Comments on: For the teachers and parents of musicians, celebrate http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2009/10/14/for-the-parents-of-musicians-and-their-teachers-celebrate/ Your source to discuss and learn about education in Atlanta, Georgia and the nation Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:04:54 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Music Matters « Northgate Viking Band Blog http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2009/10/14/for-the-parents-of-musicians-and-their-teachers-celebrate/comment-page-1/#comment-14859 Music Matters « Northgate Viking Band Blog Sat, 17 Oct 2009 04:10:50 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/?p=2316#comment-14859 [...] Music Matters Jump to Comments http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2009/10/14/for-the-parents-of-musicians-and-their-teachers-ce... [...] [...] Music Matters Jump to Comments http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2009/10/14/for-the-parents-of-musicians-and-their-teachers-ce... [...]

]]> By: Military Musician http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2009/10/14/for-the-parents-of-musicians-and-their-teachers-celebrate/comment-page-1/#comment-14676 Military Musician Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:10:00 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/?p=2316#comment-14676 Yes, music is great, but very seldom does it pay the rent. If it were not for the military there is no possible way I could have been a musician as a full time profession for 20 years running, and I was a very good musician. Before I got the call of "Greetings" in '67, I'd earned a 2/3 scholarship and fulfilled the requirements for a BME in Vocal and Instrumental Music from The University of Tulsa, with the exception of practice teaching (everybody doesn't have the bucks to enroll in a conservatory you know). I was a full member of the Philharmonic before I was 20-years-old. In 1972 I was the top clarinetist in the Army for my MOS (02J... before annual Pro-Pay testing was discontinued). I had a wonderful career though, as I put on more and more stripes I was forced little-by-little to abandon performance in favor of conducting, training, administration and the like. During my military service I made many friends and was able to live in places most only dream about visiting. I was able to serve my country and I'm glad I did it. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I don't perform any more, but music remains a daily part of my life. I listen to SIRIUS channel 79 constantly and have a distinguished collection of CDs to make the drudgery of driving in Atlanta's traffic bearable. The fact of the matter is, the only way I could have performed had I not been drafted by LBJ would have been to moonlight after my day job as a teacher, and that is the case for most music majors. Every time a position opens in the A.S.O., hundreds of candidates audition, the majority of whom are conservatory graduates. Even if I needed the job, I wouldn't take the time or trouble to even show up as I'd have no chance at all. And that's not being defeatist, thatt's being realistic. So what's the bottom line? Yes, music is great... more than great. But if you choose it as a full-time profession rest assured, it's going to be a tough row to hoe. The term "starving artist" is not just a saying; it's a reality. Yes, music is great, but very seldom does it pay the rent.

If it were not for the military there is no possible way I could have been a musician as a full time profession for 20 years running, and I was a very good musician.

Before I got the call of “Greetings” in ‘67, I’d earned a 2/3 scholarship and fulfilled the requirements for a BME in Vocal and Instrumental Music from The University of Tulsa, with the exception of practice teaching (everybody doesn’t have the bucks to enroll in a conservatory you know).

I was a full member of the Philharmonic before I was 20-years-old. In 1972 I was the top clarinetist in the Army for my MOS (02J… before annual Pro-Pay testing was discontinued).

I had a wonderful career though, as I put on more and more stripes I was forced little-by-little to abandon performance in favor of conducting, training, administration and the like. During my military service I made many friends and was able to live in places most only dream about visiting. I was able to serve my country and I’m glad I did it. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

I don’t perform any more, but music remains a daily part of my life. I listen to SIRIUS channel 79 constantly and have a distinguished collection of CDs to make the drudgery of driving in Atlanta’s traffic bearable.

The fact of the matter is, the only way I could have performed had I not been drafted by LBJ would have been to moonlight after my day job as a teacher, and that is the case for most music majors.

Every time a position opens in the A.S.O., hundreds of candidates audition, the majority of whom are conservatory graduates. Even if I needed the job, I wouldn’t take the time or trouble to even show up as I’d have no chance at all. And that’s not being defeatist, thatt’s being realistic.

So what’s the bottom line?

Yes, music is great… more than great. But if you choose it as a full-time profession rest assured, it’s going to be a tough row to hoe. The term “starving artist” is not just a saying; it’s a reality.

]]> By: Libby http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2009/10/14/for-the-parents-of-musicians-and-their-teachers-celebrate/comment-page-1/#comment-14648 Libby Thu, 15 Oct 2009 22:21:36 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/?p=2316#comment-14648 I grew up in a house full of music, played three instruments, was given private lessons and had a school that still had active music programs. When it was time to pick a college, I was the recipient of partial college scholarships to great schools to study music. I guess fear of, well, I dont know what led my parents to say, you can go where you want but we will not pay the balance of your tuition if you study music. This was a bomb to me as I never heard it until the 11th hour -when weeks remained to finalize my college choice and wasn't prepared to receive financial aid or work. So, I studied business and have spent the past 20 years thriving in, but secretly hating my career and now my practical business/finance degree has netted me 13 months of unemployment. I do understand the fears of my parents at the time, but if there are any parents now on the fence about letting your child pursue a degree in music that read this. I hope you take it to heart. Studying music doesn't "doom" a child to a life of poverty. As the previous commenter says, music fosters imagination, collaboration, etc (the best computer programmer I ever met was a music major in college). To Kerry Bryant - yah for you! It's nice to hear that there are glimmers of hope regarding the arts/music in our schools today. I still have the image of some DeKalb county school board member on TV about 10 years ago slamming the music programs as luxuries as she slashed funding. And AMEN about football. Now, I am a huge football fan and think it certainly has its place but not at the expense of all other programs. Earlier this year I read an article in a national publication expressing outrage over the dissolution of a football program in a public school system due to funding shortages. Where is the same outrage for the thousands of music programs that have met this fate for the past 20+ years? I grew up in a house full of music, played three instruments, was given private lessons and had a school that still had active music programs. When it was time to pick a college, I was the recipient of partial college scholarships to great schools to study music. I guess fear of, well, I dont know what led my parents to say, you can go where you want but we will not pay the balance of your tuition if you study music. This was a bomb to me as I never heard it until the 11th hour -when weeks remained to finalize my college choice and wasn’t prepared to receive financial aid or work. So, I studied business and have spent the past 20 years thriving in, but secretly hating my career and now my practical business/finance degree has netted me 13 months of unemployment.

I do understand the fears of my parents at the time, but if there are any parents now on the fence about letting your child pursue a degree in music that read this. I hope you take it to heart.

Studying music doesn’t “doom” a child to a life of poverty. As the previous commenter says, music fosters imagination, collaboration, etc (the best computer programmer I ever met was a music major in college).

To Kerry Bryant – yah for you! It’s nice to hear that there are glimmers of hope regarding the arts/music in our schools today. I still have the image of some DeKalb county school board member on TV about 10 years ago slamming the music programs as luxuries as she slashed funding. And AMEN about football. Now, I am a huge football fan and think it certainly has its place but not at the expense of all other programs. Earlier this year I read an article in a national publication expressing outrage over the dissolution of a football program in a public school system due to funding shortages. Where is the same outrage for the thousands of music programs that have met this fate for the past 20+ years?

]]> By: Kerry Bryant http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2009/10/14/for-the-parents-of-musicians-and-their-teachers-celebrate/comment-page-1/#comment-14643 Kerry Bryant Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:37:30 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/?p=2316#comment-14643 I am a fine arts coordinator for a public school system and a music educator of 21 years. My position was created almost 3 years ago by an extremely visionary superintendent who realized the arts had no voice or advocate on the district level. But my situation is, sadly, an exception- not the rule. Many fine arts programs are being cut or shoved aside (along with many other valuable parts of the curriculum such as vocational/CTAE, foreign language, and other humanities) by the insane emphasis on standardized testing. Now that a more realisitic, intellectual and enculturated federal administration is in place, we are finally beginnning to realize this hyper-intensive testing regimen does nothing to improve academic performance, but only causes harm to training the very abilities our 21st century workforcemust have to compete: imagination, collaboration, assessment through performance (not paper/computer test items), and most of all, creativity. Why is this lost on our schools at budget sessions? (Side note: though we are in a terrible recession, I've not witnessed any diminishing of football this Fall...not that it is not good for many kids- big athletic boys only- but I wonder why it remains fully funded and thriving as always while arts struggle to survive?). I am a fine arts coordinator for a public school system and a music educator of 21 years. My position was created almost 3 years ago by an extremely visionary superintendent who realized the arts had no voice or advocate on the district level. But my situation is, sadly, an exception- not the rule. Many fine arts programs are being cut or shoved aside (along with many other valuable parts of the curriculum such as vocational/CTAE, foreign language, and other humanities) by the insane emphasis on standardized testing. Now that a more realisitic, intellectual and enculturated federal administration is in place, we are finally beginnning to realize this hyper-intensive testing regimen does nothing to improve academic performance, but only causes harm to training the very abilities our 21st century workforcemust have to compete: imagination, collaboration, assessment through performance (not paper/computer test items), and most of all, creativity. Why is this lost on our schools at budget sessions? (Side note: though we are in a terrible recession, I’ve not witnessed any diminishing of football this Fall…not that it is not good for many kids- big athletic boys only- but I wonder why it remains fully funded and thriving as always while arts struggle to survive?).

]]> By: Kay Citron http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2009/10/14/for-the-parents-of-musicians-and-their-teachers-celebrate/comment-page-1/#comment-14629 Kay Citron Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:01:37 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/?p=2316#comment-14629 I have raised 4 children in a home full of music. I like to say I am good at listening to music and not so good at producing it. But we have all found joy in both listening and attempting to create our own music. And yes, some times the best creations come from the loneliest moments. Giving a child music is one of the greatest gifts we can give. Having the ability to create music will inevitably come into use at some point in a child's life, to help him or her cope with whatever life has in store. The brain is used to the fullest extent when creating music, listening to music, analyzing music or just enjoying it, exercising it and keeping it in an open exchange which improves grades, communication skills, and ones state of happy. Thank you for the enlightening article. My sons have been in boy choirs, and currently my youngest son is in the Georgia Boy Choir. A wonderful way to keep him involved and active in the wonderful world of music. I have raised 4 children in a home full of music. I like to say I am good at listening to music and not so good at producing it. But we have all found joy in both listening and attempting to create our own music. And yes, some times the best creations come from the loneliest moments. Giving a child music is one of the greatest gifts we can give. Having the ability to create music will inevitably come into use at some point in a child’s life, to help him or her cope with whatever life has in store. The brain is used to the fullest extent when creating music, listening to music, analyzing music or just enjoying it, exercising it and keeping it in an open exchange which improves grades, communication skills, and ones state of happy. Thank you for the enlightening article. My sons have been in boy choirs, and currently my youngest son is in the Georgia Boy Choir. A wonderful way to keep him involved and active in the wonderful world of music.

]]> By: Dana Holmes http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2009/10/14/for-the-parents-of-musicians-and-their-teachers-celebrate/comment-page-1/#comment-14617 Dana Holmes Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:45:43 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/?p=2316#comment-14617 I was thrilled to see this. My daughter is a musician and graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music!!! Music is deep in our soul and joins the human race together. Long live the artists, the poets, the musician, the creators of beautiful things!!! Bravo! It would be a dull, gray world without you! I was thrilled to see this. My daughter is a musician and graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music!!! Music is deep in our soul and joins the human race together. Long live the artists, the poets, the musician, the creators of beautiful things!!! Bravo! It would be a dull, gray world without you!

]]> By: Dan http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2009/10/14/for-the-parents-of-musicians-and-their-teachers-celebrate/comment-page-1/#comment-14597 Dan Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:55:46 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/?p=2316#comment-14597 A well written tribute to music, I wish I had payed more attention to it in school, as I am now trying to learn a bit for my own enjoyment as an adult. Music of course means different things to different people, and results in a different emotion and importance and while it is truly sad to see arts cut in schools it would be far more sad to have a generation of artists and musicians who could not add or read as illustrated by this quote from John Adams "I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain." Indeed a cake is somewhat bland without frosting, but frosting without the cake does not provide physical sustenance A well written tribute to music, I wish I had payed more attention to it in school, as I am now trying to learn a bit for my own enjoyment as an adult. Music of course means different things to different people, and results in a different emotion and importance and while it is truly sad to see arts cut in schools it would be far more sad to have a generation of artists and musicians who could not add or read as illustrated by this quote from John Adams
“I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain.”

Indeed a cake is somewhat bland without frosting, but frosting without the cake does not provide physical sustenance

]]> By: Name (required) http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2009/10/14/for-the-parents-of-musicians-and-their-teachers-celebrate/comment-page-1/#comment-14592 Name (required) Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:01:06 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/?p=2316#comment-14592 Umm....Tony. Obviously you didn't read the whole speech. Read the 5th paragraph. "Pixie Rocket" is a spam bot that just regurgitates stuff out of the original article. Umm….Tony. Obviously you didn’t read the whole speech. Read the 5th paragraph. “Pixie Rocket” is a spam bot that just regurgitates stuff out of the original article.

]]> By: Tony http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2009/10/14/for-the-parents-of-musicians-and-their-teachers-celebrate/comment-page-1/#comment-14567 Tony Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:45:29 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/?p=2316#comment-14567 To Pixie Rocket, your use of the word "waste" in regard to the composition and performance of music demonstrates an unfortunate lack of appreciation of the power of music in people's lives. It is out of some of the most dire circumstances that some of the best music, literature and are have arisen. There could not have been a better use of time than to compose such beautiful and moving music. To Pixie Rocket, your use of the word “waste” in regard to the composition and performance of music demonstrates an unfortunate lack of appreciation of the power of music in people’s lives. It is out of some of the most dire circumstances that some of the best music, literature and are have arisen. There could not have been a better use of time than to compose such beautiful and moving music.

]]> By: Tony http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2009/10/14/for-the-parents-of-musicians-and-their-teachers-celebrate/comment-page-1/#comment-14565 Tony Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:42:42 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/?p=2316#comment-14565 Wonderful piece. Too many times school systems become short-sighted when it is time to talk budget and they determine they are simply unable to fund arts programs in schools. Music in society is an important part of life. Music communicates in ways that words and numbers can not. Visual arts are the same way. And so are dramatic arts, dance, and all the other categories under the arts umbrella. In addition to being a school principal, I am a musician. I hope to continue to share the joy that art and music bring to the souls of children by making sure these programs are funded in our schools. Wonderful piece. Too many times school systems become short-sighted when it is time to talk budget and they determine they are simply unable to fund arts programs in schools. Music in society is an important part of life. Music communicates in ways that words and numbers can not. Visual arts are the same way. And so are dramatic arts, dance, and all the other categories under the arts umbrella.

In addition to being a school principal, I am a musician. I hope to continue to share the joy that art and music bring to the souls of children by making sure these programs are funded in our schools.

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