[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 74 (Wednesday, June 14, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1002]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING BENEFITS OF MUSIC EDUCATION

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. KAREN McCARTHY

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 13, 2000

  Ms. McCARTHY of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to voice my 
strong support of H. Con. Res. 266, expressing the sense of the 
Congress regarding the benefits of music education.
  Music education has a long history, dating back to Ancient Greece. As 
part of a standard education, music was used to teach math and deemed 
equally important to forming a balanced individual. As a former 
educator, I know that an important component to youth development and a 
key solution to youth violence is access to art and music education in 
our schools. College Board studies have shown that students who play an 
instrument score significantly higher on their Scholastic Aptitude 
Tests than those who do not. High risk elementary students who 
participated in an arts program for one year gained eight percentile 
points on standardized language arts tests. Those who have exposure to 
music and art are less likely to have discipline problems. If we are 
serious about improving student achievement and curtailing youth 
violence in our schools, we must find adequate funding to bring music 
and art education to our children.
  Missouri's fifth district has taken major steps toward integrating 
arts education into the daily routine in schools. Magnet schools such 
as the Paseo Academy of Visual and Performing Arts and the Kansas City 
Middle School of the Arts teach children more than just reading, 
writing, and arithmetic. Students also learn how to create and 
appreciate music, painting, and dancing through hands-on experience. 
The Kansas City Symphony established an orchestral residency at the 
Paseo Academy to provide professional mentors to aspiring musicians. 
The results of programs like this are astounding. These schools have 
improved student test scores well above the district average and 
greatly increased parental satisfaction. Students enjoy attending 
school more than ever because of personal interest with the subject 
matter. I urge my distinguished colleagues to support this measure.
  Because of the vast amount of research proving the benefits of music 
education, we need to invest in more programs which will spark student 
interest in music such as the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) 
sponsored ``Challenge America'' initiative which would provide $50 
million to more than 1,100 communities, bringing the arts and music to 
regions previously underserved by cultural programming.
  Music and art education remains important in the lives of children. 
From infants listening to classical music to facilitate brain 
development, to elementary students learning about music related 
careers from their favorite musicians, to high school instrument 
students who achieve above average SAT scores, the importance of music 
education cannot be denied. I urge my distinguished colleagues to 
continue to support music and art education programs such as 
``Challenge America'' which contribute to the success of students as 
they become members of our democracy.

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