The Vote is In – Music Matters
by Jami Duffy
There is an understanding– spoken and unspoken – that young people are more engaged in their education if they are also involved in creative activities. Having growing up with both a love of art, and with reasonable athletic ability, I found myself on the volleyball court, the track field, sculpting and painting in my high school art studio, and at rehearsal with the thespian crowd.
Looking back, I realize just how fortunate I was to have access to a variety of programs offered by my high school. Most of us have an inherent desire to create something, to be part of a team, and to participate in activities that inspire us. One of my all-time favorite quotes, “When you are inspired, you are creating. And when you are creating, everything is working,” – reminds me just how deep the longing for inspiration truly is. At Flobots.org, we see this desire every day in our students.
Fortunately, Denver voters agree. In the list of things that we have to be proud of as Coloradans, something that ranks high on that list is the passing of the Mill Levy and Bond for Denver Public Schools last November.
Colorado was lagging behind in government funding for school arts programs, even while research showed that students participating in these activities are more likely to excel academically and become involved in leadership opportunities. So, voters took to the polls and approved significant funding for arts, music, and physical education programs in DPS. The question now is what impact might this funding have on the staggering 52% graduation rates in the district?
Schools with music programs have graduation rates of 90.2 percent, as compared with a 72.9 percent rate for schools without music education, according to a 2006 Harris Interactive poll of high school principals funded by the National Association for Music Education and International Music Products Association, known as NAMM. The poll also found that schools with music programs have attendance rates of 93.3 percent, compared with 84.9 percent for those that don’t.
This is why Flobots.org’s programs and the Mill Levy are so crucial. Our school partners recognize that Flobots.org brings something unique and valuable to the table – professional accomplished musicians who are also educators, role models and activists who teach for-credit classes during the school day. In a time when youth are searching for positive interactions with adults outside of their families and schools, Flobots.org is able to meet this need in our classrooms.
Further, our educators come from diverse backgrounds – not unlike the backgrounds of the students that we serve. As such, when students interact with these accomplished and respected musicians who look and speak like they do, they begin to see the possibilities for a brighter future.
And while Flobots.org isn’t specifically a mentoring program, many of our partner artists do end up becoming role models and mentors for the students we serve. We know that young people in high-quality mentoring relationships are more likely to graduate high school and pursue higher education. The Denver music community can now provide those relationships – and that’s why music matters.
Category: localnews2
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