In This Issue:
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BOARD MEMBERS ASK DEASY TO EXPLAIN HIMSELF + DEFIANT DEASY SAYS HE’LL PUSH TARGETED SPENDING PLAN ANYWAY |
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LAUSD STUDYING NEW CURRICULUM PLANS |
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EVERYTHING I NEED TO KNOW, I LEARNED IN MUSIC CLASS |
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THE SOFT SCIENCES MATTER AS MUCH AS EVER |
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HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest (but
not necessarily the best) of the Stories from Other Sources |
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EVENTS: Coming up next week... |
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What can YOU do? |
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Featured Links:
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Much has been written elsewhere – and cited below –
about Tuesday’s afternoon, evening and night marathon Board of Ed
meeting. Nine hours and nineteen minutes and twenty-six seconds packed
into nine hours and nineteen minutes and twenty-six seconds of nonstop
time.
A $6.2 billion LAUSD budget for school year 2013-14 was approved without
real debate or discussion …almost on the consent calendar. Theologian
Jim Wallis wrote that “A Budget is a Moral Document.” CNN pundit Paul
Begala expanded that to “The budget is a profoundly moral document; for
where your treasure is, there will your heart be.”
LAUSD’s 2013-14Budget falls well short of those expectations. With a thud.
THE CONTRACT FOR THE FIRST $30 MILLION for the eventual/inevitable $500+
million Common Core Technology Plan (a/k/a ‘Tablets4All’) was awarded
to Apple for iPads (Surprise! Surprise!! – now we can call it
‘iPads4All’!) . Dr. Aquino said at the CCTP pre-RFP briefing-for bidders
in March that “the primary focus of the initiative is on content and
instruction. The devices are merely the ‘tools’ to carry out the
District’s goals”. http://bit.ly/1a0CIQZ”
Yet no mention or disclosure has been made about who the
software/instructional content provider will be …or what content would
be provided.
(Shhhh: It is the giant international media group Pearson:
●“We publish across the curriculum under a range of respected imprints
including Scott Foresman, Prentice Hall, Addison-Wesley, Allyn and
Bacon, Benjamin Cummings and Longman.”
●“We are also a leading provider of electronic learning programmes and
of test development, processing and scoring services to educational
institutions, corporations and professional bodies around the world.”)
An Apple Press release gives a little detail –[see link following] but I
am hearing that the applications are not yet integrated onto the
platform and none of it is ready for prime time [“…the Pearson software
isn’t even ½ baked…”] – and it is doubtful that they will be by August.
And there will be challenges about the evenhandedness of the RFP process.
LET’S BE REAL HERE – AND LET ME BE EDITORIAL: This initial pilot of
30,000 tablets and content and support is for $30 million. The Bond
Oversight Committee voted more than that on Wednesday to replace folding
tables throughout the District that pose a safety hazard to kids; there
were no headlines about that. The full Common Core Technology Plan
implementation to place tablets, content and support into the
hands+backpacks of every student and teacher and support staff member
will be in excess of half-a-billion dollars. And though the Board of Ed
seems ready to approve the next phases on autopilot – the Bond Oversight
Committee is not.
4LAKIDS doesn’t normally borrow from other sources for large portions of
the opening essay/rant/tirade/Sunday sermon – but the AALA Update [http://bit.ly/14ofwGs]
did a great yet nuanced job of describing the resolutions piece from
the endless board meeting – so I’m quoting verbatim. Plus, it’s
professional courtesy – they quoted 4LAKids this week!
“BOARD MEMBER STEVE ZIMMER’S RESOLUTION regarding the Parent Empowerment
Act, more commonly known as the PARENT TRIGGER LAW, was approved late
Tuesday evening after contentious discussion. Mr. Zimmer’s proposal was a
thoughtful, omnibus resolution that recommended some fixes to make both
the law and the regulations issued by the State Board of Education more
transparent with regard to transforming a school. It also asked that
the District prepare a policy bulletin to specify guidelines and
operational procedures for school-site personnel to use when involved in
the parent trigger process (something for which AALA has repeatedly
asked), independently verify signatures on the petitions and also
provide accurate facts to parents about the academic achievement and
support that a targeted school is receiving. At some point in the
afternoon, public discussion on the resolution was held. Some of it was
acrimonious as parents spoke of some inappropriate behavior on the part
of
representatives of Parent Revolution, both at the Board meeting and at
their respective schools, while a Parent Revolution speaker said that
his staffers were intimidated by school personnel.
“In an apparent move to end the discussion, Superintendent John Deasy
suggested just ending the law rather than fixing it as the resolution
proposed. President Mónica García and Member Tamar Galatzan jumped on
that and moved and seconded that the resolution be amended to include a
recommendation that the District use its resources to get the law
repealed (now called the Deasy Amendment by the media). Maybe everyone
was tired or confused, hungry and bored, delusional, in a hurry to
leave—we just are not sure, but the resolution was adopted with the
amendment to get the law repealed. It didn’t take long for the majority
of Board Members to realize that they had just been the victims of an
end run. They had voted to end parent empowerment, eliminate parents
from the school improvement process and, by doing so, potentially end
their own personal political careers. So, even later in the evening,
around 9:30 p.m., the same Board Members, with the exception of Ms.
Garcia and Ms.
Galatzan, voted to reconsider the motion they had already passed; then
voted to pass Mr. Zimmer’s motion in its original format which
eliminated the Deasy Amendment and called for the Superintendent and the
Office of Government Relations staff to seek changes to the law that
will “better serve all parents and legal guardians in the transformation
process.” While repealing what is clearly a poorly written law may not
be a bad idea, we are not sure why the usually politically savvy Dr.
Deasy made such an extreme recommendation, which will probably be
interpreted as an attack on parents.
“THE SECOND RESOLUTION TO RECEIVE APPROVAL was related to specific
budgetary actions that the Board is directing Dr. Deasy to implement.
The resolution was amended to include classified positions, adult and
early education growth and arts instruction. The resolution directs the
Superintendent to:
1. Examine the feasibility of class size reduction in 2014-15.
2. Design a three-year strategy to return other school-site certificated
positions, e.g., counselors and librarians, to 2007-2008 levels.
3. Design a three-year strategy to return classified positions and hours per position to 2007-08 levels.
4. Add a psychiatric social worker to each school site.
5. Design a three-year strategy to increase enrollment in adult and early education.
6. Design a three-year strategy to increase funding for arts education and integrated arts instruction.
7. Design a three-year strategy to return school-site administrative levels to the 2007-08 levels.
8. Design a three-year strategy to implement competitive wages for District employees whose pay rates have been cut.
9. Design a three-year strategy to implement an extended school year or
provide for the restoration of a full summer intervention and enrichment
program.’
smf: Dr. Deasy’s provocative suggestion that the Parent Trigger be
repealed was a piece of wonderful political theater – and incidentally:
The best idea he’s had in years. The Parent Trigger is bad law / badly
regulated / Too Broke to Fix single interest legislation created to
promote Parent Revolution and Ben Austin. It doesn’t empower parents, it
empowers P-Rev and Ben.
IT WAS THE SECOND RESOLUTION that prompted the first of two of Supt.
Deasy’s ‘he-thought-it-was-off-the-record’ remarks that have him in deep
hot water. Deasy said the resolution is: “A directive to hire every
human being on the West Coast.”
Off the cuff. Glib. Sarcastic. Been there, done that. Shoulda known better.
His other remark – that he will implement Boardmember Galatzan’s
Resolution about LCFF spending even though it did NOT get board
approval: “The Board voted down the directive [but] they can’t stop me
from doing it - we’re doing it anyway” places him somewhere between
Willful Defiance and Insubordination – and prompted an angry “Explain
yourself!” letter from at least one – and possibly two or three
boardmembers. (If it was from all four boardmembers
most-probably-offended they will have to borrow a ‘Get Out of Brown Act
Jail Free’ card – and board president Garcia may have exhausted LAUSD’s
supply) See following article.
Deasy’s remarks seem in-character; he saying them aloud -- and
on-the-record is out of character. Tired, confused, hungry, bored, and
delusional? …In a hurry to leave? …or maybe all six?
July 1 starts a whole new school year. July 2nd marks a whole different school board.
¡Onward/Adelante! - smf
BOARD MEMBERS ASK DEASY TO EXPLAIN HIMSELF + DEFIANT
DEASY SAYS HE’LL PUSH TARGETED SPENDING PLAN ANYWAY
►BOARD MEMBERS ASK DEASY TO EXPLAIN HIMSELF
by Hillel Aron, LA School Report | http://bit.ly/12a6hLf
Posted on June 21, 2013 :: Some members of the School Board have sent
Superintendent John Deasy a letter asking him to clarify comments
deriding a Board-passed spending resolution and indicating his plans to
include a targeted funding resolution that was not passed by the Board.
“They can’t stop me from doing it,” Deasy said in comments made to LA School Report earlier this week.
Sarah Bradshaw, the chief of staff to Board member Bennett Kayser, told
LA School Report she was “surprised” to read the comments, which she
called “distressing.”
Kayser and Deasy are on opposite sides of nearly every issue, and
animosity has existed between Deasy and Kayser’s staff for some time.
“We asked for confirmation on whether he stands by the quotation,” said
Bradshaw, who declined to share the actual letter itself. ”This was
never meant to be more than just a letter to the Superintendent. There’s
not a desire to make this into more than it is. We just want to find
out how much of that he really means.”
Deasy declined to comment on the letter or his response.
►DEFIANT DEASY SAYS HE’LL PUSH TARGETED SPENDING PLAN ANYWAY
by Hillel Aron, LA School Report | http://bit.ly/10F5ljy
Posted on June 20, 2013 by Hillel Aron :: During Tuesday’s seemingly
endless meeting, the LAUSD School Board postponed Board member Tamar
Galatzan’s resolution to have new State education funds flow to schools
with large numbers of low-income and English language learning students
and approved Board member Bennett Kayser’s resolution calling for the
district to hire more staff across the board.
The votes seemed like a loss for LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy, who
had floated the idea of having new funding flow where it was needed most
(along the lines of the Galatzan resolution) and had opposed the idea
of hiring more staff.
But on Wednesday a defiant Deasy told LA School Report that his plan for
future spending will include the spirit of Galatzan’s resolution
anyway:
“The Board voted down the directive to have me come and do it,” said
Deasy, referring to Galatzan’s local spending resolution. “[But] they
can’t stop me from doing it; we’re doing it anyway. If they had voted to
prevent me from doing it… well they didn’t think of that.”
The Superintendent explained that the future spending plan the Board
ordered him to produce will comply with the Board-passed Kayser
resolution regarding staffing (or as Deasy derisively called it, a
“directive to hire every human being on the West Coast”) but will also
include some form of the local spending plan he and Galaztan have been
advocating.
LAUSD STUDYING NEW CURRICULUM PLANS
By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer, LA Daily News | http://bit.ly/133yR43
6/20/2013 06:03:21 PM PDT :: Los Angeles Unified's incoming freshmen
class will be the first that will have to pass a rigorous college-prep
curriculum with a "C" in order to get a diploma, which has district
officials scrambling to identify and replicate successful programs that
can get and keep students on track to graduation, Superintendent John
Deasy said Thursday.
Speaking at a downtown forum on progress in implementing the so-called
A-G curriculum for all students, Deasy said administrators and teachers
are working this summer to analyze test scores and other data for the
members of the Class of 2017 and ensure that students are scheduled into
college-prep courses.
At the same time, district leaders are homing in on schools that have
promising A-G completion records in the hope of creating a set of "best
practices" they can implement at other campuses.
"When we're focused, we know how to get results and now we need to figure how to bring those results to scale," he said.
The challenge facing LAUSD was showcased in a report compiled by
researcher Marisa Saunders from UCLA's Institute for Democracy,
Education and Access. Using data provided by the district, she found
that just 19 percent of the Class of the 2011 graduated with a "C" in
the A-G curriculum, the requirement for admission to California's public
universities.
Latinos and African-American students had even lower completion rates --
17 and 14 percent, respectively -- and had a tougher time getting back
on track if they faltered during their first years in high school.
The 2011 data used for the study is the most recent available. Since
then, the school board has made A-G a requirement for graduation.
Students who just completed their freshman year can pass the courses
with a "D," while incoming freshmen have to earn a "C" to get credit.
To create a system with the necessary programs to support A-G and the
new Common Core curriculum, Deasy said he'll recommend giving principals
and school-site councils the authority to decide how to spend the tens
of millions of extra dollars expected as the state funnels more money to
districts with needy students.
"The maximum resources should go to schools, along with decision-making
authority. We need to trust teachers and principals to know what's best
for their communities and schools," he said.
"Higher autonomy means higher accountability."
Board member Steve Zimmer, another panelist, took a broader view of A-G,
defining it as a civil rights issue that is key to preparing students
for a successful life after high school.
To provide a safety net for students, he called for boosting the number
of school counselors and social workers, along with school-based health
clinics and parent centers to provide "wraparound support" for
disadvantaged kids.
"We're at a crossroads of whether this is going to work," Zimmer said.
"This has to be reciprocal and collaborative. The entire school
community has to come together around our youths and say they believe in
their potential, in their dreams, in their skills and their abilities.
And this is how we get there together."
EVERYTHING I NEED TO KNOW, I LEARNED IN MUSIC CLASS
AS THE TORONTO DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD VOTES ON MAJOR
CUTS TO MUSIC EDUCATION, THE STAR RECONNECTS THREE SUCCESSFUL MUSICIANS
TO THEIR INSTRUCTORS TO TALK ABOUT MUSIC'S IMPACT: The Star talks to
musicians and their teachers, as the Toronto District School Board
tables a plan to cut its music instructors.
By: Paul Hunter Feature reporter, The Toronto Star | http://bit.ly/10qjK3e
Sat Jun 15 2013 :: Troy Sexton provides the soundtrack to his own
life, a constant rhythm of beats that not only define him, they saved
him.
Sexton — who spent almost a decade touring the world with Stomp, the
percussive stage show — is an inked-up, energized example of how music
can rescue a young student.
Struggling at Humber Valley Village Junior Middle School because of
dyslexia, Sexton was introduced to drums by teacher Les Dobbin in Grade
6.
Boom. Or make that boom-boom. Sexton’s confidence exploded. School was no longer a daily, confusing stress test.
“In very many ways, (music) kept me going to school,” a 29-year-old
Sexton recalls now. “It kept me interested in school and excited. Once I
started to learn the language of music almost every other class I did
related back to that language and I could think of ways to relate music
to all of my other classes. I’d start reading music books and writing
book reports on books about artists or musicians that I liked.”
Sexton says his enthusiasm spilled into all his subjects.
It’s an opportunity he fears that, if proposed cuts to music education
by the Toronto District School Board are approved, some kids might miss.
In an effort to shave about $2 million from its $27-million budget
shortfall, the board has tabled a plan to axe all 24 of its itinerant
music instructors in staff development. Their job is to go from school
to school, working with students in kindergarten through Grade 6, while
also training teachers over a two-year period to instruct in recorder,
vocal and Orff instruments.
It would also chop the classroom time of another 83 itinerants in the
enrichment programs who instruct strings, band and steel pan for the
older elementary grades.
School trustees are expected to vote on the proposed cuts on Wednesday.
The opportunity to make a case for music education recently brought
Sexton to John G. Althouse Middle School — Dobbin’s stomping grounds
now.
The Star connected three students who went on to make a life on the
stage with an influential teacher from their school days. Each reunion
became a mini-summit on the power of music.
That sextet, combined with voices from the local arts community,
passionately argue that music shouldn’t be dismissed as a frill to be
chopped when times are tough but instead should be broadened because of
all the benefits it provides.
“Look at the decision making when one goes to play an instrument,” says
Dobbin, noting that, at his school, everyone plays one. “All the things
that happen when you to go to produce a note is pretty phenomenal.”
But beyond the mental stimulation, he says there are benefits to society.
“A very important aspect of music is the performances, the teamwork
where you’re working with a large number of students together — it could
be over 100 students working together towards one goal — and this is a
life lesson you’re going to use in any profession you go into.”
Sexton went into music. In Grade 10, he was part of Dobbin’s Etobicoke
Youth Band, which travelled to a performance in New York. There he saw
Stomp — “I get goosebumps talking about it even now” — and vowed he
would one day join the troupe. At 19, he made it after his second
audition. He achieved his dream, he says, helped by the self-esteem that
grew out of taking music in Grade 6.
“(I didn’t) have the confidence to express myself academically because I
was always nervous that I was going to be wrong,” he recalls. “When I
went to music class it was the opposite.”
“Not every student gets to go on to be a professional musician. But the
confidence, the pride, the group work, the teamwork, listening to each
other, learning how to tell a story with music, you learn in the music
room.”
“There could be so many people who could have been brilliant at
something but they were never exposed to it. How much talent have we
lost because they weren’t exposed to something?”
Jon Gallant, bass player for Billy Talent
As an ambassador for Musicounts, a Canadian music charity, Jim Cuddy has
seen behind the curtain of our academic music programs and has read
proposals from schools looking for financial help.
“When you see the state of the music programs, even before these
proposed cuts, with kids trying to play on instruments that are 25 years
old, saxophones with three keys broken, no sheet music … it’s
pathetic,” says the Blue Rodeo frontman.
Musicounts awards grants of $5,000 and $10,000 to schools to buy new
instruments and sheet music. This year alone, it awarded $190,000 in
what it calls Band-Aid grants to schools in the TDSB.
The TDSB “has been a great partner of ours, making sure there is access
to music in schools,” says Allan Reid, the charity’s director. “So any
time we hear of cuts to music programs in schools, it’s concerning.”
Across the province, however, music has been scaled back, according to
the advocacy group People for Education. A report released by that group
in April stated only 44 per cent of elementary schools in the province
have a specialized music teacher. That compares to 49 per cent in 2012
and 58 per cent in 1998.
That erosion is something Cuddy finds distressing.
“I can’t even imagine going to a school that didn’t have music. Will
kids have to go to other schools to get it? The more difficult they make
it, the more they cut it out of their lives. And it’s a travesty,” he
says.
“It’s hearing, it’s imagination, it’s all these developments that I
think are so crucial to these kids. When you see the kids — and I’ve
seen the results — playing the new instruments in junior strings or the
rock band or the dance band, there is a look of satisfaction on their
faces that I don’t imagine all of them can get from a successful math
exam or doing well on a science lab.
“I think music should be considered of equal value to academics. It’s a
way in which kids can advance and that’s what our schools should be
for.”
While there have been suggestions that 150 schools — those facing
100-per-cent elimination of itinerant music teachers in Orff
instruments, vocal and recorder — will lose their programs, the TDSB
argues the impact of potential cuts has been exaggerated and music
remains, says a spokesperson, “an integral part of the curriculum.
The TDSB has 437 teachers who have their Honour Specialist in music and
another 214 that have additional qualifications in music. The challenge
is in how those teachers are distributed across the board’s 447
elementary schools.
“Music is alive and well at the TDSB and will continue to be alive and
well at the TDSB,” says spokeswoman Shari Schwartz-Maltz. “It’s just a
different way of delivering music, an equitable distribution of musical
education across the system.”
There is also a plan for an additional 10 half-day courses of training
for teachers. They may be offered as summer training, for which teachers
would pay $450 each, so more instructors can be qualified to teach
music.
The itinerant teachers argue that there is no mechanism in the school
staffing process to ensure those certified teachers are in schools
currently taught by those itinerants, who are typically professional
musicians. And without staffing assurances, schools could indeed lose
their programs.
If students “haven’t had a chance to try it, like they do with math,
like they do with science, like the do with French, they will not know
when they get to secondary school what choices they could have made,”
says David Spek, a longtime itinerant strings instructor and vocal
advocate for the union.
In the enrichment programs — the board has 83 musical instructors that
teach strings, band or steel pan — the staffing hours would be cut from
about 1,266 to 948 per week. Spek estimates that could eliminate up to
30 teachers.
“You’re looking at the decimation of the whole program,” says Spek.
Reid of Musicounts, who attended a recent school trustees meeting to
make a case for music, believes this debate isn’t about developing
professional musicians but about keeping programs dynamic and fully
available.
“This is simply about creating a far more well-rounded society,” he
says. “One that has the benefits of music education which teaches you
teamwork, it teaches you discipline and it’s proven to make you better
at math. We also call it the great equalizer. For kids who aren’t
necessarily athletic or maybe aren’t the most social, oftentimes music
class is that place where they can excel.”
While the TDSB is looking at cutting back the money it budgets for music
programs, the Ontario government recently pledged $45 million to the
music industry over three years to nurture talent and promote music
tourism in the province.
And, on Thursday, a coalition of local musicians, promoters, studio
owners and recording executives got behind the lobby group Music Canada
in an attempt to brand Toronto as a music city. With the slogan “4479
Toronto: Music meets world,” the group will try to make Toronto an
international epicentre of music production, music tourism and
performance.
“Music education demonstrably improves academic achievement,
behaviour and attitude. Through music, kids learn how to have
constructive relationships with other people, how focus counts, how
application produces results, how to dream and most of all, how to feel
true joy.”
— Canadian record producer Bob Ezrin, who worked with Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper and Kiss
. Long before he was in Barenaked Ladies, Jim Creeggan was the tall,
solemn kid on bass at the back of Trish Howells’ Grade 6 strings class.
“He was always serious about his playing,” Howells recalls of those
classes at east Scarborough’s Charlottetown Junior Public School. “If
there were antics in the classroom, I would look at the back and Jim
would just kind of shaking his head.”
“He was always the steady guy saying, ‘I don’t know what’s going on here, but I’m not liking this.’ ”
Creeggan laughs at the long-forgotten memory of his 11-year-old self.
“I was the guy saying, ‘C’mon guys, let’s play “When the Saints Go
Marching In” one more time and get it right.’ Maybe that’s my role in
Barenaked Ladies as well. ‘C’mon guys, let’s get down to it.’ ”
Creeggan, now 43, hadn’t seen Howells for more than three decades but at
a reunion one recent morning at the bassist’s Toronto studio, they
spoke easily and passionately about how exposure to music at a young age
turns out well-rounded citizens with increased brain power no matter
what career path they select.
“It really is applied academics. When you play a musical instrument, the spacing, the patterns, it’s all math,” says Creeggan.
Howells says for some students, the music room is the only place they
get to shine in a school environment and that studies have shown music
instruction helps all students, including those with learning
challenges, process information.
“Their reading increases as does their ability to comprehend because
music is full of patterns, as is language and mathematics,” she says.
Creeggan worries that as music instruction erodes in the schools, it
will further widen the educational gap between those students who can
afford private lessons and those who can’t. The playing of music in this
country could become an elitist pursuit.
“You’ll have kids that can afford private lessons outside of school,
play music and enjoy it. But the kids that go to that school and can’t
afford that will have no connection to it. That happens on-going,
especially in rural areas where (the numbers of) music teachers are
declining fast.”
For Creeggan, it just isn’t just lip service.
He’s part of a group that has refurbished ukuleles at nearby Givins/Shaw
Jr. Public School and helped purchase new ones. He’s also donated a
small bass like the one he used to play.
“
Creeggan volunteers at the school and he recalled one telling exchange
with a boy who showed no interest at all on first meeting.
“He wasn’t into anything … not into school at all,” recounts Creeggan.
“I went back a week later and I said, ‘Do you play sports?’ He said,
‘Yeah, I’m a goalie.’ I was like, ‘Okay, let’s play a little game here.
Let’s pretend with this ukulele, I’m the forward on the other team and
I’m going to take a shot on you. If you can repeat what I play on this
ukulele, then you’ve saved the goal.’ So I played a little melody and he
had to play back what I played. (There was) a spark in him I hadn’t
seen in a long time.”
Creeggan says he has since seen that same boy in the band program.
“Some people look at music education as an add-on or a hobby. I
think we have to change that mentality a little bit and make it a career
option, because it is a career option.”
—Ian D’Sa, guitarist for Billy Talent
It only seems as if Mireille Asselin was born to become one of this
country’s top young sopranos. Classical music was a constant on the
radio at her childhood home in Saint John, N.B. She eventually
flourished at a French arts school in Ottawa, followed by a BA in music
from The Royal Conservatory’s Glenn Gould School, then a master’s in
opera at Yale University. A recent graduate of the Canadian Opera
Company’s prestigious Ensemble Studio program, performances at Carnegie
and her upcoming opportunity to cover a leading role at the Metropolitan
Opera only confirm an impressive career arc.
“But it was in school that I really got the bug,” says the 29-year-old.
“It was through choir that I discovered a love of singing. Then I took
piano lessons on the side, then I took voice lessons. It just sort of
snowballed from there.”
Those roots, and how they formed a basis for a blossoming career, have
made Asselin a fervent supporter of children’s music education,
something that was clearly evident when she recently sat down with
former teacher Monica Whicher, a faculty member at Toronto’s Royal
Conservatory.
In today’s economy, Asselin believes the creativity fostered through
music will become almost essential for people who have to generate their
own opportunities for employment.
“I think creative education in schools encourages the creative
development of a child’s brain and encourages them to think outside the
box and feel they can create and be non-traditional and have that be a
positive thing, a kind of entrepreneurship in a way,” she says.
“(That is) really critical in today’s society in the way that you need to create work for yourself and just be open-minded.”
Asselin sees a two-pronged benefit for children who are exposed to
music. The student develops self-control through hours of methodical
preparation and then expresses that study in a creative manner.
“The more time you put into it, the greater the satisfaction when you
get to the end of it. I think that’s a crucial lesson to learn in
anything that you do. If you’re studying for the bar, you need to know
how to be alone in a room for hours on end, memorizing and honing the
particular skills that you’ve chosen to hone.”
Asselin feels that music is “an integral part of our society that I think we take for granted.”
“You look at the city of Toronto,” she says. “And the reason it is
considered this vibrant city is because you’ve got a vibrant arts scene.
People all over the world seek out neighbourhoods and cities that are
artistic and have a lot of creative energy.”
Whicher picks up on the theme that music is the lifeblood of modern
society and wonders why it becomes vulnerable when budgets become an
issue.
Music education “always comes up as the thing that is not necessary,”
she says. “What’s not necessary about creativity? What’s not necessary
about open-mindedness and very specific skill building? What’s not
necessary about working as a team in an orchestra or a choir? What’s not
necessary about following a leader who is an expert in his or her
field?
“Singing is great for you physically; playing an instrument, likewise.
It keeps brains nimble. It keeps bodies nimble. It gives you something
to do at a very young or a very old age. I think it’s imperative that
people understand that. It’s part of our fabric. It’s not a frill. It’s
not a frill.”
THE SOFT SCIENCES MATTER AS MUCH AS EVER
WITHOUT CITIZENS WHOSE READING, WRITING, SPEAKING AND
ANALYTICAL SKILLS ARE TOP-NOTCH, SOCIETY AS A WHOLE FALTERS. CUTTING
EDUCATIONAL BUDGETS IN THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES IS A MISTAKE.
By James Cuno, OpEd in The L.A. Times | http://lat.ms/11WED0T
June 19, 2013 :: A report released this week bears out what many
educators have been predicting: Amid rising college tuition, increased
global economic competition and a job market that disproportionately
rewards graduates in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math)
fields, students are seeking degrees in what they and, indeed, many in
our nation view as lucrative business and hard-science disciplines. The
study is from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences' Commission on
the Humanities and Social Sciences, on which I serve.
Some institutions have responded by cutting budgets in the arts and
humanities and directing those funds elsewhere. That's the wrong thing
to do. The humanities — the study of languages, literature, history,
jurisprudence, philosophy, comparative religion, ethics, social sciences
— and the arts are vital to our future. We should be investing more
funds, more time and more expertise, not less, into these endeavors.
What detractors of the "soft" subjects miss is that the arts and
humanities provide an essential framework and context for understanding
the wider world. Studying the humanities strengthens the ability to
communicate and work with others. It allows students to develop broad
intellectual and cultural understanding; it nurtures creativity and
deepens participation in public discourse and modern democracy.
Without citizens whose reading, writing, speaking and analytical skills
are top-notch, our society as a whole falters. Without artists,
sociologists, English majors and political theorists — along with
engineers and scientists — to envision what the future looks like, that
exciting potential will never be realized. It takes intelligence,
passion, imagination and an understanding of what has come before to be a
visionary leader. Arts and humanities studies impart these critical
life skills.
The commission's report points out that "at the very moment when China
and some European nations are seeking to replicate our model of broad
education in the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences as a
stimulus to invention, the United States is instead narrowing our focus
and abandoning our sense of what education has been and should continue
to be — our sense of what makes America great."
These are the telling statistics: First, that federal funding for
helping American students include international training in their
education has been cut 41% in four years. That's an astonishing number.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress test shows that less
than a quarter of eighth- and 12th-grade U.S. students are proficient in
reading, writing and civics.
Yet, according to the report, 3 out of 4 employers now want schools to
place more emphasis on the skills that the humanities and social
sciences teach: critical thinking and problem solving, as well as
written and oral communication.
How can we possibly equip the U.S. for its leadership role in an
increasingly connected world if we are not adequately teaching students
to communicate and helping them understand and encounter diverse
perspectives?
There is no denying that scientific advances have extraordinary power,
and that the STEM fields are indispensable. There's no denying that
every area of study needs significant increases in resources to keep up
with the changing world. But if we fail to invest in the arts and
humanities, our country's future leaders will neither understand nor be
able to act on or illustrate the shared experience of what it is to be
human — they won't have the ability to connect on an emotional level
with others. The ability to connect with others is developed by studying
the humanities, and in the global community this skill is not optional —
it's essential.
Focusing our educational resources toward any one endeavor in narrow
isolation creates a destructive imbalance. We must correct this
imbalance now, before it is too late.
This, then, is a critical "teachable moment" and we as a society must
embrace it. We must enthusiastically support and fund the study of the
arts and humanities as the building blocks of a successful global
future. And for everyone concerned with how this translates into a sound
economy and a sound financial future, simply recall what Steve Jobs
told graduates of Stanford University in 2005: One of the most
influential experiences in his brief time at Reed College was his
exposure to the fine art of calligraphy. It taught him the important
lesson of the relationship between discipline and creativity.
● James Cuno is chief executive and president of the J. Paul Getty Trust in Los Angeles.
HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T
FIT: The Rest (but not necessarily the best) of the Stories from Other
Sources
THE SOFT SCIENCES MATTER AS MUCH AS EVER
WITHOUT CITIZENS WHOSE READING, WRITING, SPEAKING AND ANALYTICAL SKILLS
ARE TOP-NOTCH, SOCIETY AS A WHOLE FALTERS. CUTTING EDUCATIONAL BUDGETS
IN THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES IS A MISTAKE.
By James Cuno, OpEd in The L.A. Times | http://lat.ms/11WED0T
June 19, 2013 :: A report released this week bears out what many
educators have been predicting: Amid rising college tuition, increased
global economic competition and a job market that disproportionately
rewards graduates in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math)
fields, students are seeking degrees in what they and, indeed, many in
our nation view as lucrative business and hard-science disciplines. The
study is from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences' Commission on
the Humanities and Social Sciences, on which I serve.
Some institutions have responded by cutting budgets in the arts and
humanities and directing those funds elsewhere. That's the wrong thing
to do. The humanities — the study of languages, literature, history,
jurisprudence, philosophy, comparative religion, ethics, social sciences
— and the arts are vital to our future. We should be investing more
funds, more time and more expertise, not less, into these endeavors.
What detractors of the "soft" subjects miss is that the arts and
humanities provide an essential framework and context for understanding
the wider world. Studying the humanities strengthens the ability to
communicate and work with others. It allows students to develop broad
intellectual and cultural understanding; it nurtures creativity and
deepens participation in public discourse and modern democracy.
Without citizens whose reading, writing, speaking and analytical skills
are top-notch, our society as a whole falters. Without artists,
sociologists, English majors and political theorists — along with
engineers and scientists — to envision what the future looks like, that
exciting potential will never be realized. It takes intelligence,
passion, imagination and an understanding of what has come before to be a
visionary leader. Arts and humanities studies impart these critical
life skills.
The commission's report points out that "at the very moment when China
and some European nations are seeking to replicate our model of broad
education in the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences as a
stimulus to invention, the United States is instead narrowing our focus
and abandoning our sense of what education has been and should continue
to be — our sense of what makes America great."
These are the telling statistics: First, that federal funding for
helping American students include international training in their
education has been cut 41% in four years. That's an astonishing number.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress test shows that less
than a quarter of eighth- and 12th-grade U.S. students are proficient in
reading, writing and civics.
Yet, according to the report, 3 out of 4 employers now want schools to
place more emphasis on the skills that the humanities and social
sciences teach: critical thinking and problem solving, as well as
written and oral communication.
How can we possibly equip the U.S. for its leadership role in an
increasingly connected world if we are not adequately teaching students
to communicate and helping them understand and encounter diverse
perspectives?
There is no denying that scientific advances have extraordinary power,
and that the STEM fields are indispensable. There's no denying that
every area of study needs significant increases in resources to keep up
with the changing world. But if we fail to invest in the arts and
humanities, our country's future leaders will neither understand nor be
able to act on or illustrate the shared experience of what it is to be
human — they won't have the ability to connect on an emotional level
with others. The ability to connect with others is developed by studying
the humanities, and in the global community this skill is not optional —
it's essential.
Focusing our educational resources toward any one endeavor in narrow
isolation creates a destructive imbalance. We must correct this
imbalance now, before it is too late.
This, then, is a critical "teachable moment" and we as a society must
embrace it. We must enthusiastically support and fund the study of the
arts and humanities as the building blocks of a successful global
future. And for everyone concerned with how this translates into a sound
economy and a sound financial future, simply recall what Steve Jobs
told graduates of Stanford University in 2005: One of the most
influential experiences in his brief time at Reed College was his
exposure to the fine art of calligraphy. It taught him the important
lesson of the relationship between discipline and creativity.
● James Cuno is chief executive and president of the J. Paul Getty Trust in Los Angeles.
The Humanities and Social Sciences Commission study, "THE HEART OF THE MATTER" is available at the commission website.
http://www.humanitiescommission.org/_pdf/HSS_Report.pdf
EVENTS: Coming up next week...
*Dates and times subject to change. ________________________________________
• SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION BOND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE:
http://www.laschools.org/bond/
Phone: 213-241-5183
____________________________________________________
• LAUSD FACILITIES COMMUNITY OUTREACH CALENDAR:
http://www.laschools.org/happenings/
Phone: 213-241.8700
What can YOU do?
• E-mail, call or write your school board member:
Tamar.Galatzan@lausd.net • 213-241-6386
Monica.Garcia@lausd.net • 213-241-6180
Bennett.Kayser@lausd.net • 213-241-5555
Marguerite.LaMotte@lausd.net • 213-241-6382
Nury.Martinez@lausd.net • 213-241-6388
Richard.Vladovic@lausd.net • 213-241-6385
Steve.Zimmer@lausd.net • 213-241-6387
...or your city councilperson, mayor, the governor, member of congress,
senator - or the president. Tell them what you really think! • Find
your state legislator based on your home address. Just go to: http://bit.ly/dqFdq2 • There are 26 mayors and five county supervisors representing jurisdictions within LAUSD, the mayor of LA can be reached at mayor@lacity.org • 213.978.0600
• Call or e-mail Governor Brown: 213-897-0322 e-mail: http://www.govmail.ca.gov/
• Open the dialogue. Write a letter to the editor. Circulate these
thoughts. Talk to the principal and teachers at your local school.
• Speak with your friends, neighbors and coworkers. Stay on top of education issues. Don't take my word for it!
• Get involved at your neighborhood school. Join your PTA. Serve on a School Site Council. Be there for a child.
• If you are eligible to become a citizen, BECOME ONE.
• If you a a citizen, REGISTER TO VOTE.
• If you are registered, VOTE LIKE THE FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT. THEY DO!.
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