III 108th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 459 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES October 10, 2004 Mr. Durbin (for himself and Mr. Alexander) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Designating November 2004 as “American Music Month” to celebrate and honor music performance, education, and scholarship in the United States.

Whereas the music of the United States embodies the artistic reflection of the country’s history and heritage and the promise of its ideals and values; Whereas the music of the United States transcends culture, gender, race, class, and creed, and thrives freely as it is continually reinvented, rearranged, transformed, and infused by the personal experiences of men and women; Whereas the music of the United States expresses the country’s vital cultural and social identities and empowers the people of the United States to assert and preserve our pasts for a future, transforms the wondrous and harsh experiences of the people of the United States into potent messages that freely declare democratic choice and freedom of expression, inspires social justice, enlivens collective action, and reflects our Nation’s dynamic social movements; Whereas the National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC) and its 17th president, Ada Holding Miller, building on their efforts to create American Music week in 1924 with the aid of Arthur Bodansky, conductor of the Metropolitan Opera, and Walter Damrosch, conductor of the New York Symphony Orchestra, established American Music Month and the Parade of American Music in February 1955 to recognize music and its importance to the social, cultural, historical, and educational development of the United States; Whereas by action of the NFMC Board of Directors in 1998, the celebration of American Music Month was changed to the month of November in 1999 at the request of Sonneck Society for American Music; Whereas the leading arts and education organizations of the United States, such as the Society for American Music, MENC: the National Association for Music Education, the College Music Society, the Music Library Association, the American Musicological Society, and Americans for the Arts, continue to strive to stimulate the appreciation, performance, creation, and study of music in the United States; Whereas the month of November has witnessed the births of such artistic legends as Scott Joplin (1868), William Christopher W. C. Handy (1873), Aaron Copland (1900), Coleman Hawkins (1904), and Mary Travers (1937) of the folk song trio Peter, Paul and Mary; the premiers of the New York Symphony (1878), the Philadelphia Orchestra (1900), Jerome Kern’s musical, Show Boat, in Washington, DC (1927), Frede Grofé’s Grand Canyon Suite in Chicago (1931), and the first broadcast of the newly-organized National Broadcasting Company (1926); Whereas November 2004 marks the sesquicentennial of John Philip Sousa’s birth on November 6, 1854, and is an occasion to celebrate his monumental contributions to the musical heritage of the United States; Whereas John Philip Sousa’s music continues to embody the unflagging spirit of the United States and, as a product of a renaissance in the art and technology of the United States, affirmed the previous generation’s contagious patriotism and profound love of country even as they witnessed the brutalities of a Nation at war; his music was a fanfare about and for all men and women of this United States and his rousing melodies celebrated the best and worst of the diverse cultures and emerging histories of the United States; even today, Sousa’s music conveys our Nation’s indomitable spirit to the world; and Whereas John Philip Sousa, as Director of the United States Marine Band from 1880 to 1892, brought The President’s Own to unprecedented levels of excellence and shaped the band into a world-famous musical organization, and through White House performances, public concerts, and national tours, the Band continues to maintain Sousa’s standard of excellence for the performance of the music of the United States: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1)designates November 2004 as American Music Month to celebrate music performance, education, and scholarship in the United States; (2)recognizes that the musical heritage of the United States should be honored, celebrated, and preserved for future generations as expressions of this country’s democratic freedoms and indomitable spirit; and (3)requests the President to issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe American Music Month with appropriate ceremonies and programs to honor the contributions of the music educators, performers, scholars, conductors, composers and arrangers, librarians, archivists, and curators of the United States for their tireless efforts to foster greater understanding and preservation of the diverse music and cultures of the United States through active performance, education, and cultural engagement.