If you’re concerned about maintaining the current level of federal funding for the arts, or actually increasing the amount of funding for the arts, take a quick surf over to this website: Arts Vote 2008, and fill out and send the online letter which will be sent (either electronically or on paper) to each of the remaining presidential candidates.

While at the site, you can also visit links to the candidates’ web sites, including pages which state their positions on the arts in American life.

Sorry for the imbalance in political candidates presented here, but only Mike Huckabee of the Republican candidates had responded to the queries of Arts Vote. I’ve presented only (in my view) the remaining viable Democractic candidates’ views - head over to the web site to see everything.

Mike Huckabee:

Music and the arts are not extraneous, extra-curricular, or expendable - I believe they are essential. I want to provide every child these “Weapons of Mass Instruction.”

Hillary Clinton [pdf file]:

Hillary Clinton understands that strong arts programs are part of a well-rounded education that helps enrich the next generation of America’s leaders and develop their abilities to think creatively and independently.

Though she does not explicitly refer to music - for her “the arts” seems to refer only to visual art forms.

John Edwards [pdf file]:

The arts lift our spirits, elevate our thoughts, and draw us closer together. I believe that
there is a national role in nurturing painters, writers, poets, musicians, theatre artists and
other performing artists. We must preserve America’s precious cultural heritage by
supporting museums and performance spaces for theatre, dance and music. The arts also
play an important role in our education system: arts in schools can improve reading and
math, foster self-expression and individual thought, and improve socializing among
children.

Barack Obama [pdf file]:

To remain competitive in the global economy, America needs to reinvigorate the kind of creativity and innovation that has made this country great. To do so, we must nourish our children’s creative skills. In addition to giving our children the science and math skills they need to compete in the new global context, we should also encourage the ability to think creatively that comes from a meaningful arts education. Unfortunately, many school districts are cutting instructional time for art and music education. Barack Obama believes that the arts should be a central part of effective teaching and learning. The Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts recently said “The purpose of arts education is not to produce more
artists, though that is a byproduct. The real purpose of arts education is to create complete human beings capable of leading successful and productive lives in a free society.

Oregon Public Broadcasting will present Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic in their performance of Mahler’s Ninth Symphony (from a performance at Carnegie Hall this past fall) along with bits of performances by Gustavo Dudamel and the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra.

Check out the OPB website for broadcast times (it will also be presented in high-definition, too). Click here for a teaser video and here for details.
PBS affiliates nationwide will also be broadcasting this concert as part of the Great Performances series.

Allan Kozinn of the New York Times offers his solutions to the lack of music curriculum in schools. His main one: go back 40 years and do it as they did - as an integral part of the complete curriculum, from K to 12. [Read more →]