Delaware Teacher of the Year Emphasizes the Arts
Another music educator has been named teacher of the year. This year it is Mark Teesdale, a general music and choral teacher. It is wonderful to see arts educators recognized by their peers for the great work they, and you, do every day.
Testing and Gas Prices and Wall Street…Oh My!
Eight years ago, I wrote an article called "The Perfect Storm" about the impact of the dot.com collapse in the stock market and the pending implementation of NCLB. Five years ago, I revisited this article with the second installment, entitled "The View from the Eye of the Perfect Storm," where I further delved into the […]
Associated Press to Repost Corrected Story on Candidates Positions
If you have been following our little dust-up over the reporting of the Presidential Candidates positions sent out last week by the Associated Press you know that we requested a clarification regarding a statement attributed to the Obama campaign calling music and art "non-core subjects." We made this request out of concern that either the […]
Montana Senator Conducts All-State Band
The folks out in Montana really know how to do it! On Friday evening, the Montana All-State Band was under the baton of U.S. Senator Jon Tester. That's right. A sitting U.S. Senator was conducting the band… and enjoying it! Tester rehearsed with the band hours before a performance at the Montana High School Association […]
NYC Schools in “Art Failure”
I love the creativity of the New York Post Headline writers! The headline addresses the annual arts education report released by the NYC Department of Education. According to the Post: Just 8 percent of city elementary schools met state requirements for arts instruction in the 2007-08 school year, according to a new report. And that […]
Where the Candidates Stand – Music and Art as “Core” Subjects
With the U.S. Presidential campaign just 3 weeks from today I thought it would be good to post some of what has been reported regarding the candidates positions on two key issues of concern to me… education and the arts. The AP reported yesterday the highlights of each candidate based on the key topics the […]
Finding Their Groove
Two years ago, HBO aired the first part of a three part series called The Music in Me. The idea was as elegant as it was simple: kids send in videos explaining why music was important to them and then show so of the music within them. The result? A peabody Award winning series for […]
Canadian Prime Minister Pledges Tax Credits for Arts Training
The US isn't the only Country holding an election. There happens to be one to the north of us. Interestingly, when we compare how the arts are fairing when comparing the two nations campaigns… so far Canada is winning 1-0. That deafening sound you hear in the US is the complete LACK of public discussion […]
What do they know that we don’t know?
China is expanding music and art education for ALL children! Very exciting! Very enlightened! Which leads me to ask the question…. at a time when the US is reducing or eliminating music and arts instruction for many of our students and focusing on testing, testing, testing …. what does China know that our education leaders […]
September 11th – What I Wrote Then
On September 11, 2001, I was at my desk in Manhattan tending to the start of the day. Would would transpire over the next 19 hours is something I will never forget. At the time, I sat down and wrote about what had happened on the day as I experieenced it. I shared it with […]
