Words & Music

Dear Parents,

Words are powerful. This month we have witnessed history with the inauguration of our new president. His speech showed the power that the right words at the right time can have. A well-crafted speech conveys a depth of meaning that helps make strong connections with an audience while distilling ideas into cohesive wholes and perhaps even persuading others to act. A few portions of Barak Obama's inaugural speech show this power.

"On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord."

"The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation..."

"...we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned."

"...our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness."

"...people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy."

"...duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task."

Music is powerful too, and at its most moving can bring smiles, laughter, and even tears. This year's winter concert had power. Your children performed in ways that moved many in the audience - and yes, I did see smiles, laughter, and even a few watery eyes.

One person said to me afterwards, "Why would anyone not want their child in a school that can put on performances like that?" Another told me of the joy they had in seeing not only their grandchild performing, but also seeing each group create music together with such obvious purpose. An audience member who has attended our concerts for quite some time told me that she thought it was probably the best concert she could remember. Students felt the power too. The next day each child I talked with told me with pride that they thought it was a "GREAT" concert! I had to smile.

In a brochure* titled "Keep Music Strong," the National Association for Music Education cited a number of studies that concluded such things as:

"Young children who received a year of musical training showed brain changes and superior memory compared with children who did not receive the instruction."

"A study examined the influence of music education on nonmusical abilities, the effects of music lessons on academic performance, and cognitive abilities. The study revealed that students who participated in music lessons showed statistically higher intelligence quotients."

"There is a high relationship between interest in school music and high self-perception, high cognitive competence scores and general self-esteem."

Of course these are just a few of the academic arguments for including a strong music education program as part of every child's elementary experience. At Swan School we know it is a valuable piece of the whole; music education is essential for children's growing minds as well as to help them reflect inwardly and to reach out to others throughout their lives.

As schools throughout the country have needed to make hard decisions about their music programs due to budget cuts, we are proud to be able to hold on to ours as tightly as we can, nurturing it in ways that lead to the powerfully proud and happy faces we saw during this year's winter concert.

Russ

*If you would like to read the entire brochure, go to: http://www.supportmusic.com/SMBrochure_eng.pdf

or visit the National Association for Music Education website at: http://www.menc.org/