As I watched the inauguration yesterday, I was struck by something in addition to the historical significance of the event. When it comes to the highest degree of ceremony in our land, we turn to that which is often the first to be on the chopping block in tough financial times: the arts. There was singing, poetry, an ensemble of some of the most talented and accomplished instrumental solo artists in the world, discussion of the particular painting featured at the luncheon, grand marches played by a band. Because great societies are often measured by their progress in the arts, we seem to understand intrinsically that these things belong, yet we are often unwilling as a society to preserve them in our education system. For every artist who blessed the nation with their gift yesterday, there was someone who had initially recognized their talent, nurtured it, guided its technical preparation, encouraged its development. Someone introduced Yo-Yo Ma to the cello, and put Aretha Franklin on a stage. These things do not just happen by accident.
The next time you hear the flippant suggestion to cut the arts out of the schools because it’s “nice, but not necessary,” imagine yesterday without the arts… a walk to a podium, an oath, a speech, a walk to whatever comes next… no parades, no balls. Imagine the band members who played “Hail to the Chief,” told in middle school that music would not be offered in their school any more. Imagine if Itzhak Perlman never held a violin. Imagine the featured choir given over to the directorship of someone with no vocal training because the chorus position was cut. These things are happening every day, and someday we may be faced with a quickie courthouse ceremony rather than royal pomp and circumstance befitting a presidential inauguration. Think about it.
Jennifer Erickson
Orange County Public School Teacher
1 year ago
3 comments:
Maestro Salazar used to say that without the Arts we cease to be a civilization -- we become automatons in a factory run by machines.
Wonderful post!
My favorite line from Mr. Holland's Opus is when he says to the principal who has just successfully cut the music and theater program from the high school where he taught music, "If all you teach them is reading and writing pretty soon they'll have nothing to read and write about."
When Rome finally began its final descent into oblivon it was when it ceased to value the arts-when all of their resources went towards military conquest, world domination, power, and monetary gain. Entertainment devolved into blood sport, and music, poetry, theater, and the visual arts exaulted the state or the individual.
Rome fell and we entered the Dark Ages.
May we learn from the lessons of Rome's demise.
That was supposed to read, "exaulted the state OVER the individual". My bad. Too early in the morning!
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