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VH1 Save The Music News!02/01 Contents: State Of The State Addresses Shows Storm Clouds On The Horizon For Education Funding Court Upholds Teachers Right To Advocate For His Music Program B & O: Band And Orchestra Product News February Issue Features Chicago’s Swift Elementary School Band; A Program Started By The VH1 Save The Music Foundation And AT&T Broadband Studies Show Health Benefits After Participating In Group Drumming The US Department Of Education Announces The Second 2001 Field-Initiated Studies Research Grant (FIS) Competition State Of The State Addresses Shows Storm Clouds On The Horizon For Education Funding Several states are reporting budget shortfalls for the upcoming fiscal 2002 budget leading to developing concern about potential education funding cuts. Both Alabama and South Carolina are forecasting budget deficits that, by law, must be closed. Local education agencies in these states have been sent initial warnings of these revenue shortfalls so that they may prepare for potential cuts. Music Education Advocates across the country are urged to review state education funding and to be on the look out for state budget deficits. These are leading indicators for a new round of potential music program cuts. Proactive advocacy efforts now can hold off potential music program cuts. Advocacy tools are available at: Source: Education Week Court Upholds Teachers Right To Advocate For His Music Program After informing parents and students that cuts to their school music program (Charles City, Iowa) was being contemplated, during his acceptance speech for a recent honor, high school choir teacher Larry Michehl received a letter of reprimand in his personnel file citing him for "insubordination" and "lack of cooperation." Mr. Michehl challenged the letter in arbitration and won. Fortunately, an arbitrator, Michael Goodman found that it was "arrogant" to reprimand a music teacher for speaking out against budget cuts and called the reprimand "a mindless and shameful exercise of arbitrary power designed to…chill good-faith comments by teachers." The school board is now asking a court to rule that it was within its rights to scold the teacher. As the music community gears up for Music In Our Schools Month, continuing efforts around the country to inform communities about the benefits of music education, it is important to identify the most effective forums for advocacy. Everyone must be cognoscente of the audience, to which they are speaking, choosing appropriate methods to relay our messages of advocacy to communities throughout the nation. When exploring options for your ongoing advocacy efforts. Log on to www.vh1savethemusic.com and other links from this site as you choose methods to advocate for music education in your community. Strong messages to school board members from parents of music program participants and business leaders are an effective, alternate method to address the proposed cuts. Source: Education Week B & O: Band And Orchestra Product News February Issue Due to the perserverance and dedication of a young innovative music educator, the students at Swift Elementary School in Chicago Illinois were ready to perform for a crowd of excited parents, teachers and peers in just four months after their school band was started. This concert was possible as a result of the grant of new band instruments from the VH1 Save The Music Foundation and their local cable affiliate AT&T Broadband, as well as the support of the school’s principal and central administration. The student’s and communities’ enthusiasm for the new band program was so impressive that Dawn Schloesser, editor of B&O news magazine, chose to feature band director, William Henry, principal Emil DeJulio and Swift’s band students in the magazine’s February issue. The article is one of many features in this month’s pre-Music In Our Schools Month issue, which focuses on examples of exceptional support for music education. The Swift Elementary School received a grant of new musical instruments from the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, in fall 2000, because of Principal DeJulio’s commitment to provide a qualified music educator to instruct the program as a part of the school’s core curriculum. "I find that music and the arts are extremely important, as much as computer technology, reading and writing." Dr. DeJulio also saw the exceptional talent in William Henry as a music educator! Source: Band and Orchestra Product News, Vol. 4, No. 2, February 2001 or online at http://www.bandandorchestra.com Studies Show Health Benefits After Participating In Group Drumming Barry Bittman, M.D., CEO and medical director of the Meadville Medical Center's Mind-Body Wellness Center in Pennsylvania, has recently conducted research which took the first steps toward providing scientific evidence that group drumming as a de-stressing effect on the immune system. Conclusions of the study indicate that, after participating in group drumming, blood measurements on more than 50 subjects showed a significant increase in chemicals related to immunity and to decreasing stress. Music therapist Barry Bernstein, who founded of Healthy Sounds in Overland Park, Kansas, to spread the percussion-health message, has a theory on why drumming might work. "There's something about the vibration. It's tricky, because I don't speak from a highly scientific background on this. But the vibration organizes the water in our bodies. Part of it is, I think, the water in our bodies is getting organized at the cellular level." Dr. Bittman’s tangible scientific findings are available in the latest issue of Alternative Therapies, along with another piece of research dealing with the therapeutic effect of sound. This one, conducted with 15 subjects at the Clinique Psyche in Montreal, sought to find whether binaural beat tapes could ease mild anxiety. These tapes produce two sounds at a time -- one in each ear -- which are similar. Some research suggests these binaural beats induce changes in brain electrical activity, which correspond with relaxation. Source: Alternative Therapies The US Department Of Education Announces Arts Education Grants Available The US Department of Education (ED) has recently announced the second FY 2001 Field-Initiated Studies Research Grant (FIS) competition. Through this competition, ED's Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) awards grants to conduct education research in which topics and methods of study are generated by investigators from the field. Arts education research proposals that focus on issues that span the themes of OERI's five National Research Institutes may be considered. The FIS grant application package may be downloaded from the Department of Education web page at: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/FIS You can also find information about the results of the first FY 2001 when the awards are announced. Print copies of the FIS application package including the Federal Register notice may be requested from ED Pubs by calling (toll free) 1-877-576-7734 or may be ordered online from the ED Pubs web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html Reference CFDA # 84.305T. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 3, 2001 This competition is soliciting applications for innovative research grants that address the funding criteria. The FIS program does not award grants for program development or operations. Source: US Department of Education http://www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/FIS The VH1 Save The Music initiative is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of education in America's public schools by restoring and supporting music programs in cities across the country, and by raising public awareness about the importance of music participation for our Nation's youth. Visit our Website at http://vh1.com/insidevh1/savethemus |
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