The View from the Eye of the Perfect Storm
(The first in a three-part series)
by Robert B. Morrison
In a widely circulated March 2001 editorial titled THE PERFECT STORM, I wrote about the concern that the economic downturn, combined with new proposed federal education legislation (which would be signed in January 2002 as the No Child Left Behind Act), would lead to a series of cutbacks for music and arts education.
What was then just a prediction now has the perspective of history. Looking back, we now see what has actually happened and what is happening currently. Based on this review, we may make some new assumptions about the future for music and the arts in this country. These assumptions provide some guidance on how the arts community may forward the agenda of expanding access to music and the arts in education and our community, one of the cornerstones of our mission with the Music for All Foundation
Some Background:
For the past 15 years, the music and arts community has been engaged in the modern era of music and arts advocacy. Following the erosion of music and arts education programs during the 1980's arts education hit bottom in the summer of 1989. During the convening of the National Governors Association's “Education Summit” in Charlottesville, Virginia the “National Education Goals,” were released. This document listed core subjects for students. The arts were omitted as a core subject. They were omitted from the entire document. This marks the beginning of the modern era of music and arts education advocacy because it was following this meeting that the National Commission for Music Education was formed to fight back against this omission.
Not only arts education was at risk. The action by the Governors came on the heels of the debate regarding federal funding for the arts the work of individual artists. The debate over federal funding and the role of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) would continue to simmer until the 1994 mid-term elections and the “Contract with America,” which called for the outright elimination of that agency.
During this time period, advocacy for arts education and advocacy for the arts began to develop with a sense of urgency and well-designed strategies. In spite of the push to eliminate the NEA and the marginalization of arts education, important gains were made as a result of this advocacy movement.
Some highlights included:
Public Opinion - The general public has a greater understanding of the educational value of music and the arts in education (as documented by several Gallup surveys over the past decade). This has increased significantly over the past decade.
Research - A wave of new scientific research has helped document the various benefits that music and arts education provide our children as part of their intellectual development and academic performance.
More Money - Funding for non-profit arts organizations increased significantly through early 2000. The NEA was spared, and a slow, steady process of funding restoration has begun (although individual artist support has been eliminated). State Arts Council funding grew at a very robust rate.
National Standards for Arts Education - Advocacy efforts led to the creation of the National Standards for Arts Education (which will celebrate its 10th anniversary on March 11 2004). This document helped to explain what “students should know and be able to do in the arts.” This also put the arts on somewhat equal footing from a policy perspective with other core subjects which also developed standards.
Arts Named Core Subject – After the omission by the governors, the Goals 2000 Education Legislation identified the arts as a core subject and included the arts in the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
More Arts Education Programs Return to Schools - The growing economy, the National Standards and the inclusion of the arts as a core subject assisted the music and arts community in making gains with the reinstatement of music and arts education programs.
While the field was experiencing public support, the certainty of financial growth and policy gains remained a lingering question. Were we just the beneficiaries of “good times?” Was our support a mile wide but only an inch deep? What would happen when the economy went south?
With the activities of the past three years now on the books, the budget cuts, program reductions and eliminations, and politicians known to be arts supporters cutting funding and programs… how did we do?
We now know.
The Report Card is now in.
When it comes to changing the policy culture that ultimately controls the fate of music, the arts, and arts education:
We have failed.
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Have a comment? Email me at: bob@music-for-all.org .
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