Watching the Headlines!

What do Profit Slumps, Layoffs, and Consumer Spending Have to Do with Music Education?

Are you watching the headlines? Over the last several months the looming threat of a recession and the stream of negative business news has continued unabated announcing sales slumps, profit collapse and massive layoffs (Daimler Chrysler-26,000; Lucent Tech Inc.-16,000; J.C.Penney-5,300; Xerox-4,000; Gateway-3,000; AOL/ TimeWarner-2,000; Amazon.com-1,700. Headline: "Layoffs Fan Slowdown Fears."

Home Depot reported the largest first quarter decline in 15 years. Individual and corporate leaders are scrambling frantically, ordering cutbacks and shutdowns in addition to major layoffs. Of course these cutbacks, slowdowns and shutdowns are pitched as efficiency measures that improve productivity. Headline: "Consumer Spending Down!"

It might surprise you to know that 80% of goods move by truck in the U.S. Tonnage moved by trucks is dropping steadily. The issue was addressed recently in the New York Times: "Seeing Hardship through the Windshield: Truck Drivers feel a recession Coming Mile after Weary Mile." Greenspan says we are in a downturn, not a recession yet we just saw the headline "Feds Lower Interest Rate." Headline last week: "Time to Start Using the "R" Word." (That’s recession!)

By mid-March, the stock market was in a free-fall and analysts are not sure if it hit bottom. Steep sell-offs, sparked by more bad earnings news and fear of a global recession (Japan’s economy, the second largest in the world, is in a state of deflation), have pushed the Dow Jones Industrials below 10,000 for the first time in 27 months and sank the NASDAQ composite index under 2,000 for the first time since October 2000. When these drops fail to demonstrate that the markets have "hit bottom," investor confidence on Wall Street teeters precariously. Against these slumping world-wide economic conditions, OPEC is looking at a reduction in crude oil production that will result in an increase in retail prices at the pump. Consumer confidence is taking a beating in every market.

In California (as at the federal level) we presently enjoy a budget surplus. Unfortunately, we are also experiencing a power shortage that seems to be resolved for the short term but threatens to return during the hot summer months. Read the headlines: "Temecula Schools Face $5 M Shortfall;" "Beverly Hills Cuts 2 of 4 K-8 Music Teachers." "Amador School Board Recommends cutting 2.5 of 4 full-time music positions."

What does all this mean for Music Education? Corporate business losses mean lower tax revenues. Consumers fearing layoffs or "belt-tightening" are less likely to spend money at the mall, on the annual family vacation, or "Big Ticket" items. That translates to anticipated state revenues lower than projected which translates to fewer tax dollars funding state programs. When it comes to maintaining class size reduction or a music program, what do you think your school district will entertain as possible programs to curtail or eliminate?

Why does every school district need to organize a Coalition? Because educational reform with its "Back to Basics" mentality and emphasis on test scores is here to stay whether we like it or not. Don’t ignore the warning signs thinking your school board would never cut your district music program. Remember, the driving force in politics (and whether or not we want to admit it, we are dealing with politics) is not money and privilege, but POWER. Power comes from the constituents, those members of a community and school or legislative district who hold the power of the vote! The more students involved in your program the more power your have…power comes from the parents of those students. You must have an advocacy agenda and a parent/community coalition to promote that agenda.

Coalition building must be conceived as proactive not reactive. If you are forming a coalition to save a music program currently under fire you may not be effective. Many high school music teachers think they don’t need a coalition because they have band or choral parent booster clubs. This is far from reality. The purpose of parent clubs is generally fund raising for instruments, uniforms and trips, and equipment and scholarships. These groups don’t have adequate time to promote the benefits of music education, it is not part of their job description and furthermore, they do not have the professional resources/education to launch such a campaign. Furthermore, they also only represent one small segment of the district K-12 music program.

What is a Coalition all about?

1. educating parents, administrators, school boards, community and business leaders about the importance of a music education for every child in the district’s K-12 curriculum;

1. maintaining a healthy and balanced district music program with a strong philosophical foundation which provides a substantive and sequential education in music learning.

Analyze your Situation

Your school district could be in one of three situations: (1) crisis (reactive); (2) correction (proactive); and (3) commitment (preemptive). You never want to be in "crisis" mode. The objective in this mode is survival of the program as it is about to be cut or eliminated and teachers are receiving pink slips. In the crisis mode you are "reactive" meaning there is no time to organize for the long term as you try to stop the financial avalanche and buy time. The "correction" mode is between crisis and commitment and its objective is alliance building. At this level you are "proactive" meaning you are monitoring school board and individual school site-based management agendas, budget, and district/individual school site reform agendas. You are developing a "case" for music education, meeting regularly with school decision makers, becoming a "permanent policy participant," and building informed and educated decision-making in the community into the educational debate. In the "commitment" mode your objective is a permanent policy presence and your efforts are "preemptive." Your music programs/curricula are well established but need continuous support and enhancement. You recruit new supporters, continue to organize advocacy efforts, and build security for your program. You must NEVER become complacent at this level!

You must carefully and truthfully analyze the music program in your school district. Does the music program have a philosophy/mission statement? Is it in alignment with the district philosophy? Does your district have a balanced, substantive and sequential K-12 music curriculum? That means do you have an elementary general music program that prepares students for participation in elective performance ensembles, technology programs, and non-performance classes? Do you provide students with the opportunity to experience all facets of performance in a music program from show choir, large choral ensembles, musicals, select choral groups, marching band, concert band, jazz band, chamber ensembles, wind ensembles, string orchestra, chamber orchestra, full orchestra, chamber ensembles. What music courses do you offer at the middle school level in the "wheel?" Do you offer music history, music theory, and AP classes at the high school level? Is your district music curriculum IN PRINT and has it been recognized/adopted by the school board?

The Role of the Music Teacher in Advocacy

The music teacher must provide the impetus for developing a coalition but once one is established should serve only as an advisor. Responsibilities in that capacity include:

• informing the coalition board of recent developments in education at the local, state, or national level which may potentially have positive or negative effects on the music program;
• maintaining a current bibliography of pertinent documents and books from MENC and the National Coalition for Music Education for use by the coalition in their advocacy efforts;
• educating members as to what constitutes a substantive and sequential K-12 Music program;
• developing and promoting awareness of The National Standards for Arts Education, the CA State Framework for the Visual and Performing Arts, and the new state standards for the arts;
• informing coalition members of current research supporting music education.

Immediate Advocacy efforts you can undertake after reading this article

Take a PROACTIVE STANCE in support of your district music programs:

• Inform your district administrators of the newly adopted State Standards for the Visual and Performing Arts (pre-publication download from www.cde.ca.gov).
• Review, revise your district music curriculum to be in alignment with the new standards.
• Organize a district music coalition in support of music education for all students, K-12.
• Access the MENC website (www.menc.org) for Advocacy Kits and information ("Kids and parents")
• Access the CMEA website for information about and assistance from the California Coalition for Music Education (www.calmusiced.com)