New Bedford Symphony Orchestra

Press

Music Education is Education

By David M. Prentiss | New Bedford Standard Times, Your View 7/9/2011

If I told you that I knew a way to improve the reading and math skills of children, keep them from dropping out of school, and make them more likely to go to college—and that my method was really fun too, would you be interested to learn more about it?

Or, if you didn't want to take my word for it, how about listening to Rafe Esquith, an elementary school teacher in Los Angeles whose students all come from homes where English is not the primary language spoken in the household. Rafe has been recognized as one of the most dynamic, inspiring and effective teachers in the United States. He has received more teaching awards than you can shake a stick at.

In his book, “Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire”, this is what Rafe has to say about educating kids:

“When I was young and stupid, I entered my first classroom brimming with confidence and convinced that I could change the world. I was more than a bit annoyed to learn that my young students had interests outside the walls of Room 56. There was an orchestra in our school, and the kids eagerly signed up to play.... I grudgingly allowed the kids to attend these music classes, while I mentally planned elaborate makeup sessions for the lost three hours.... [but then] I was shocked week after week: The kids in orchestra and chorus not only kept up with their colleagues, they did the best work in class. How was it possible? I soon learned a basic truth about the arts: Students involved in arts education are learning about things far beyond the art they study. When a child goes off to play in an orchestra, he is not only learning to play the violin or clarinet, he is also learning about discipline, responsibility, teamwork, sacrifice, practice, correcting mistakes, listening and time management. That's not a bad set of skills for a kid to have in his pocket. And to learn them and have fun at the same time is a pretty neat trick.”

~Rafe Esquith

Or, if you want cold hard facts about educating kids, you can consult the many studies that have been done over the last 20 years that show the impact of music programs on learning in other subjects. For example,

  • First graders who received instruction in music listening had significantly higher reading scores than those first graders who did not receive the instruction but were similar in age and socioeconomic status.
  • Young children who take music lessons show different brain development and improved memory over the course of a year, compared to children who do not receive musical training.
  • Music programs help students who are under-achieving. Students lagging behind in scholastic performance caught up to their fellow students in reading and surpassed their classmates in math by 22% when given music instruction over seven months.
  • Schools that have music programs have higher graduation and attendance rates than do those without programs.

The city of New Bedford has a long and rich tradition of understanding the importance of music programs in the schools. New Bedford Public School teacher Clarence Arey caused quite a stir at the Massachusetts Public School Superintendent conference when the New Bedford High School Orchestra performed for a state-wide audience (this was sometime after his appointment as school district music supervisor—in 1913). Inspired by the quality of the performance, superintendents across the state returned to their communities and insisted that their districts form school orchestras. Clarence Arey, by the way, founded the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra in 1915.

Today, the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra is as committed as ever to music education. Our music education programs serve over 28,000 children annually. In New Bedford, Fall River and other communities throughout the South Coast, 18,000 children in grades 1–5 begin every day of the school year listening to classical music through our Music in the Morning program. More than 7,000 children participate in our SchoolsMusic! program, where a trio of NBSO musicians perform an interactive concert at schools that integrates music with subjects such as reading and math.

Our Young People's Concerts bring over 2,000 children to the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center to hear a live performance of the NBSO, and Be Our Musical Guest (visits to local schools by NBSO guest artists) introduces South Coast children to some of the most accomplished and talented musicians in the world today. In addition, the New Bedford Symphony Youth Orchestra recently performed a world-premiere of a symphony written by a local Portuguese composer. Our Master Class program provides local students the opportunity to study with NBSO visiting guest artists. The NBSO's Catholic School String Program just finished its first year which included teaching string instruments to over 50 students. And our newest educational program is Symphony Tales, a program for beginner readers that uses music to reinforce fundamental literacy skills. Look for Symphony Tales soon at a bookstore, library or school near you.

An all too common refrain heard during school budget hearings and education debates is “Well, music programs are nice, but we really need to focus on teaching kids stuff.” This view shouldn't surprise us. Over 2,000 years ago, Aristotle asked this fundamental question when discussing education in his treatise on politics, “The first question is whether music is or is not to be a part of education.” He answered that music was a critical part of education, but he acknowledged that people often failed to realize this because the fun and beauty of music actually made it harder to see the real educational benefits of it. I think today many people make the same mistake.

But not everybody. The New Bedford Symphony Orchestra is very fortunate to have just received a $150,000 Challenge Gift to strengthen our educational programs and concert series. If we raise $75,000 in July, we will receive a 2 to 1 matching gift of $150,000. NBSO supporters throughout the South Coast are helping us reach this goal because they know the important truth that music education is education. As a community we must not forget, or be confused about, something this critical to achieving our fundamental duty to educate our children.

So, if you want to change a child's life, bring music into it. If you want to improve the life of your community, support music programs in our schools. It's that simple.

Dave Prentiss is the President and CEO of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra.

Press Releases

$150,000 Challenge Gift July 2011

For Immediate Release: June 30, 2011

NBSO Receives $150,000 Challenge Gift

(New Bedford--)   The New Bedford Symphony Orchestra (NBSO) announced today that it has received a $150,000 Challenge Gift.  The NBSO will receive a 2 to 1 matching gift for donations made in the month of July and a 1 to 1 match for donations in August.  The Symphony’s immediate goal is to raise $75,000 in July so that it will receive the entire $150,000 matching gift for a total of $225,000 in philanthropic support for the NBSO’s educational programs and concerts.  The challenge gift donor wishes to remain anonymous.

NBSO President and CEO Dave Prentiss stated that “our success in this effort will transform the NBSO’s financial standing and establish a solid fiscal foundation for the future.  We will end our fiscal year in a strong financial position, be able to retire our accumulated operating debt, and establish a program investment fund that will allow us to strengthen our concert series and continue the expansion of our educational programs in the community.”  NBSO educational programs currently serve over 28,000 children annually and the Symphony’s concert series is attended by nearly 10,000 people. All told, NBSO’s concerts and educational programs serve 41 communities in and around the South Coast.

Chair of the NBSO Board of Trustees, David Wilson, stated “on behalf of everyone associated with the Symphony, I would like to express my deepest thanks for this wonderful act of generosity.  The donor told us that the motivation for the gift is the strong belief in what the NBSO is doing in the community and the impact we are having in the lives of thousands of children and adults.  Our job now is to spread this word so we can realize the full potential of the NBSO to build a community of music in the South Coast.”

Donations to the Symphony can be made online at www.nbsymphony.org or by calling the NBSO office at (508) 999-6276.

More About the NBSO:

  • The NBSO is a professional orchestra performing a 7 concert series of classical and pops music. The Symphony regularly performs with prize-winning guests artists from around the world.
  • The NBSO is dedicated to building a Community of Music in the South Coast: an orchestra that is responsive, accessible and vital to the community it serves; one that celebrates and fosters music and music-making, and one that collaborates robustly with other music groups and cultural and educational organizations.
  • The NBSO’s Music in the Morning program brings classical music into the lives of 18,000 children every day of the school year, including children in all New Bedford and Fall River elementary schools.
  • The SchoolsMusic! programs sends a trio of NBSO musicians to South Coast schools for an interactive concert experience that integrates music with academic subjects such as reading and math.
  • The Young People’s Concerts brings over 2,000 children to the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center to hear a live performance of the NBSO.
  • Other NBSO educational programs include the New Bedford Symphony Youth    Orchestra, Master Classes, the After-School String Ensemble, Symphony Tales and “Be Our Musical Guest” (visits to local schools by NBSO guest artists).
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