Steve McLendon President, Alabama Music Educators' Association

“I look forward to an America which will reward achievement in the arts as we reward achievement in business or statecraft.  I look forward to an America which will steadily raise the standards of artistic accomplishment and which will steadily enlarge cultural opportunities for all of our citizens. And I look forward to an America which commands respect throughout the world not only for its strength but for its civilization as well.” 

--President John F. Kennedy

I wish these timeless words from President Kennedy were my own.  Although we don’t share the same command for the English language, it’s apparent to me that we share the same respect and love for the arts.  President Kennedy challenged this country to step up its commitment to the arts at the same time he was challenging us to put a man on the moon.  A cold war and a space race would seem to necessitate a demand for scientists, mathematicians, and engineers.   Naturally, there was a call for these specialties, but during this critical time, the President was also calling for us to make the arts a priority. 

 Now, don’t get me wrong.  I’m well aware that mathematicians, scientists, and engineers   make my world much more comfortable to live in.  Let me be the first to say thank you to whoever invented air-conditioning. And that thing that records live TV so I can watch the Crimson Tide score over and over again- that’s a real plus in my book.  Of course, I’ve already written Al Gore personally to thank him for inventing the internet.  Seriously though, I do recognize the importance of math and science.  I realize that our students need to achieve or surpass the rest of the world in these areas, but I submit to you that the arts are just as important as these or any other curriculum subject.  Not every student is going to excel in math and science, and that’s okay.  Some students, if given the opportunity, are going to be entertainers and artists.  In the future, their creativity and talent will manifest itself in the music we listen to, the art we enjoy in magazines, newspapers, museums, architecture, and the dramas or comedies we watch on television and at the movies. In short, they will play a large role in defining who we are as a civilized society. 

I hope that you are all aware that music is a part of the National Standards as they apply to No Child Left Behind.  When I went to Washington this past summer, along with other representatives from Alabama, we had the opportunity to meet with our state’s representatives and senators.  It is their opinion that music should remain a part of the core curriculum.  That’s good news for music education.  Of course, being a core subject means setting standards and being accountable.  The politicians we met with were somewhat surprised to learn that we are not opposed to the accountability that accompanies uniform standards.

As music educators, we have a seemingly insurmountable set of challenges before us. One of those is overcoming the perception that music education is merely an “extra.”  If our systems have “extra” money to fund it… If our students have “extra” time to take it…  I have to constantly remind my school’s administration that music is part of the core curriculum.  Take every opportunity to educate your fellow educators.  Let them know that music is part of the core curriculum.  Most importantly, don’t ever sell yourself short.  Not only are we, as music educators, fulfilling President Kennedy’s charge to “enlarge cultural opportunities for all of our citizens,” but we are also giving our students a rare and unique personal opportunity- the chance to discover themselves.