[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 49 (Friday, April 26, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E641-E642]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        JAZZ APPRECIATION MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KAREN McCARTHY

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 25, 2002

  Ms. McCARTHY of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the 
first National Jazz Appreciation Month and the importance of music and 
arts education to America's youth. Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM) is 
intended to draw the public's attention to the glories of jazz as both 
a historical and a living treasure by encouraging public and private 
partnerships focused on arts education. A joint initiative of the 
Smithsonian National Museum of American History, the National Endowment 
for the Arts, the U.S. Department of Education, the National 
Association for Music Education, the International Association of Jazz 
Educators, and the U.S. Department of State, Jazz Appreciation Month 
will encourage special programs on jazz every April. The Smithsonian's 
National Museum of National History began to organize Jazz Appreciation 
Month in 1997 with a presentation to the International Association of 
Jazz Educators. Modeled after Black History Month, Jazz Appreciation 
Month is a global celebration of jazz, with events scheduled from 
Kansas City to Cleveland to South Africa.
  Known as the mother of swing and the nurturer of Bebop, my district 
of Kansas City, Missouri is the birthplace of Charlie ``Bird'' Parker, 
the great alto saxophonist. Because of ``Bird's'' influence, jazz has 
been a cornerstone of Kansas City culture since the 1930s. A proud 
reflection of my district's dynamic musical heritage is the American 
Jazz Museum at 18th and Vine, which tells the story of jazz and its 
greatest performers through the sights and sounds of the movement. 
Tomorrow, I will attend an installation ceremony at the American Jazz 
Museum to dedicate ``Jazz Pantheon,'' a commissioned sculpture by John 
T. Scott. This project was funded through the U.S. Department of 
Housing and Urban Development and the One-Percent-For-All Program by 
the City of Kansas City. This sculpture is part of the ongoing 
revitalization of the historic district of 18th and Vine and manifests 
the central role of jazz to the metropolitan Kansas City area.
  In conjunction with Jazz Appreciation Month, the American Jazz Museum 
has organized two music educational events in my district. On April 
25th, middle school students will be celebrating the culmination of 
this year's Duke Ellington Youth Project. This interdisciplinary 
program, which combines music, literature, and history will culminate 
with a music performance and arts exhibition celebrating the history of 
jazz and will include a reception at the American Jazz Museum for the 
participants and their families.
  Jazz Storytelling is a second music educational program organized by 
the American Jazz Museum. It combines stories about jazz with live 
instrumental music for children between the ages of three and nine. A 
unique aspect of the Jazz Storytelling program is the Living Legends 
Series, which features Kansas City's own jazz legends, such as Myra 
Taylor, Luqman Hamza, Geneva Price, Eddie Saunders, and Ahmad Alaadlen, 
who share their amazing stories and the musical magic that made them 
great.
  These programs organized by the American Jazz Museum are two of the 
arts and music education programs in the metropolitan Kansas City area. 
Jazz Appreciation events are scheduled throughout the country during 
the month of April. On April 16 in Los Angeles, the Recording Academy 
screened the recently restored concert film footage of Louis Armstrong 
in Prague, Dave Brubeck in Australia and the Bud Powell Trio in France. 
These films were restored as part of the GRAMMY Foundation's

[[Page E642]]

Music on Film Preservation Project, which is an ongoing effort to 
preserve America's music and film heritage. The National Museum of 
American History will spotlight the history and music of jazz through 
events such as a Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald by the Smithsonian Jazz 
Masterworks Orchestra and a public viewing of Louis Armstrong's first 
horn that he learned to play on while incarcerated as a youngster in 
New Orleans.
  The importance of arts and music education to America's youth should 
not be underestimated. Affording children access to the arts through 
education yields great dividends to our society. The U.S. Department of 
Justice found that arts education reduced delinquency in San Antonio by 
13%, increased communication skills of Atlanta students by 57%, and 
improved cooperation skills of Portland youth by 57%. In addition, the 
College Board has shown that college bound students who are involved in 
the arts have higher overall SAT scores than other students. Jazz 
Appreciation Month should serve as a reminder that we should 
appropriate additional resources for music and arts education programs, 
as it is America's children who will reap the benefits.
  Last week, I was privileged to meet Lionel Hampton, one of the living 
legends of jazz. I am a proud cosponsor of the resolution passed by the 
House celebrating Lionel Hampton on his 94th birthday. I would like to 
personally congratulate Lionel on his birthday, and thank him for his 
dedication to music education. Lionel Hampton is at the forefront of 
music education, delineated by the naming of the Lionel Hampton School 
of Music at the University of Idaho, the first school of music named 
for a jazz musician. Mr. Hampton's devotion to teaching is evident from 
the thousands of students who have learned from him and the visiting 
jazz artists, scholars, and educators he has brought to the school. In 
addition to being a jazz legend and music educator, Lionel Hampton has 
a strong correlation to Jazz Appreciation Month, as he is one of the 
many leading figures in jazz who celebrate their birthday during April.
  Mr. Speaker, as we celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month and the ongoing 
arts and music education events at the American Jazz Museum at 18th and 
Vine in Kansas City, Congress should commit federal resources to the 
provision of arts and music education programs for our youth all over 
America.

                          ____________________