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The Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United States of America
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C.
Dear President Obama,
How’s it going? Have you found all the light switches in your new digs? Is it hard to sneak into the kitchen for a midnight snack with all the Secret Service folks around? How about that dog for the kids? Do you have a name for him yet?
I was so excited to hear that your daughter was learning to play the flute. Music may not be your thing… but I am sure your basketball-playing pal Wynton might be able to share a thought or two with you on the subject. I hear he plays horn even better than he shoots hoops!
Now that the Obama White House will have the beautiful tones of a child learning the flute wafting through the air, I have a small request: Can you make it so all children have the same chance?
Every child.
Wouldn’t our educational system, our nation, and our citizens be better off if all our children were able to enjoy the wonderful benefits that come with a complete education an education that includes music?
Now, I know you had a wonderful policy platform on the Arts and Arts education during the campaign. You spoke several times in a very informed and eloquent manner about the subject (a few times were off the cuff and very impressive).
To ensure you and your new team and your other basketball-playing pal who is now our Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan understand the sentiment of many of us in the music and Arts education community, I wanted to share with you some points from a document crafted by a consortium of national organizations engaged in the Arts education field.
Forgive me if you have read this already, but it is well worth repeating:
Arts Education in School, Work, and Life Background
In order to respond to the changing climate of global competitiveness, demographic shifts, and economic disparity, major changes to the delivery of education to our nation’s children are inevitable. As our nation contemplates these changes, and prepares students to be global citizens, the federal commitment to Arts education must be strengthened so that the Arts are implemented as a part of the core curriculum of our schools and are integral to every child’s development. The recommendations below are consistent with your public statements and proposals in support of a comprehensive arts education for every student.
When needed most, the Arts are being cut from our schools.
The public, business leaders, and economic experts agree that the arts are essential to a complete education and preparing a 21st century workforce.
Specific Policy Recommendations
1. Prevent economic status and geographic location from denying students a comprehensive Arts education.
2. Move federal policy beyond simply declaring the Arts as a core academic subject to actually implementing Arts education as an essential subject of learning.
3. Deploy Arts education as an economic development strategy.
In closing, I really appreciate you taking the time to read these recommendations and hope you will give each one the serious consideration they deserve. We have had enough talk by government officials about how important and wonderful the Arts are for the education of our young people; what we need now are actions actions that will change the landscape of access to the wonderful benefits that music and Arts education provide for our students.
You have demanded this for your own children… now how about the rest of our nation’s children, Mr. President?
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Robert B. Morrison
Warren, N.J.
Excerpts included in this column are taken from the document titled “Arts Policy in the New Administration,” which was presented to the incoming Obama Administration on behalf of National Arts Education Organizations.