Elton John - "It's tragic that music is being taken out of schools."

Is that as true on this side of the Atlantic?

Interview here. Quite short.

Elton John: ‘It’s tragic that music is being taken out of schools’ - Classic FM

 

The music classes I had at school were pretty much a waste of time anyway. We sang a few fairly juvenile songs in the early grades, played recorder in middle school, and I did one year of music in high school, playing clarinet, which I didn't really care for. This was all through the '60s, when the charts were filled with great pop tunes. No music class I recall ever mentioned any of them. We didn't even listen to any of the top classical music pieces.

 

Little Steven has made quite a long-term project of tackling this trend.

"The Rock and Roll Forever Foundation was founded to provide a simultaneous solution to two escalating problems, music classes being cut, and a high school drop out epidemic."

 

If you look upon school as something that is supposed to enable students to earn a living, music is being overlooked. How many years of math do you take in school? How many students in any given school are going to earn a living being mathematicians? Now, how many people earn money-at least on the side-as musicians? And how many people provide music for your entertainment in your daily environment? When was the last time a mathematician entertained you?

Part of the problem with today's schooling is that it's entirely academic-minded. It's as if they think every student is going to become a college professor. Yet most students are never going to do that. People tend to forget that one of the traditional routes out of poverty for kids from working-class families was to earn a living being a musician. By cutting off music classes, schools are screwing over working-class kids who might not have the ability (or inclination) to work a middle-class desk job, but who might become a professional musician. Schools have a one-size-fits-all curriculum that is deeply in denial about the fact that not all students have the same innate talents.

 

I wish I knew then what I know now about having a passion for playing. That can take time to develop and, frankly, schools aren’t always good enough at that because it’s often treated (at the beginning level, at least) like any other class... loads of kids with little one-on-one, and students who don’t always see the value of music because they don’t have a really legitimate chance to explore it. That scenario is hard on the kids and the teacher.

I remember my beginning band class in high school. The teacher literally had to go around to each kid, show him/her what to play and then by the time he got to the last kid, the period was over and we never really played anything. By the next day, we kind of forgot what we were supposed to do from the prior day. I swear I barely remember playing one song the whole semester. Obviously, that’s not always the case with these classes, but I never had the proper encouragement and motivation to get better. It was usually the self-motivated kids (or ones encouraged at home) who went on to a higher level at school.

And most of us weren’t playing an instrument we truly liked. You had to pick a typical orchestra instrument and hope no one picked what you wanted before the limited amount of each instrument was chosen. (And it seemed a little kid was always stuck with the tuba at my school.)

I love music and wish everyone could play an instrument. But I’m not sure schools are really setup to do that beyond the kids who are already musically inclined. We’re barely getting a high number of kids to make it through English, Math, etc. Taking a kid with little-to-no musical talent and instilling something long-lasting is a tough ask in the overcrowded environment most schools are dealing with today when they’re judged and compared with other schools more on their success rates in the three Rs and sporting success than anything else.

That’s not to say we give up, but I wonder if after-school programs (hopefully supported with grants or other money so any kid can attend) is a better fit. There’s no need to “grade” students... it can take as long as it needs to for a kid to develop their interest... it provides a good place for kids to put their energy after school if there’s no one at home because of working parents... and you can perhaps get beyond the typical band instruments and throw in some guitars, computers to make electronic music, etc. Music can be more than just the marching band instruments.

I hope Little Steven has success with his program, because I simply don’t have much confidence in the typical public school system figuring this out on their own.

I look back at everything I just wrote and think, “Of course, I could be totally wrong.”

 

Mathematics is pretty important for many jobs.

 

I was taught about the great classical composers and there work, Bach, Amadeus, Beethoven, Chopin, Handel, Tchaikovsky, ECT in public elementary school, circa 2000.

 

That is very true, but I feel every subject should be equally taught until a student shows a gift or excels greatly in a specific field, rather than to be a jack of all trades.

 

Yes.

 

"Mathematics is pretty important for many jobs."

Math isn't used much beyond the 6th grade level for most jobs. Mathematicians, physicists, and engineers certainly use it, but beyond that, most people who use math for work end up using statistics rather than algebra, geometry, or calculus. Statistics, by the way, is barely taught at all below the college level, which is another example of misdirected curriculum. Besides, most computers can do your calculations for you in this day and age. But there is no computer than can compose worthwhile music by itself.

Part of the problem is that musical instruments are expensive, and school districts don't want to spend the money to buy them. Administrators can't collect those 200,000+ salaries if they start spending money on specialized equipment. For that matter, does anyone actually have a shop class in school anymore? Those have been phased out of school districts. Yet how many guys end up doing construction for a living? The modern school district does nothing to provide training for working-class people.

 

I hated the music subject when I was in primary school. Enough said

 

I've always wanted to teach a rock and roll/pop music class for grade school/middle school/high school kids. I'd have a phonograph, great stereo speakers, films and videos to listen to and discuss. More like a music appreciation/history class. Cuz that stuff also borders on real history, culture, morality, and can be done in an exciting way. I wonder if they do that nowadays? If the students feel close to it, they would continue to explore that side of themselves outside of class.

 

Of course you are correct but it shouldn't be an either/ or matter.

Many studies have suggested that listening to and learning to play baroque music helps in developing mathematical ability.

 

As much as I love music and am a musician/vocalist, I think there are way too many extracurricular activities in school and outside of school. Im speaking as a USA citizen. We use to be more focused on that which progressed, now we are just dumbed down. And tapping wooden sticks together or tapping on a meddle triangle isnt going solve the problem.

Throughout jr high into college I was focused on music. I would have been better off simply focusing more on my studies instead of daydreaming about becoming the next big thing. Thats the truth of the matter whether it comes to after school dance, football practice or whatever.

 

I totally agree. The arts should always be relevant and available in school curriculums

 

Interesting. I vaguely remember being the Triangle player, which may tell people something about my apparent musical talents in Grade 8

And don't remember much else not much else about music from any of my school years. Not sure why I ended up being such a music-listening fanatic who has almost no technical knowledge of what I am enjoying. Genes?

 

That's a really interesting observation (the expense). As for shop, I do remember that, and also Phys Ed, which I also gather may have faded away. Related to the obesity epidemic?

 

I have 2 kids in school in the UK.

Child 1 is 13 and is learning the Violin, it's an extra class with 1 other child, she isn't learning this during the normal music lesson, she is taken out of another class for this. Also the school itself isn't providing the lesson, it is contracted out, the school does provide the violin though. We have subsidised costs which make it very affordable.

Child 2 is 10 and is learning the guitar the whole class started but once they had gotten rid of the ones not interested there are only 4 left, she will get a guitar for christmas and will carry on next year in secondary school, doing the same as child 1.

Child 2 is also part of a brass band, (old miners welfare) and has lessons once a week as part of a group, which she also started at school, although this is no longer available as the tutor is getting on and is only doing the welfare class now.

Both had lessons in the clarinet when they were 9 with the rest of their class. All the instruments have been provided free of charge so far.

I can't complain. I'm not sure whether school funding here is affected by who runs the local council, like other services are, but at the moment, were doing okay although the council has just changed and were already seeing the effects of that on other services so it might change.

 

Maybe you were already a music-listening fanatic (perhaps a dormant one, if you started late), and you don't remember much about class because, as in my case, what you were supposed to learn wasn't very interesting?