumbent on us to have our students and parents speak up for what THEY want—specifically concerning the "three A's" (arts, athletics, and activities). Student and parent voices matter. They get heard. They carry weight. But if we wait much longer, it will be too late. MAKE SURE THAT THEIR VOICES ARE HEARD!
I have created a sample survey for you to use with your parents and students. It is short, simple, but specifically designed to collect meaningful data that is relevant to the decision making process. Furthermore, it can be easily disaggregated in important ways. It is focused on high school band, but can be quickly and easily altered for middle school ensemble or for orchestra and choir. As always, you can use exactly as is or tailor it to your specific needs.
But don't wait!
The time is now! Gather the data and show your leaders WHAT your parents and students want... What they really, really want!
(Good luck getting that earworm out of your head.)
Do not forward this link on. Copy the survey (right click on it) and save it to your own Google Drive. Then share your link with your students, parents, community members and alumnus.
Closets, Robbers, and My Son’s Fort
As a child, I slept in a closet for almost two years.
Before you think that I'm weird (or weirder than you already thought), I created my clothes storage castle after my house was robbed for the third time. During the first two robberies, we came home to the burglary in progress. The third and final time, I awoke to find a strange man standing on my bed, looking down at me, before leaping out of the window.
That was it! I was moving! Or at least to a different part of the house.
I outfitted my new tiny room with a sleeping bag, a fan, a light, and a mini boom-box. It was epic. The best part was that Duke, our very large and scary Weimaraner, shared my affinity for small dark spaces and would join me there every night to slumber. My fort was cool, comfortable, and, most importantly… SAFE! I was sure that no robber would find me there, and if they did, they would have to deal with a large and surly dog that did not take kindly to visitors.
Was I actually more safe in my 10x4 foot fort? Probably not, but it sure felt like I was.
Fast forward some forty years.
Last week, for family movie night, we decided to watch the original Mission Impossible. It was bad. And I mean bad. Bad plot, bad script, and bad acting. Nothing against Tom Cruise, but this was not his finest work. About midway through the movie, my youngest son declared himself bored and started to build a fort using our couch cushions and coffee table as a base. Before long, he had himself a modest little abode. He was quite pleased with himself.
As the days wore on and his new home expanded, it became impractical for it to remain in our main living space. Rather than tear it down, we decided to relocate it to the less used living room. The new and larger location provided us with an opportunity to rethink the space, layout, and design, and build anew. And build we did.
The new fort is a masterpiece! It has two bedrooms, a mini basketball hoop, a patio, a dog bed, lights, fans, and a living room with vaulted ceilings (hint: a patio umbrella is perfect for this). From the outside, it looks like a homeless encampment, but on the inside, well, it's a masterpiece.
Recently, I have started to work in "the fort." After all, it is a secluded space with everything I need: power, air, and fast internet. I could tell you that it's about spending time with my son, but sometimes it's just me in there. I could tell you it's about needing a private workspace, but I have a dedicated in-home office. I could tell lots of things, and I am sure there would be a modicum of truth in all of them. But, it wouldn't be the whole truth.
I think part of the reason I am spending time in our fort is that it provides me with the same feeling my fort of 40 years ago did, safety.
Our fort is a place where COVID and its aftermath can't find me. A place where music education isn't in peril and livelihoods aren't in jeopardy. I think I am searching for a space where there are no disappointments, my family is safe, and our future is certain.
I know that the fort provides none of these protections. And yet, there I sit.
Like many of you, this new reality and distance learning has led to MORE work, and LESS joy. The uncertainty is wearing on you, and the worry is taking its toll. You just want things to go back to the way they were. But in the meantime, my recommendation... Build (or find) yourself a fort.
Like mine, your fort may have multiple rooms and modern amenities like a roof and lights. Or it might be a comfortable chair and a good book. Perhaps it's a session of yoga or a daily run. Your fort may involve baking, playing an instrument, or woodworking on a lathe. It doesn't matter what or where your fort is, just that you have one.
Let your fort bring you peace. Let it bring you solace. Let it serve to distract and entertain you. Most of all, let it bring you comFORT, because that is the greatest FORT of all.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to finish my man cave addition. Anyone know how to hang an 80" flat screen on a bedsheet?
(Typically, this would be my last e-zine until mid-July. But these are not typical times, so if it's alright with you, I think I will keep writing. It might not always be on Wednesday, but I want to keep in touch and provide you with information as we work through what's next. )
Help a friend join our fort...
If you know someone who needs this content, don't assume they are already getting it; please bring them comFORT by adding them to our list. Once you share their contact info, we will reach out to and ask for permission before sending them anything.
Security Theatre and My Pandemic Promise
Security Theatre is a term created in reference to the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) after a Government Accountability Office report noted that 95% of agents were successful in getting real weapons through security checkpoints. Security Theatre is "engaging in the practice of investing in countermeasures intended to provide the feeling of improved security while doing little or nothing to achieve it."
As a professional traveler, I have had my fair share of experiences with the TSA, most being uneventful, if not delightful. And, to be clear, I wouldn't last one day at that job. The first time someone asked me if they needed to remove the metal from their pocket or if they needed to dump out their liquids, I would scream at the top of my lungs, "ONLY FOR THE PAST TWENTY YEARS!"
UGH...
The need for security is real, both physically and emotionally. Part of TSA's purpose is to make fliers FEEL safe, even when mathematically speaking, they are only minimally safer than they would be without the cameras, screenings, searches, and pat-downs. The illusion of safety and the solace it provides are more effective than the actia; intended purpose of making passengers safe.
When 9/11 hit, people wanted action and needed to feel safe. The urgency for action and the need to feel safe created the perfect environment for ill-fated policy. The intent was righteous, but the implementation was wrong.
And I fear that it is happening again.
Understandably, our country and the education profession are engaging in what I call "Pandemic Theatre." We are hastily trying to solve a very real and significant problem without the necessary data and analysis.
Just as with TSA, these are outstanding people doing their very best to protect us. I am genuinely grateful for everything they are doing. However, some of the discussed ideas will have a severe and long-term impact on our schools and programs.
Specifically, here are some of the presented solutions and areas where they do not fully account for student safety (the solutions and concerns may vary from city to city and state to state) :
Splitting/fragmenting the school day (morning/afternoon/alt days/etc.) This only works if the students remain segmented outside of the school day as well. The value of segmenting the day is diminished if students are gathering/working/socializing outside of their segmented group.
Practicing social distancing in the classroom: This only works if it is practiced with the same vigilance in the doorways, hallways, stairwells, and parking lots. Passing periods and stairwells mitigate the gains made by smaller classrooms.
Shortening the school day and focusing on English, Math, and other "core curricula": Why would we have students assume the risk of attending school to learn subjects that can be taught from home, and teach classes at home that require a group to be present (music, drama, activities, etc.)?
Ending athletics and activities: Unless the municipalities require the closure of all club sports, dance, and the like, the students will likely participate in these events without school supervision and possibly expose the school.
I am not saying these are bad ideas. They are not. And so you know, I favor social distancing, the wearing of masks and self-quarantines. I am just stating that as we consider dramatic changes to our schools, we are sure that we will see dramatic results in terms of student safety. And not just physical safety, but emotional safety as well.
Music serves as a mechanism for social-emotional growth and healing. It connects students and teachers in meaningful ways, which helps to address the issues of isolation and depression brought on by the pandemic. Music and the arts are our best tools in combatting the mental and emotional health issues that our young people are facing.
Music can be taught safely. In fact, in some cases, I can make a logic-based argument that it can be taught in a SAFER way than English, math, or any other classroom subject. I did so in my webinar last Friday.
We are making decisions based on fear (understandably) and not hope, and are hyper-focused on what we CAN'T do with our students instead of what we MUST do for our students.
For me, I am not interested in discussing what is safe for our students...
I am interested in discussing what is important to students, and how do we make those things safe!
Now more than ever, students need music, so it is now incumbent upon us to figure out how. We put a man on the Moon and a rover on Mars. We created the internet and the automobile. We invented nuclear power and the Oreo. We can do this.
Student safety has to come first, and one illness is too many.
But, if we stay focused on hope, and not engage in Pandemic Theatre, we can and will develop REAL solutions to our REAL problems.
That's my Pandemic Promise.
p.s. I created and shared the attached graphic and my feed blew up. I am providing an unbranded graphic you to share. Feel free to add your name or program logo.
New Coke, Hard Decisions and Harbingers of Failures
What do "New" Coke, Watermelon Oreos, Frito-Lay Lemonade, Coors Rocky Mountain Sparkling Water, the Apple Newton, and Microsoft Zune have in common?
They were all colossal failures with consumers. Even so, they still have a small, but dedicated, following.
According to a recent article in the New York Times, "All of these products share a similar and surprisingly large fan base — a quirky subgroup of consumers who are systemically drawn to flops and whose reliably contrarian tastes can be used to forecast bad bets in retail sales, real estate, and even politics. These people are known as harbingers of failure."
The article further states that, "The study of harbingers emerged from a 2015 analysis of purchasing patterns at a national convenience store chain. Drawing on six years' worth of data from the chain's loyalty card program, a team of marketing professors classified customers according to their affinity for buying new products that were later pulled from the shelves because of weak demand. Of the roughly 130,000 customers whose purchases were analyzed, about 25 percent of them consistently took home products that bombed."
These "harbingers of failure," statistically speaking, were reliable indicators of whether or not a product would be a smash hit or an unmitigated failure.
The curiosity doesn't stop there. It turns out that not only do these people exist, but they tend to live near one another in places that are known as "harbinger zip codes."
Yep, it turns out that when these "harbinger households" move, they tend to move to areas where other harbingers are densely populated.
According to the study's authors, "As with their tastes in soda and jeans, these decisions have a predictably gloomy result: Property values in harbinger ZIP codes consistently underperform the broader market."
Makes you think of your neighbor just a little bit differently, doesn't it?
What about your neighborhood school? Does it make you think of it differently? It should.
Very shortly, our schools are going to be forced to make tough and complicated decisions about how and what we teach our students. And if recommendations coming out of places like Missouri, Maryland, and California are widely adopted, there is reason to be concerned that music is in play.
But the logic is as faulty as the question is flawed.
I do not think they make these recommendations lightly and do so in an earnest desire to provide a safe learning environment for students.
Let's reframe the question.
The discussion that should be had is, what do we value, and what is essential to this school? Once we decide what that is, we then turn our attention to the question of making it safe.
As schools start to cast aside programs, offerings, and activities, other schools will find a way to make those things work and then market them to their local community. If this happens, it will be unfortunate and unpleasant for our students, schools, and communities. This is a trend that started with the introduction of charter schools, and the current pandemic will only serve to add an abundance of fuel to that fire.
For example:
If Smith High School decides that current events will force them to eliminate football this fall, I believe that soon thereafter, Jones High School will, as a matter of differentiation, find a way to make it work. They will then aggressively market and recruit to all the local athletes to switch to Jones High School, "Where athletics matters." The end result being that competitive athletics at Jones High School will blossom into a powerhouse while simultaneously down the street, Smith High School becomes an athletic harbinger for the unathletic and uninterested.
The analogy works as well for music as it does for sports.
If we have learned anything from the harbingers of doom, it is that they have an uncanny ability to find failure, and they gravitate towards it in numbers.
As our school boards and politicians work through the difficult decisions of when and how to re-open, I can only hope that they are not just asking what is safe but also what matters and how to we make it safe.
Music matters. And it has to be more than a sentiment. It has to mean something, and we need to do what it takes to ensure its survival. That is where I want America's children, and that is where I will send my two boys.
After all, I am no harbinger of failure.
p.s. If you are concerned about the future of your program, this Friday's webinar in one you're going to want to attend. Click below to RSVP for the event.