[Dixielandjazz] Who'd have thunk it?? - Music Education Mandates??

[Steve Barbone]

It wasn't so long ago that we were bitching about the cutbacks in, or total
lack of, music and arts education in the schools. Times seem to be changing.

Governor Kathleen Blanco of Louisiana just signed into law Act 175 mandating
the visual and performing arts for all schools. Full implementation of the
law is scheduled for the 2010/2011 school year and will require all students
to have music and the arts as a part of their basic education. The Louisiana
law was largely based on the Arkansas legislation that mandated music and
art instruction for all children starting with the 2005/2006 school year.
Louisiana is now the first state to replicate the Arkansas legislation.
Music for All worked closely with Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee along with
music and arts advocates to pass the model legislation.

And New York City, under a Mayor Bloomberg directive, has implemented music
and arts programs and will now grade school principals on how well their
schools run such programs.

Wouldn't it be nice if the rest of these United States followed the lead of
Arkansas, Louisiana and New York City Those progressive (and wealthier)
states like California which have cut back music and arts programs should
damn well be ashamed of themselves.

Perhaps we should get more proactive in  our states to implement similar
programs? Momentum seems to with us.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone