In a perfect world, there would be unanimity
about music’s sentient meaning for everyone.
In this less perfect one, the educator who is
familiar with the pro-social effects of music
will be more able to make a convincing case.
26 Southwestern Musician | November 2015
BY LARRY LIVINGSTON
F
or many years I have been working on a project called ALL
IN. Essentially a teacher development strategy, ALL IN,
among other things, aspires to increase access to music for
public-school-age students. But more about that later.
I have been a very active conductor in the all-state world, and
this coming year I am blessed once again to conduct a Texas AllState Orchestra. In a lifetime of teaching music and working with
pre-college students across the United States, I have come round
to some thoughts I would like to share, observations harvested
not only from conducting but even more from conversations with
hundreds of music educators. Disinclined to pontificate, I offer
my commentary as fuel for further discussion and feedback. I
thank you in advance for your input.
Let’s start with what we all agree on. Doing music has powerful derivative value for humankind. Neuroscience has delivered
an avalanche of data about the extra-musical impact of musicmaking. When we play, conduct, compose, arrange, or even listen
to music, neurons fire, releasing potent neurotransmitters such
as oxytocin and dopamine. Academic performance, SAT scores,
and graduation rates positively correlate with musical activity. In
the urban setting, there is ample evidence that involvement with
music can lead to drug and gang abatement.
I suggest that, in many ways, the Music Man was right. While
he was a musical fraud, the Music Man persuaded the parents,
the school board, the administration, and the community that
kids who played in band would stay away from the pool hall.
Today, instead of barking from a negative perspective, he might
ALL IN
turn to the positive and speak about improved test scores. ALL IN
strongly urges music educators to bring advocacy arguments to
the table when in dialogue with a principal or, in fact, any of the
key stakeholders in order to sell the justification for music. The
economic and curricular pressures faced by school administrators can make it difficult to support music for music’s sake. In a
perfect world, there would be unanimity about music’s sentient
meaning for everyone. In this less perfect one, the educator who
is familiar with the pro-social effects of music will be more able
to make a convincing case.
Beyond the importance of advocacy, there is another issue
I wish to address. As I have met with so many music teachers, I
continue to marvel both at what they have achieved and, equally,
at how often the narrative is about trophies and winning competitions. Indeed, some of these contest-oriented music educators
claim with pride that only a small percent of the students in their
schools qualify to be in the program. It is true that competitiveness is part of human nature that can lead to higher levels of
accomplishment and to a deeper understanding of what it means
to excel. It also involves discipline, commitment to long-term
goals, and cultivating respect for the collective well-being of the
group.
However, there is a danger inherent in basing music programs
on competitive yardsticks. Not every student has the desire to
participate in such an intense atmosphere. For some individuals,
the very nature of trying to win is anathema. In fact, the disinclination to compete has nothing to do with one’s artistic interests
or talent. If competition alone is the raison d’être of the program,
a cohort of interested students may be left out. Contest ratings,
then, are purchased with the coin of exclusivity.
I am troubled by this point of view. Here is why. I believe we
are all music missionaries, bringing to our schools the poetry
and power of music to the broadest population possible. Seeking
widespread participation in the music program does not obviate
the quest for success. Pervasive and addicting, music speaks to
virtually the entire culture. I have yet to encounter a young person who does not like or love music. The ubiquity of smartphones
and the availability of other inexpensive technological gear have
enlarged the ambitus of musical access for
everyone, and young people seem particularly disposed to taking advantage.
Why, then, is it not our job to invite the
entire school into our music program? If
we are truly committed to changing lives
through music education, and I absolutely
believe we are, can the compass of student
enrollment be inclusive rather than purely
selective? I dream of a school where the
band, orchestra, jazz ensemble, and choir
are excellent, and an entire army of students not in any of these ensembles is also
doing music, whether that be mariachi,
country fiddle, steel drum, rock and roll,
or any other version of the dynamic musical world we now occupy.
Aware of the schedule demands for
the typical music educator, I realize that I
am asking a lot. Perhaps there is too little
time, too many financial constraints, and
too few staff to create programs which are
so rich and diverse. On the other hand,
the notion of being a musical missionary
perforce begs the effort. I am struck by the
opportunities that exist to act on this idea,
that a great music program is defined as
much by the number of students involved
as it is by the number of trophies that
adorn the wall.
I envision the band room becoming,
as well, the music room, a space in which
all manner of creative and inspiring stuff
happens—new compositions, experiments with improvisation, a string quartet vying for rehearsal time with an idiosyncratic ensemble of pop music devotees,
tyros alongside young experts—a cornucopia of vigorous music exploration. And
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before you question its feasibility, know
that I have witnessed it in action!
Syosset HS in Nassau Country, New
York, is just such a school. Fifty percent
of the students in the school participate
in music. Bands, choirs, orchestras, jazz
ensembles, song-writing class, rock band
concerts, theory class, and music itself
abound in Syosset. I spent a day there a
few years ago and was amazed to find that
the look of the school, the facilities, and
equipment were not remarkably different
from so many other schools I have visited or worked in. What is different is the
absolute commitment of the administration, the music supervisor, and the music
educators to the concept that more students doing music is better! Blessed with
a willingness to act on the philosophy of
maximum participation, the ensembles I
observed were outstanding, not compromised by such a broad-based approach to
curricula.
Syosset HS is already an example of
one way to design an ALL IN program.
There are others achieving similar results.
Of course, no one size fits every situation. At the core, ALL IN is about guiding
teachers to take ownership of their school
programs, to think in an entrepreneurial
manner. It is about dramatizing the fact
that the most successful music educators really know who their learners are,
endeavor to build personal relationships
with the students, their colleagues, and
the community. ALL IN can equip music
teachers with the tools for being effective
fundraisers, can show the steps to building a booster group, and can help devise a
flourishing program which is not necessarily modeled after traditional formats.
To find more about ALL IN, go to
www.nafme.org/programs/all-in.
In the end, it is always about the teacher.
An inspiring teacher can change lives. We
are by nature change masters, striving to
enrich and elevate the lives of our students
through music. Imagine a school in which
the miracle of transformation is a gift to
the entire student body.
Larry Livingston is Chair of the Conducting
Department at the USC Flora L. Thornton
School of Music. He will serve as the TMEA
2016 All-State Symphony Orchestra
Conductor and will offer the keynote
address during our convention’s First
General Session, Thursday, February 11.
28 Southwestern Musician | November 2015