Arts Education in America
In 1943, the United States Armed Forces Institute published a second edition of War Department Education Manual EM 603 Discovering Music: A Course in Music Appreciation by Howard D. McKinney and W.R. Anderson. The material presented in the book was a reprint of educational material taken from existing standard textbook matter used in American schools and colleges at that time and is significant to this discussion because the text included the following when discussing jazz:
Some may start with an enthusiasm for music of the jazz type, but they cannot go far there, for jazz is peculiarly of an inbred, feeble-stock race, incapable of development. In any case, the people for whom it is meant could not understand it if it did develop. Jazz is sterile. It is all right for fun, or as a mild anodyne, like tobacco. But its lack of rhythmical variety (necessitated by its special purpose), its brevity, its repetitiveness and lack of sustained development, together with the fact that commercial reasons prevent its being, as a rule, very well written, all mark it as a side issue, having next to nothing to do with serious music; and consequently it has proved itself entirely useless as a basis for developing the taste of the amateur.
The ambitious listener might better start from the level of Chopin's melodious piano music, or Grieg's northern elegiacs or Tchaikovsky's gorgeous colorfulness.
Fast-forward 56 years to 1999 where I had the distinct pleasure of contributing to 250 Ways To Make America Better, a collection of suggestions for improving America published by JFK, Jr. and the editors of George magazine. Among my eight suggestions to better the country was:
Give utmost attention to at-risk youth, Pay teachers higher wages, and Appoint an American minister of culture (Don't worry - I am NOT rallying for the job. I have a job. I have several jobs!).
I cite the text from these two publications because I believe they provide the perfect bookends from which an honest and earnest discussion about the importance of the arts in America can begin. As a musician, and at my core a jazz musician, my natural inclination is to gravitate to my area of specialty where this subject is concerned. But make no mistake, every artistic vocation whether it is music, dance, painting, literature, the moving image or architecture is vitally important to the fabric of our country's history and deserves to be protected, promoted and nurtured. As my friend Frank Gehry says, if architecture is frozen music, then music is liquid architecture.
For far too long, dating back to the emergence of Jazz and the Blues, our country has treated its only indigenous music as something unworthy of value because it was born on plantations and reared in jook joints. But the power that it possessed was mighty. From the time that I first traveled abroad as a 19 year-old trumpeter with Lionel Hampton in 1951 to being the music director for Dizzy Gillespie's State Department Tour in 1956 -- the first United States sponsored goodwill tour -- to the unifying power of "We Are The World" in 1985, I witnessed firsthand the transformational effects of our Gospel, Blues and Jazz, and its ability to transcend geographic and cultural boundaries.
And without fail, it was and remains America's artistic contributions, especially its music, that is universally embraced by other cultures, pushing aside their own indigenous music and adopting ours as their Esperanto. But today, we sit as one of two Western nations in the world without a Minister of Culture. When Jaime Austria and Peter Weitzner, two New York musicians, took the initiative after hearing a radio interview that I did several months ago to create an on-line petition calling for the appointment of a Secretary of the Arts -- an idea which I had originally suggested more than 10 years ago -- my belief in the power of the arts to bring people together for a common cause was reaffirmed yet again as the petition gained steam across America with an enormous outpouring of support.
It is so disheartening to me that today our children have no idea of their country's cultural heritage. For example, last fall while I was in Seattle during the opening ceremony of the performance arts center at my alma mater Garfield High School, a group of students gathered around me and one young man said that he was a musician and wanted advice on how to further his career. I told him "that first he had to really learn and master his craft." Then I asked him, "Do you know who Louis Armstrong was?" He said, "I think I've heard of him." I asked, "Do you know who Duke Ellington was?" He said, "No." Again I asked, "Do you know who Dizzy Gillespie was?" Again he responded "No." "Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Thelonius Monk?" I asked, and again he said "No." It tore my heart apart that on this day that my alma mater was naming a building after me, that this young man had no idea who the men were that put me on their shoulders and helped shaped who I was as a young musician. Men who will forever stand at the foundation of popular music, and who I believe in years to come will be regarded as America's Chopins, Griegs and Tchaikovskys.
We currently have prestigious institutions tasked with overseeing the promotion and caretaking of our cultural legacy but regrettably, they have been unable to open up the vast treasures of our culture to all segments of our society.
In the face of our record business collapsing around the world, I consider it a tragedy on the part of our educational institutions that our children are virtually devoid of their home-grown culture while that same culture is accepted and celebrated all over the world. With the belief that we must first clean our own house in regard to preserving our cultural legacy, I recently hosted a gathering of some of our nation's leaders in music education, the music industry, corporations, foundations and philanthropists to share resources, networks and ideas to make music education an ongoing part of the lives of children in the United States.
The objective of this initial consortium will be to identify a 12-month plan of very specific action steps that will serve as the foundation achieving the goals of
1. Creating a program that ensures our children are thoroughly grounded in the history of American music and its importance to the cultural identity of our nation.
2. Increase the percentage of children that are participating in at-school and after-school programs.
3. Increase the quality and number of the most qualified music educators in the United States.
4. Through partnership with the participants, develop shared advocacy and funding initiatives for youth music programs.
Our culture is as much a part of and just as important to our American history as Washington's crossing of the Delaware, the invasion of Normandy and the landing of a man on the moon and is just as important to our children's educational development.
It has been proven time and time again in countless studies that students who actively participate in arts education are twice as likely to read for pleasure, have strengthened problem-solving and critical thinking skills, are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, four times more likely to participate in a math and science fair, three times more likely to win an award for school attendance, and four times more likely to win an award for writing an essay of poem. Can you imagine what that does for the self esteem of a child? The confidence it instills in them to overcome any obstacle that they are presented with?
Every great society from the Egyptians, to the Greek and Roman Empires, has been defined by its cultural contributions. The commercial benefits of the arts not withstanding -- our artistic endeavors are a consistent source of revenue in the United States and our nation's largest export -- can we really run the risk of becoming a culturally bankrupt nation because we have not inserted a curriculum into our educational institutions that will teach and nurture creativity in our children? That when future generations look back our cultural legacy is an age of disposable, vapid pabulum.
I am of the mindset that you have to know where you come from to get to where you're going. The time has come to make a concerted effort from both the public and private sectors to put in place a system whereby our children and future generations will be aware of our county's rich cultural legacy and contributions to the world. The arts, particularly our music, are the soul of our country. They are an expression of our spiritual ideals and a timeline of the emotional state of our nation... scars and all. It is a disservice to every American not to recognize them in their proper light.
Regarding jazz, the War Department Education Manual EM 603 Discovering Music: A Course in Music Appreciation would go on to conclude that:
Jazz is too fixed in its limitations and too narrow in the variety and quality of its content to be able to maintain itself long in a world of flux and change. Influential as it has been as a factor in the cultivation of present-day taste, it can hardly be looked upon as a real basis for the development of an American musical idiom.
As a jazz man, I'm thrilled that they were wrong. Our country has a long history of discarding and devaluing our cultural resources particularly where music is concerned. And although we have thankfully evolved in this pursuit, we still have much further to go before we can claim that we are diligent protectors of our cultural heritage.
In the global landscape that we live in today where ideas are exchanged with the stroke of a send key, what better way to influence nations than by exposing them to the basic belief in freedom of expression that is inherent in our nation and witnessed through our culture.
Loading comments…
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
Without the mercy of instruction, I somehow came upon the works of Mingus, Monk, Davis, Armstrong, and Jelly Roll Morton. It did a number on me. I sat in a club and listened to Art Blakey and the experience stayed fresh to this day. In the beginning, what got me going was an all instrumental record produced by Quincy Jones called "The Genius After Hours". It's a Ray Charles piano record. Really fine stuff. From there I started picking up more stuff. Thanks Quincy for opening that door.
Dear Quincy,
Thanks for citing Jaime Austria and Peter Weitzner, whom I met during "el sistema" meetings. I agree about our indigenous music. I made a documentary about a fascinating topic - Dvorak's promotion of African-American music, and I had the privilege of working with with some of the greatest international Dvorak scholars. The film is being screened at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's Dvorak Celebration; I really love that the music of Duke Ellington has a direct link to Dvorak through Dvorak's student, Will Marion Cook; Ellington will be represented at the CSO as well. Why aren't we learning this in our schools? And why did I get most of my funding in Europe? http://www
Thank You for a very thought provoking article. I don't think I like the idea of an 'Arts Czar' or Secretary.
The strength of our Artistic, Musical and cultural heritage is that we've never had one. We've never had a 'Paris Salon' telling us what is good, acceptable, & what is rubbish or drivel. Jazz, Blues, Rock-n-Roll, punk, Rap, Hip-Hop... All derided as drivel or 'just noise' when they 1st emerged. Each have found their footing as true valid expressions & forms, and that is what other countries love about us. We are ever-changing, and irreverent of 'Art Czars'. If there ever was a Secretary of the Arts, they should prob. just be an administrator to encourage/provide support for Arts Education. But as Deidroni just said, Imagine what the previous administrator would have done with that post.
The Cultural Revolution in China brainwashed a generation through manipulation of the Arts.
Still the Arts are crucial in education. As much for future business people as for future Artists. Even learning an appreciation for the arts teaches insidiously, to think outside the box. Something I see very lacking in the local schools here in China.
Thank you, Quincy. Our schools have been driven to the ground, focusing ad nauseum on a sterile curriculum of their interpretation of math, math and more math at the exclusion of everything else. I taught for four years, and any lesson that integrated music or art with the math or ELA curriculum was seen as highly unusual. The administrators and the new teachers did not understand the arts, as they did not have a background in them. The parents and students, however, were thrilled. Add to this the fact, as other posters have noted, that the arts are not the entertainment industry. I'll throw in the media -- there is no room on our 800 cable channels for any arts programming, except Ovation. PBS is not holding up to its mandate, as after 9/11, PBS and CPB caved into the administration and produced more "global" and political programming. When was the last time PBS presented a biography of a writer or an artist? Why do we have to be tied into movie stars and rock stars who are backed by corporate culture? The arts have been marginalized - Coltrane and Monk should be part of the air we beathe.
I appreciate and agree with what Mr. Jones is saying. I do question one of his statements: "For far too long, dating back to the emergence of Jazz and the Blues, our country has treated its only indigenous music as something unworthy of value because it was born on plantations and reared in jook joints."
American Indian music is also our country's indigenous music.
Wonderful article, Mr. Jones. 98% of educators will tell you arts are what get kids' brains going. Study after study show listening to music, learning to play a musical instrument develop portions of the human brain that other learning doesn't. Music, Art, Foreign Language, Humanities, Physical Education: are all intensively important to our children's brain and physical development.
Unfortunately, educators are currently dealing with the effects of No Child Left Behind. While it's essentially a good law with good intentions, there are so many inaccuracies, loopholes, and inconsistencies in it that it's yanking the focus off of LEARNING and onto: Passing the Test. As a teacher, I spend a vast majority of my time cramming little heads full of useless information they're never going to use and/or remember simply so some lawmaker can feel good about him/herself and look like they're "fixing" the schools. They're not. But they are doing a great job of creating individuals who can regurgitate information without actually being able to dissect, analyze, and THINK about it.
Arts education would change that. But there's just not a lot of time in public schools today for the arts when we're scared out of our minds kids aren't going to pass the reading, grammar, and math parts of the test. A Minister of Culture would need to tackle the current NCLB situation (and the lawmakers who still don't get what its issues are) and *then* deal with re-energizing nation-wide arts programs.
Has anyone noticed, hp doesn't even have an arts section? Entertainment does not cover all of the arts.
The reason we have seen a huge drop in arts ed in the past 8 years is more likely due to the desire to "dumb down" American children, especially the disadvantaged. The wealthier kids get the arts by paying for it as after school activities.
A creative person is one who is more in touch with his/her surroundings, who questions authority and challenges the status quo. They are the innovators. I believe there are some in power, especially the last admin, who are bent on controlling and in some cases destroying the lower and middle class. an intelligent and creative lower class scares the pants off the repuglicans. Who would fight their illegal wars?
That means lowering standards for the public schools and even creating an atmosphere where kids will not even finish school due to frustration and the inability to think and do for themselves ( coming up with creative solutions).
We must change this situation. We also need to train all teachers to integrate art and music into the standard curriculum and bridge the arts with math, science, geography, history etc.
Are we becoming a cultural vacuum? I am witnessing the detour around the arts first hand, as I have two young children floundering in the mundane world of the local school system. They have music class once a week, and it is pathetic. There is nothing in the cirriculum that stokes their creativity, nor their imagination. It is with great pride, when they're home, I let them, encourage them to engage. Unfortunately, that is not how it is in many households. Across America, kids are being held back by an educational system that has been driven by dynamics that, actually, have nothing to do with learning. Standard issue limitations are placed on these unknowing Guniea Pigs by people, whose job it is, to put into place the boundries that create the standards by which our children are taught. I have a deep affinity for jazz. It is the medium, by which, an artist can give his (her) own take, express their own interpretation. To flow and improvise with whatever is in a person's own constitution. And there are NO LIMITATIONS. That is the beauty of it. Try to take it to another level each time you play. And the gage by which they should judge themselves isn't volume, nor is it intensity. It is creativity. How clever was I today? What did I contribute that one of my colleagues could build on? There is no greater loss, in our society, than depriving our youth of the arts.
Thank you so much for writing this Mr Jones. It is imperative to restore art education and in my mind, it along with mandatory phys-ed should be reinstated in every curriculum. The reason the kids are testing poorly in the US and dropping out is because it's difficult to develop a passion for anything if all Johnny does all day is math and science and more and more testing, with no relief or outlet for creativity. Anyone who need convincing that art eduction is important.
QUICK! Pick one of the world's great civilizations. What immediately comes to mind? The arts.
Italy is revered for Michaelangelo's David. Ancient Egypt, Mayans, China, Europe, India and many others - the first image you have in your head is a work of art that could only come from that culture.
What ancient civilization makes you think, "Wow they sure had some great businessmen back then"?
Art ... and a big friggin' army.
Sorry cousin, but technology always comes to my mind first.
Left brain...yo
During his Presidential campaign, Barack Obama assembled a blue-ribbon committee on the Arts, led by George Stevens, Jr., and they, in turn, produced a detailed plan for restoring government support for and promotion of the Arts. The plan was the most comprehensive plan since the WPA Arts projects of the 1930s. It's definitely worth reading, and described in detail in a column I wrote in November (including links to the detailed paper).
Read it here:
http://www
Just because a subject is not taught at school doesn't mean that a child who is motivated to learn about it cannot do so. School is just the starting point for learning. It isn't the be all end all and it shouldn't be promoted as such. Children should be given tools to learn more and then motivated to go out into life and learn as much as they can about things they love.
No disrespect intended but your post is ludicrous. School is the foundation of learning on all subjects. School is where a childs basic foundation for learning is cultivated. To say it is not the be all end all sounds like something someone would say who doesn't want to do a thing. You took the premise of the argument for education to the "anti viewpoint". That's one of the reasons why we can't move forward in this country (and have moved backwards over the last 20 years). Someone always arguing against something that would make us better.
Research studies show that students that participate in music programs get better grades and score better on tests.
Yet, arts programs are being eliminated because they are not part of NCLB and budget cuts cannot support "frills".
This is the same logic that eliminates school librarians so that the money can be used for literacy programs.
Yes, the American Empire as the Roman empire also needs an educational system with some foundations in the arts and other areas, http://www
You must be logged in to comment. Log in or connect with
