Status of Music Education

       (1) Report by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (1997) includes information about how much children are learning in music.
       Data is available in summary tables and reports. If you have the proper equipment you can download the entire report. The site also has links to
       other music and/or arts organizations. CLICK HERE for access to site.  The MENC also has a summary version of this. CLICK HERE for MENC  summary.

       (2) National Center for Educational Statistics.  This is a great site. It is huge, so only a few relevant samples pertinent to music education are included. For information on the large
       decline in participation by seniors in music, drama, and debate--mostly female, CLICK HERE for decline. For information on the small decline between 1990 and 1992 in band and
       orchestra and for participation levels in public and private schools: CLICK HERE for decline in band and orchestra. For the general web page of this extensive U. S. government site,
       CLICK HERE.

Why Study Music?

       (1) Why study music? is an excellent list of research and general interest articles compiled by American music educators in Europe justifying music education. Many of the articles are
       online and there are comments and summaries. Articles include, among others:
              Fetus Has An Ear For Music At 20 Weeks
              Got Mozart? It does a Rat good
              Health Care Industry Tunes In To Idea of Music As Medicine
              How To Approach A School Board In Time Of Crisis. CLICK HERE for this.
              Mind Over Matter: Why the Arts Are Important to Science
              Music And Art Lessons Do More Than Complement Three R's
              Music students continue to outperform their non-arts peers on the SAT
              New Study Shows More of the Brain Used When Making Music
              The Power Of Music: Its Profound Influence on the Brain is Underscored by New Studies
              Research, Music and Policy Debates
              Researchers Find Active Music Making Expands The Brain
              Schools Fail To Expose Kids To Arts
              Scientists Note Brain Power Of Musicians
              Why Are the Arts Important?
              Wisconsin District Requires Piano Lessons for K-5 Students

Text of January 27, 2001, Action of the Tennessee State Board of  Education Limiting Added Certification in Music to 30 Semester Hours:
 

Tennessee State Board of Education
December 8, 2000

Agenda
Action ltem IV.D.

The Background:

Teacher education programs in Tennessee are producing candidates of very high quality. The programs meet the standards established by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and standards established by ths State Board of Education. The Board has approved a competency based system, which specifies what the state wants teachers to know and be able to do, but does not specify course hours. The universities design programs to meet the competencies and recommend their graduates for licensure.

A  logical  extension  of  that  policy  is  the  Board's  policy--adopted  in  1996--for adding endorsements for a teacher who already holds a license. The policy stipulates that for teachers who seek to add an endorsement--an example would be a math teacher who seeks to add an endorsement in chemistry--the university will prescribe a course of study in chemistry roughly equivalent to a minor. The university uses a variety of methods to assess the competence of a candidate, and it may prescribe less than a minor. Exceptions to the requirement of a minor are made for areas in which there is a very large change, such as a high school teacher who seeks to become an elementary education teacher.

Recent studies confirm that students whose teachers have a major or minor in the subject score higher on the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) than students whose teachers do not.

Currently, the  state receives comments from licensed teachers seeking to add a new endorsement that some universities exceed the parameters in the policy. As a result, the Board and Department staff met with representatives of the Tennessee Education Association and the Tennessee Association of Colleges of Teacher Education to develop a more workable and precise policy. Their recommendatians were then approved by the Advisory Council on Teacher Education and Certification.

The Proposal:

The proposed policy would place a limitation on the number of semester hours that universities could require for specific endorsements: 21 semester hours for high school endorsements and 30 semester hours for elementary education, early childhood education, middle grades education, art, music, theater, and physical education.

In  addition,  the  university will verify  completion  of the  appropriate  requirements to  the Department instead of recommending the candidate for the additional endorsement.  The
candidate will still be required to pass the appropriate Praxis examinations.  The revised policy will become effective for candidates who begin additional endorsements May 1, 2001.

The Recommendation:

The Advisory Council on Teacher Education and Certification recommends acceptance on first reading of the proposed policy. The SBE staff concurs in this recommendation.