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June 28, 2005

Editorial: Return of instrumental music is good for New Brunswick

An editorial in th Home News Tribune points to the good news for New Brunswick. After a 20 year absence instrumental music will start in September.

The reintroduction of instrumental music instruction in the New Brunswick school system is a step that can provide rewards for many students who will pass through city classrooms in the years to come.

The district hasn't offered such instruction in more than 20 years, but lessons will begin in September in instruments used in bands and orchestras - from the trumpet to the glockenspiel. And the administrators and educators hope that some of the hundreds of students who will take these lessons will end up in a broader arts program at the new high school expected to open in 2008.

Although no one has proved exactly how the study of music helps a child do well in academic subjects, there have been many objective studies that have shown that there is a correlation. Among other things, it seems clear that high school students who study music will do better on the SAT and similar standardized tests than will those who have not had music instruction. Other studies have shown that students exposed to music demonstrate improved ability to see the patterns in objects or numbers and improved facility with mathematics in general. Common sense also suggests that the broadening experience of both learning and playing music will cultivate skills, imagination and understanding in a young person.

New Brunswick children no less than others need an education with depth and breath, and music is an important part of that. Good for the school system for taking this step.

Home News Tribune | Return of instrumental music is good for New Brunswick

Posted by musicforall at 10:23 PM

June 24, 2005

Statewide Arts Education Census to Map Every New Jersey School

Study will document and expand access to arts education

The New Jersey State Council on the Arts has announced a dynamic initiative to document arts education in every school across New Jersey. Created in partnership with the NJ Department of Education, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey and spearheaded by the Music for All Foundation, the New Jersey Arts Education Census Project will create a 360-degree view of arts education in New Jersey schools.

According to David Miller, NJSCA executive director, “This pioneering initiative represents a partnership that can have a profound effect impact on increasing access to quality arts education for New Jersey pre-K through grade 12 students, and giving clarity on where to invest public and private resources so as to assure quality arts education for all New Jersey public school students. Technology will enable us to have a 3-dimenstional picture of arts education throughout the state, connecting the data with GIS mapping software. When completed, we will have created not only a model for New Jersey but for the country.”

The initiative encompasses five objectives that include implementing a statewide survey on the current status of arts education in New Jersey public primary and secondary schools, connecting the survey results with additional demographic information, creating a New Jersey Arts Education Research Center, developing a national model that will link data, and creating a process to annually update the data.“This is a groundbreaking partnership, harnessing the resources of two public agencies, a private foundation and two nonprofit arts organizations,” explained Jay Doolan, Director of the Office of Academic and Professional Standards for the Dept. of Ed. “The research will help guide resources and improve the services and programs that each of the partners provide.” In addition to the partners mentioned, the State Office of Information and Technology and Americans for the Arts will provide technical assistance and guidance.

Spearheaded by the Music for All Foundation (MFA), the research will quantify student enrollment in arts education programs for each school, establish spending patterns over time for arts education, providing a basis for analyses of growth and decline of enrollment and spending relative to other school programs. In addition, economic, demographic, census, school report card and growth forecasts will all be linked together to provide context regarding additional factors that impact access to arts education in a community. Robert Morrison, chairman of MFA, said, “Such research will have a number of benefits for policymakers and educators alike. It can monitor the distribution of financial resources and program impacts for general and special populations of students and provide guidance on how to insure equitable access to arts education for all students in all of our schools.”

The project will move through several phases. Research and development will take place in the winter of 2005. By spring the survey field test will be developed, with the actual survey to take place in late fall 2005. In the winter of 2006 the data processing and evaluation will completed for the mapping model and data integration to take place by spring 2006.

Once completed, the Census Project findings will be serve as the centerpiece of a New Jersey Arts Education Resource Center. The Resource Center will be created to serve as a central clearing house for statistics, research, policy, best practices, and tools for use by educators, administrators, policy makers, arts advocates and citizens alike.

For more information on the New Jersey Arts Education Census and Mapping Project please contact NJSCA Arts Education Coordinator Robin Middleman at 609-292-6130 or Robert Morrison at the Music for All Foundation at 908-542-9396.

The New Jersey State Council on the Arts is a division of the New Jersey Department of State. It receives funding through the Hotel/Motel Occupancy Fee as direct appropriations from the State of New Jersey and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. Since 1966, its volunteer board members and professional staff have worked to improve the quality of life in New Jersey for its people and communities by helping the arts to flourish. Further information regarding the State Council on the Arts is located on its web site www.njartscouncil.org. For more information on the arts in your community call 1-800-THE-ARTS, or visit www.jerseyarts.com

Posted by musicforall at 3:53 PM

Asbury Park Press Highlights Census Project

The New Jersey Arts Education Census Project crossed two major milestones this week: The completion of the field trial of the NJ Visual and Performing Arts Survey and the beginning of media coverage of the upcoming project with a front page story in the Asbury Park Press

ART FOR ART'S SAKE State to determine how well schools teach mandatory performance subjects (Published in the Asbury Park Press 05/23/05)

BY NICHOLAS CLUNNSTAFF WRITER

When high school sophomore Joe Farruggio picks up a No. 2 pencil next year to take the test he must pass to graduate, his answers will show how well the Jackson school district taught him to read, write and apply mathematics.

Full Story APP.COM - ART FOR ART'S SAKE

Posted by musicforall at 3:52 PM