Marvin Hamlisch, maestro of the perfect note

The late composer Marvin Hamlisch moved effortlessly across film, theater and TV, creating unforgettable music with the power to unleash tears and laughter.  He inspired this educator to understand WHAT I DID FOR LOVE.

by Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times Film Critic

August 8, 2012, 8:00 a.m.

Hearing the news of Marvin Hamlisch's sudden passing, I am suddenly awash in the sound of his music and the flood of tears unleashed by its memory. There are movies that would not have been the same without it, and a Broadway musical that will never be forgotten for it.

But what Hamlisch perhaps played best was the human heartstrings, plucking at our emotions one by one, ranging across the octaves of sadness and joy, letting the feelings resonate for as long as he dared.

Three Oscars, a Tony, four Emmys, four Grammys — they seem now the briefest of nods, insufficient for a lifetime's work of filling our films, Broadway musicals and TV shows with his artistry.

PHOTOS: Marvin Hamlisch | 1944-2012

Imaginations More Active Despite Less Play Time, Study Shows

Valerie Rodriguez, left, lies still as a classmate outlines her body during
playtime earlier this year at a Head Start program at the George
Miller Children's Center in Richmond, Calif.

—Ramin Rahimian for Education Week-File

from EDUCATION WEEK by Sarah D. Sparks June 26, 2012

Students today may have less time for free play, but new research suggests their imaginations have actually sharpened compared with children two decades ago.


In an analysis published in May 2011 in the Creativity Research Journal and posted online last month, researchers from Case Western University in Cleveland found elementary school children in 2008 were significantly more imaginative and took greater comfort in playing make-believe than their counterparts in 1985 despite having less time either during or after school for free play.


“We did think everything was going to get worse, because if play time is going down, you’d think children wouldn’t be able to engage in play as well as they used to,” said Sandra W. Russ, a professor of psychology, who co-authored the study with Case Western doctoral student Jessica A. Dillon.


“We knew from talking with children that they didn’t play with toys as much as they used to. So we were surprised by the finding, and we think it’s important.”

Report: Fewer elementary schools offering visual arts, drama, dance; poor students hurt most

REPRINTED FROM THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE

MIAMI - Elementary schools without drama classes. High schools with large numbers of poor students that do not offer music.

Those are two of the bleaker pictures that emerged Monday from a report by the U.S. Department of Education on the state of arts education.

Fewer public elementary schools are offering visual arts, dance and drama classes than a decade ago, a decline many attribute to budget cuts and an increased focus on math and reading. The percentage of elementary schools with a visual arts class declined from 87 to 83 percent. In drama, the drop was larger: From 20 percent to 4 percent in the 2009-10 school year.

Wide-Spread Arts Education Cuts in US Schools

MetLife Survey shows Arts Cuts. An Education Week blog summarizes from the newly released MetLife survey of teachers. The survey reports on the impact of budget cuts, teacher layoffs, curriculum, and parent involvement. When 1001 teachers were asked about the reducation or elimination of arts or music programs: 23% reported programs were reduced. Of that 23%, 23% taught elementary; 33% taught grades 6 - 8; and 32% taught high school. So it seems the cuts were pretty evenly spread across grade levels. Teachers also reported cuts to foreign languages and physical education programs. More than one third (36%) of teachers report that during the past 12 months there have been reductions or eliminations of arts or music (23%), foreign language (17%) or physical education (12%) programs. Overall, these reductions or eliminations are more likely to be reported among teachers in urban areas than in suburban or rural areas (46% vs. 32% vs. 32%)... Teachers in schools with more than two-thirds minority students are more likely than other teachers to report that there have been reductions or eliminations of arts or music programs at their school (30% vs. 19%). Teachers were not asked specifically about the budget impact in any other content area. The data come from the 28th annual MetLife Survey of the American Teacher.

OUR FOUNDER IS HONORED

We are pleased to announce that our NEA Fine Arts Caucus Co-Founder Has Been Honored by the NEA and the Fine Arts Caucus at the 2011 NEA Represtative Assembly in Chicago, Illinois—We are Humbled by Your Contributions to OUR Students Bob

Robert A. Lague is a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music with a Bachelor's degree in Music Education and a Master's degree in Applied Piano.  He studied Choral Direction with Lorna Cooke DeVaron and piano with Alfred Lague, his father, and Howard Goding.  Alfred, a former RIMEA President, and Bob gave many duo-piano concerts together. 

Mr. Lague was President of the NEC Chorus and a bass from Massachusetts in the Bicentennial Chorus of America under the direction of Lukas Foss.

NEA Fine Arts Task Force Final Recommendations 2/22/2011

MEMO

TO:              Dennis Van Roekel, President

                        National Education Association

FROM:           Princess Moss, NEA Executive Committee

                        Fine Arts Task Force Co-Chair

                        Greg Johnson, NEA Executive Committee

                        Fine Arts Task Force Co-Chair

DATE:         February 22, 2011

RE:             Fine Arts Task Force Proposed Recommendations—New Business Item 2010-86

The NEA president established a Fine Arts Task Force in response to NBI 2010-86—adopted by the 2010 NEA Representative Assembly (RA)—which provides as follows:

Cutting Funding to the NEA

8 votes. That was the narrow vote margin of 217 to 209 by which the House approved Rep. Tim Walberg’s amendment to cut an additional $20.5 million from the already reduced budget of the National Endowment for the Arts. We were so close. All but 3 Democrats voted against the arts funding cut, but only 22 out of 241 Republicans voted against the cut. You can see how your Representative voted and watch the video excerpts from the floor debate.

The Skills Connection Between the Arts and 21st-Century Learning

Arts Education and 21st-Century Skills
By Bruce D. Taylor of Education Week
Published in Print: February 2, 2011, as Not for Art's Sake Only

Few of us could disagree that today’s students must be taught the necessary skills to function in an increasingly complex, conceptual, and globalized 21st-century society and economy. Students have to acquire so-called “habits of mind” that will enable them to develop the skills of creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. In addition, they must be able to communicate effectively, collaborate with people different from themselves, exercise initiative, and be self-directed.

What the Election Results Mean for the Arts

Most of the nation has happily put the elections behind them and are looking forward to the holidays but here at the Arts Action Fund we wanted to take a few moments to explain what the elections mean for the arts and arts education.

There will be more than 100 freshmen entering Congress this year – 16 new Senators and 94 new Representatives. This new group entering the House of Representatives means the House will switch from a Democratic majority to a Republican majority. Why does this matter for the arts? Well, it means that

What Do the Election Results Mean for the Public Education and the Arts

The 2010 elections featured 37 Governors races, 37 U.S. Senate contests, 435 U.S. House races, dozens of ballot measures and initiatives, 6,118 state legislative seats in 46 states and myriad local elections across the country. As of this writing, Republicans have picked up at least 60 seats in the House. Republicans also picked up significant seats in the U.S. Senate, but Democrats still have enough seats to control the chamber. There are several races too close to call/likely recounts in both the House and Senate, thus, the ultimate makeup of the 112th Congress will not be known for several more weeks.

Leadership in Arts Education

LeaderTalk Contributor on September 29, 2010 10:09 AM

October is National Arts & Humanities Month. With the push in our country for greater accountability (i.e. higher test scores) and an emphasis on STEM education, too frequently the arts get short shrift. At best, they suffer from reduced funding for supplies and materials. At worst, they are cut completely from our schools.

City High principal asks for more money for performing arts

BY MARIA GIBBS | SEPTEMBER 29, 2010 7:20 AM

City High Principal John Bacon spoke at Tuesday's School Board meeting about City High's performing-arts expansion project, saying the current budget of $4.5 million would meet the needs of current students but not the needs in the coming years.

EdTA to form advocacy task force

The Educational Theatre Association has begun accepting applications from its members to serve on the newly forming EdTA Advocacy Task Force. The mission of the group is to promote the interests of the organization and the field on national, state, and local issues that impact K-12 theatre education. The task force will include one representative from each of EdTA’s four regions, an at-large representative, the executive director, and the EdTA director of educational policy.

WE WON FOR KIDS, TEACHERS, SCHOOLS!

GREAT NEWS!  We won!  I just received an email from Dennis Van Roekel and the Jobs Bill passed.  Thanks to everyone of you who helped us win for students, teachers, schools and our country.  Here's the scoop from Dennis.

Dear Delegates,

You did it! Just moments ago, the U.S. House of Representatives passed $10 billion in education jobs funding that the U.S. Department of Education estimates will save 161,000 jobs in public schools across the country.

This funding, which was approved by the Senate last week, will be signed into law by Pres. Obama, and will help many schools throughout the country decrease class sizes and restore critical programs our students need to be successful.

Dennis to Delegates D2D Discussion Thread on Caucus Work and Motions to Refer at the RA

http:///www.dennis2delegates.com

"If you're not at the table, you're on the menu."Dennis Van Roekel 2010 Midwest Regional Conference

If you haven't joined Dennis to Delegates (D2D), you should.  It's a site that Dennis developed to stay connected to RA delegates throughout the year.  I recently posted looking to make some contacts for state caucus building for the NEA Fine Arts Caucus.  We know that Dennis reads these posts.  So, some of our concerns will be brought to his attention through the site.  The conversation ended up evolving.  Some interesting discussion has taken place about our caucus and the effort to "batch refer" items and not allow speakers or caucuses to address their concerns.  Check it out.

Arts in America from the July 4, 2010 RA Celebration

Music educator Princess Moss made the Fine Arts Caucus proud in her portion of the July 4, 2010 Independence Day Celebration.  At the request of many members, we include this for your use.

In the long history of man, countless empires and nations have come and gone. Those which created no lasting works of art are reduced today to short footnotes in history's catalogue.

Art is a nation's most precious heritage, for it is in our works of art that we reveal to ourselves and to others the inner vision which guides us as a nation. And where there is no vision, the people perish.

This new bill creating the National Foundation for the Arts and Humanities gives us the power to turn some of those dreams and ideas into reality. We would not have this bill but for the hard and thorough and dedicated work of some of our great legislators in both houses of the Congress. These men and women have worked long and hard and effectively to give us this bill.

Press Release: ASCD, Partner Organizations Release ESEA Recommendations

ASCD and Partner Education Organizations Release Consensus Policy Recommendations for Well-Rounded Education in ESEA & Advocate for the Arts

Alexandria, VA (July 29, 2010)—During a policy briefing on Capitol Hill today, ASCD and 20 major education organizations, which represent a wide array of subject areas, released consensus recommendations for how the federal government can better support core subjects beyond reading and math.

Aretha Franklin & Condoleezza Rice Perform Benefit for Arts Education

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Condoleezza Rice is no stranger to the whims of royalty. So when the Queen of Soul herself, Aretha Franklin, decided the two should get together to play a song or two for charity, it was decreed.

The former U.S. secretary of state and Franklin took the stage Tuesday evening at Philadelphia's Mann Music Center in a rare duet for Rice, the classically trained pianist, and Franklin, the divalicious voice of a generation. Their aim was to raise money for urban children and awareness for music and the arts.