Music Education versus Education Reformers: A Battle for the Ages

Another, all too common, headline: APS cuts 18 music and arts teachers

After reading numerous articles on the proposed elimination of music programs in the Atlanta Public Schools, I have been thinking a great deal about music advocacy. I discovered a thoughtful and compelling discussion from two of the leading music education philosophers of our time. From their blog, MusicMatters2, Eliott and Silverman, clearly articulate the conflict between music education and education reformers.

Because music education has no immediate, short-term, hard-currency profits or products that narrowly educated business people and policymakers can measure—music is often eliminated to make room in the curriculum for math and literacy test prep that’s not “educational,” because standardized test scores are neither valid nor reliable indicators of deep mathematical and literary understanding. Or anything else.

I find this paragraph particularly compelling for me. Music making is a lifetime investment; you cannot learn to make music through a gimmick or a quick-fix formula. Learning only occurs through thoughtful and committed learning over a lifetime of study. Making music is a uniquely human need; all known human cultures have some form of music making. Music making is communal and helps to serve a greater good; look no further than the passionate fans of a music group that fill stadiums across the globe. Music helps us to truly feel. Why else is music such an important part of a movie? Do we sense the same level of pending danger in Jaws without that famous, two-note motif?  Why do people, in a time of crisis, gather and often begin to sing? Could it be because of the sense of community and belief in something greater than ourselves that music helps us to feel? Music is central to the human experience. The importance of  including music in the curriculum of our schools should not be justified by the impact on testing or test scores, which data show are spurious indicators. The funding that is annually spent on testing could fund almost limitless music programs, as well as, countless other meaningful and beneficial programs for our children.

Well-educated, experienced, and ethical teachers, says Diane Ravitch, “seek development, not accountability. What matters most cannot be measured.”

This statement may be one of the most concise and cogent statements on why I am teacher--"What matters most cannot be measured."-- and what I strive for on a daily basis in my classroom. I think my repulsion for the unrelenting amount of testing we are forced to embrace as a modern educator emanates from this statement. The development and growth of my students, which cannot truly be measured, is the focus of my daily efforts as an educator.

Nelson puts it this way: “Measure the wrong things and you’ll get the wrong behaviors. This simple statement succinctly characterizes why the American education system continues beating its head against the wall.”

Some would argue that we must play the game and we must show how what we do helps to fuel the ill-fated pursuit of test scores. Join band...get higher test scores. While some findings support the correlation between musical study and cognitive development, a direct causation has not been found. When we use these arguments--which I have been guilty of using--we fuel the testing game and deny our true meaning as educators.

As music educators know, the irreparable harm of “reform” includes a national assault on arts education that’s resulted in the elimination of countless excellent school music programs and expert and dedicated music educators. 

Having been faced with the prospect of a job loss through these ill-conceived cuts, the decision-makers in these situations are often poorly informed and myopic in their approach. The needs of the student are often overlooked. First and foremost, we must advocate for the students. The responsibility for this information falls upon us. We, too, cannot wait until cuts are announced to begin the discussion on why music matters; by that time, it is often too late.

Therefore, as well as advocating for the intrinsic values of music making and listening of all kinds, it’s equally important that music educators join the ranks of thoughtful scholars, teachers, and parents who are resisting reform efforts, boycotting testing, and fighting for holistic curricula.

While a testing boycott places most of our jobs in peril, a thoughtful discussion and debate on the value of music and the lack of correlation to any form of testing is central to reshaping this conflict. We must be the agents of information that begin this discussion.

Music will become a central component in every child’s education if and only if public stakeholders push back hard against undemocratic corporations, politicians, and policies. 

Rallying the community and becoming thoughtful music advocates are central to the movement for changing this current educational landscape. While sharing articles on Facebook and Twitter, and writing blogs (like this one) help to inform us of the need for change. The real change happens on a daily basis in how we teach, the impact we make on our students' lives and how we connect with decision-makers. It is not enough to simply teach our students. We must teach all of the people around us about what we do, how we do it and why it is important. Waiting to fight a fire after it is out of control is a losing proposition. We must be proactive in our approach. Just as Smokey the Bear says, "Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires!" Only you can be the same proactive advocate for music.

I firmly believe that there are no easy answers to difficult problems, but doing nothing is no longer an option. This is a problem that has far reaching effects for our students and one we have, unfortunately, been fighting for many years. Progress starts with a sense of purpose. At some point, the line-in-the-sand must be drawn. For me, that point in time is now. 


Here is the complete blog entry, http://www.musicmatters2.com/2015/05/educational-reform-measures-the-wrong-things/