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FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH

THE. VALUE OF. SCHOOL CHOIRS. FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH. Arts Education Is Important for a Complete Education. America’s manufacturing-driven economy is being replaced by a creative economy or “economy of ideas”

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FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH

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  1. THE VALUE OF SCHOOL CHOIRS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH

  2. Arts Education Is Important for a Complete Education • America’s manufacturing-driven economy is being replaced by a creative economy or “economy of ideas” • School choruses are important to a complete education that will prepare students for the global economy

  3. Singing in a Choir Helps Students Succeed in School, in Work, and in Life Documented in research and in statements from: • US Department of Education • National Endowment for the Arts • Chorus America • Arts Education Partnership • and others…

  4. Today School Choral Programs are Under Siege • Competition for money • Competition for time • A narrow focus on just a few subjects covered on standardized tests

  5. Opportunities to Participate in a School Choir are Declining Chorus America’s Chorus Impact Study reports: • More than 1 in 4 educators say there is no choral program in their schools • Of those who said that their school has no choir program today, 31% said their school used to have choirs The Nation’s Report Card on Music & Visual Arts reports only 17% of eighth graders sing in choir.

  6. Increasingly Reserved for the Wealthy “I am just old enough to remember a time when every public high school in this country had a music program with choir and band, usually a jazz band, too, sometimes even an orchestra...Today a child's access to arts education is largely a function of his or her parents' income.” Dana Gioia, Former Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts

  7. Focus on Test Scores Eliminates Time in the School Day for the Arts • The school curriculum is narrowing. 30% of school district officials indicate that instruction time for arts education in elementary schools had decreased since No Child Left Behind was enacted.

  8. Those Who Could Benefit the Most Get the Least • Teachers that report a decrease in instruction time for arts education is more likely to be at schools needing improvement, and at schools with higher percentages of minority students. • And yet, 90% of educators surveyed believe choral singing can keep some students engaged who might otherwise be lost—particularly true of those (94%) who describe the ethnicity of their schools as diverse.

  9. The Case for Choral Music Education: Academic Achievement Singing in choir promotes academic achievement.The benefits of student learning experiences in the arts are: • Academic—improved reading/language and mathematics skills • Comprehensive—help to create a learning environment conducive to teacher and student success that fosters: • teacher innovation • a positive professional culture • community engagement • increased student attendance • effective instructional practice • school identity

  10. The Case for Choral Music Education: Academic Achievement Benefits are even stronger for low-income students. • Study showed that high-arts/low-income students are 3X more likely to have earned degrees than low-arts/low-income students. • English Language Learners (ELL) from arts-rich schools are significantly more likely attend colleges than ELL students from arts-poor schools (78% vs. 58%).

  11. The Case for Choral Music Education: Academic Achievement The 2010 report, College-Bound Seniors by the College Board reported SAT scores for students with arts instruction: • Students who took four years of arts coursework outperformed their peers who had one half-year or less of arts coursework by 59 points on the verbal portion, 43 points on the math portion, and 62 points on the writing portion of the SAT.

  12. The Case for Choral Music Education: Success Skills Singing in choir builds success skills. According to multiple studies, the benefits of arts for students include: • Thinking skills (reasoning, intuition, perception, imagination, creativity, problem-solving) • Social skills (self-confidence, self-control, empathy, social tolerance) • Motivation to learn (active engagement, sustained attention, persistence)

  13. The Case for Choral Music Education: Building Community • Singing in choir provides a sense of real belonging. • Most high school students feel bored and disconnected from school, according to a 2009 survey conducted by Indiana University • Only 41% of students said they attended because of what they learned in school, yet 82% reported they wanted more opportunities to be creative

  14. The Case for Choral Music Education: Intrinsic Value “It’s time to assert choral music’s rightful place as the noblest—and socially most important—of all the performing arts… In a time when society is becoming more fragmented, when individuals are feeling more isolated and alienated, choral music brings people together. It is the music of social cohesion, the music that builds community. It brings together people of different ages, races, and socioeconomic backgrounds, united in a love of great music… It is the only kind of music that connects people in the most profound ways.” Knight Kiplinger, Editor in Chief, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Kiplinger’s Letter, and Kiplinger.com

  15. The Comparative Advantages of Choruses • Everyone has a voice. • That voice comes free – no purchases necessary. • That voice is portable – no special travel requirements. • That voice is highly flexible – all music can be sung. • Choral music has rhythms and words. Reading, counting, comprehension, foreign languages, expression. • Choral music has messages and meaning. From discovering folk traditions and world music to singing about social justice and civil rights, choral music provides a powerful means of cultural and historical expression…people sing about something. • Choral singing is a collaborative endeavor…we sing together. • Choral singing can be taught in ways that work for all kinds of learners. • Choral singing is a very cost-effective form of arts education. • Choral singing is a lifelong activity.

  16. THE VALUE OF SCHOOL CHOIRS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH • Singing in a choir helps students succeed: • In school • In work • In life

  17. Chorus America • Full citations for this presentation available in Making the Case for Your School Choir: An Advocacy Guide • Chorus America1156 15th Street, NW, Suite 310Washington, DC 20005202.331.7577service@chorusamerica.org

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