Julia Kebuladze

November 17, 2021

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Children are the future, and they always will be. The way in which we educate our children though, and the structure of K-12 curriculum, will heavily impact that future. In the United States, creativity and arts education has yet to be prioritized, despite having incredible proven benefits applicable to all fields. This has caused music as an academic subject to be pushed to the side, causing major problems in the industry, such as a lack of diversity and dwindling numbers of artists. This piece addresses these issues, policies proposed to solve them, and analyzes why our educational standards are at this point. 

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I sat between my two friends in the audience of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s opening weekend performance. One, an accomplished pianist raised by two musicians, who had been frequenting symphonies and performing since the ripe age of five. The other, a girl studying psychology who grew up in Amish country, her only exposure to instrumental music being her high school band. She felt out of place, but the outcast feeling turned into giddy excitement as the maestro stepped onto the podium, glancing at the audience with a devious smirk. Her expression throughout the performance remained curious and awestruck, responding in a thunderous applause after each piece concluded. The concert was nearly two hours long, featuring Ravel’s second piano concerto and Tchaikovsky’s magnificent fourth symphony. After the fact, she wrapped her arms around me and squeezed, thanking me for taking her to see such beautiful music. My heart warmed, and I felt so grateful that I could show her this hidden side of the world, but so sad that her first nineteen years of living were devoid of this alluring, historic music. For her, like most Americans, the term concerto and name like Tchaikovsky sounds like gibberish, and this is because of a huge gap in education and opportunity when it comes to classical music.  The arts are not appreciated in this country, which, coupled with policies that reflect such an attitude, has resulted in a lack of arts education and diversity in the field. 

There is an existing assumption that classical music is only available to the white, rich, and privileged, which is partly true. It begins with a misunderstanding of the importance of classical music, as many Americans don’t see historical composers to be directly important to their lives or shape any culture. This is a limited perspective though; classical music birthed romanticism, inspiring 20^th century music that influenced blues, jazz, rock, all the way to hip-hop and rap. To supplement my understanding of the comparison between how classical music (and its present-day musical offspring genres) is viewed in this country versus abroad, I interviewed pianist and music educator Tatyana Kebuladze, who grew up in Kiev, Ukraine, before moving to the United States to pursue a degree in piano performance. Raised by a single mother and immigrating to the United States in hopes of a future for her children and her own career, she was the perfect candidate to interview in hopes of understanding the intricate differences of socially perceived value of art in Europe and America:

“There’s a lot more respect in Western Europe, a lot more appreciation in general. Within countries like Germany, almost every town has an opera house, just because it’s so part of their culture and it has been for many centuries. We have a different history of music here, one not ingrained in European classical.”

Apart from the difference in understanding of the art, there are a myriad of problems in the professional classical music field regarding diversity and education. The past ten years is when diversity in both race and gender have entered the professional setting, stemming from a lack of education in public schools, a lack of engagement in this dying art, and a lack of opportunity for those not in the upper middle class. The absence of diversity and opportunity in classical music is not a novel issue, rather one that has plagued the profession for centuries. Historically, performers and composers were professions for the white, upper-class males who could afford a rigorous music education. The situation has improved, but not at the same rate as other aspects of society have, as professional and youth orchestras do not represent the ethnic diversity of the cities and areas they reside in. NBC says that in American orchestras, African Americans make up 1.8 percent of musicians and Hispanics make up 2.5 percent [1]. Clearly, there is a lack of diversity in the field in a diverse country, so there must be further problems in the field in the education side. 

Most professional musicians were given abundant opportunity and resources while learning, but many children may never have the chance to hold an instrument or listen to a symphony, simply because this facet of education is viewed as a trivial after-school activity. 

“I wish parents knew how important it is, rather than seeing music as a last priority activity. The values are completely backwards.”, Kebuladze said.

Fostering creativity in children is not a priority in educational systems, and it seems that to keep future generations engaged and keep the art alive, parents must pay exorbitant prices for private lessons and instruments. This standard is not the same for sports or STEM, as they are a requirement to graduate in some respects, while music is not. These have been long standing issues, and the time to address them is now, before the art dies.

 As mentioned previously, there is a stagnant, elitist atmosphere around classical music that omits minorities. The enrolled population of the Juilliard School is 34.5 percent white, 11.9 percent Asian, 6.25 percent African American, and 5.63 percent Hispanic [2]. Believe it or not, these statistics show improvement in comparison to the past ten years, which showed more exclusive numbers. This is partly due to a new policy introducing blind auditions to professional orchestras, improving the chances of women entering the stage of classical music, but somehow, the policy did not proportionately increase the number of minorities coming into the professional stage [3]. Minority musicians that do, like New York Philharmonic clarinetist Anthony McGill, often share stories about how difficult it can be to succeed without the right mentorship and preparation [1]. There have been efforts made in recent months, creating initiatives to assist and support women and POC players and conductors in US orchestras. For example, the League of American Orchestra’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Resource Center strives to change existing discriminatory systems and acknowledges American Orchestras history of racism to commit to sustained action. Despite these initiatives, there is still a large problem with diversity in orchestras now [4]. This either means that fewer minorities are auditioning for these spots, or that those that do have a lesser background in classical music at the start of college. The critical period for music education starts at an earlier stage, the time where all students are mostly exposed to their future career paths; K-12 education.

            In public school systems in much of the Western hemisphere, music is viewed as an optional subject, placing passion and art as less than academia. For Tatyana though, her childhood education was very different:

“So, in the former Soviet Union there was a system of music schools. Essentially, it’s an after-school program that includes twice a week lessons, chamber music, theory, solfege, choir, orchestra; it’s a full music education. I went to regular school, and then afterwards two to three times a week I went to music school and had access to professional teachers.”

I was taken aback by the amount of access she had at this formative age. Looking further into contemporary Russian education, an article from the International Society for Music Education explained how pre-school children began with activities such as playing noise instruments, singing, dancing, and listening. In grades one through nine, music is a required subject, and until graduation, students take a ‘World Art Culture’ class, “which is designed to integrate the knowledge of schoolchildren in all kinds of art into a single holistic picture of the aesthetic perception of the world” [5]. I asked Tatyana if children participating in these programs wanted to be musicians, and she replied that this was simply a part of the norm for education, and if they did become artists, they would not necessarily fear unemployment; arts educators are appreciated and well paid, as music is seen as a cornerstone of Russian culture [5]. The prospects of employment for musicians have slightly more positive prospects than here, where artists are not paid fairly, gigs are scarce, and programs are poorly funded [6]. The idea that music is a frivolous way to express oneself and a meaningless career, though, is an insular view. Music teaches discipline, patience, and perseverance. There are certain researched benefits as well, such as better language development, increased IQ, greater spatial temporal skills, improved test scores, and of course, having musical capabilities [7]. Dr. Eric Rasmussen, chair of the Early Childhood Music Department at the Peabody Institute, says that “There is some good neuroscience research that children involved in music have larger growth of neural activity than people not in music training. When you’re a musician and you’re playing an instrument, you have to be using more than one part of your brain” [7]. Studying music and playing an instrument has many other benefits than just those that affect our neurochemistry:

Students of music – whether it be at the elementary, middle school, high school, collegiate level, or through self-study – learn self-discipline, expression through sound, enhance technical motor skills, further develop problem solving skills, learn how to cooperate and collaborate with others, and learn how to ignite the creative and critical mind. Most importantly, the student can come away understanding that music offers all those qualities in addition to the enjoyment in listening casually or with great attention. Anyone who is educated in music learns these skills whether they know it or not. People who do not make a career in music but have studied it will take these skills and apply it to their everyday lives and career. [8]

This quote from composer Gilbert Galindo highlights the educational importance of music, yet this proven correlation is still not enough for school systems to prioritize music education. Even music as an academic subject is disparaged.  “Music reflects a society’s fears, religious beliefs, words, mathematical patterns, histories, wars” [8], Galindo continues, and without this perspective, a fraction of history is lost. A composer who illustrates music with historical importance is Dmitri Shostakovich, born in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1906. Much of his life’s work contributed to a unique harmonic language, as well as an emotional time capsule of Stalin’s repressive regime. He wrote his fifth symphony during the height of the Stalinist Purges in 1937, after emerging from a period of musical banishment, an important piece to study when learning about the time-period [9]. NPR in their ‘Hearing History’ podcast dissects the piece, asking “Is the blatant patriotic fervor emblematic of Shostakovich’s desire to please his comrades, or a genuine outburst of love for his homeland? Or is it an extreme form of irony, ingeniously straddling both sides of a dangerous abyss?” [9]. History classes could certainly benefit from having music as a part of the curriculum. Musical compositions and testaments from the composers offer direct sources and give emotional context to history, and learning these instruments lets the student directly relate to these sources. This history additionally gives us context to the musical evolutions until today. This historical education should include jazz, rock, and music from other cultures that have influenced music today. Nevertheless, this history begins with classical music, and other genres such as jazz would not exist without it’s influences, nor would modern classical music exist without the contributions of African American jazz musicians and influences from other cultures.

Because of the substandard education offered, students and parents rely on self-discovery rather than a school-based curriculum, but choosing this path is a tumultuous one at best. The private lessons, years of choir, summer festivals, and chamber ensembles are a great way for students to fully immerse themselves in the world of classical music, but these opportunities are not available to everyone for one underlying reason: expense of finance and expense of time. This is not an issue everywhere though. I asked Ms. Kebuladze what her after school program cost back in Kiev, and she responded:

“Even though I was raised by a single mother, the comprehensive after school program was subsidized by the government, so it was still really affordable. The program wasn’t a requirement starting from first grade, but many participated anyways since it was so affordable, you didn’t have to break the bank to have this, and most children were able to.” 

The situation was not the same for Tatyana when she had her own children and decided that classical music was going to be a priority in their education as well. I can testify to this as her daughter; I started my classical training at age three, began performing at five, attending concerts at six, participating in orchestra at nine, and left home for summer music festivals at twelve. I had always known this was a commitment of time and cost, but I never truly understood how much of a sacrifice it was until I asked for an estimate:

“I could easily estimate, to offer you and your brother a rigorous musical education until age eighteen, with all the tuition and instruments and traveling, at least $200,000. And it was a privilege I could afford that, but I wish it wasn’t something I had to afford in the first place. Because of that, there’s an assumption that if you take music lessons, you must be rich, but that’s not the case. My educational priorities for my children were just, well, different. Rather than spending that same amount of money in gymnastics or sports or science camp, I invested in music.”

$200,000 is obviously not a number to scoff at (especially considering my parents struggled to build their wealth in this country coming with nothing to their names), and it isn’t a number that includes the mental stress of driving four times a week for rehearsals, the hours of travel to get to summer festivals, and the sacrifices made on my own part: missing out on school activities, losing any semblance of free time, and giving up a regular part-time job. I gawked at her and asked if that insanely high number was worth it. She replied “absolutely”, and I would have to agree with her. Music taught me so much that applied to all other subjects, it gave me an artistic context to much of history, and this expensive foundation admitted me to higher level orchestras and festivals. On a personal level, the tenacity it took me to learn the violin has made it easier for me to apply patience and diligence to more difficult academic classes. The musicality I have gained has granted me the ability to harness greater creativity in academic subjects, and the application of music to much of history has given me a near first-person perspective of what the time-period felt like. Learning this history has been helpful for other types of music as well; for those reading that attend the University of Pittsburgh, I highly recommend taking the History of Jazz, as its roots intertwine with the history of this nation and racism in a myriad of ways. The education was worth it for my family, but the enormity of the sacrifice stops many from pursuing it.

This expense is great to all, but the socio-economic gap that disproportionately affects minorities even more so excludes some from pursuing this art. There is some hope, as policy continues to evolve to reconcile these issues, but there is a history of poor development to build upon. “Until the 19^th century, there were few universally accepted conventions surrounding music education and how they should be implemented into the education system” [10], causing music education to vary from school to school. Not much changed until the post-Civil war era, where music had to prove it’s worth to school systems as something more than an aesthetically pleasing subject in a pragmatic and profit-driven society. This attitude would remain throughout the next two centuries, until it began to be encouraged at a high school level, introducing bands and orchestras as after-school activities. These developments created a need for the formation of the National Association for Music Educators (NAFME), which was instrumental in the three most modern acts surrounding music education: the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, the No Child Left Behind Act, and most recent Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

The National Association for Music Education advocates for public policy on a federal level, recently sending letters to President Joe Biden calling for a reinstatement of arts, foreign language, geography re-assessments to the National Assessment of Educational Progress calendar for a well-rounded education, as defined in the Every Student Succeeds Act [11] . This bill, passed in 2015, replaced its predecessor, the No Child Left Behind Act, modifying existing standardized tests and ensuring a diverse education that includes arts. The No Child Left Behind Act was an attempt to change school’s curriculum as test scores in the country began to decline, but an analysis by Rosalind G. Greisz exposes its flaws, as it did little to advocate for the fine and performing arts. Perhaps this is because the act came about in 2001; a time where the computer and internet were commonplace in most homes, so a greater emphasis on technological advances and post 9/11, so a greater emphasis on STEM to strengthen the country’s educational capabilities.  

The new, federal ‘No Child Left Behind’ law, has changed a lot of things in school… Reading and math are the only subjects tested by national exams, so schools are desperate to have their students do well in those subjects… Something’s wrong here. Any time teaching is done just to help kids pass an exam, it’s wrong. The purpose of teaching is to provide an education, not to help kids pass a test… Subjects like science, art, history, and music are being taught very little in a lot of schools. We’re going to raise a generation of cultural idiots – people who don’t know Beethoven from Mozart, Cezanne from Van Gogh, or Albert Einstein from Charles Darwin. [10]

NCLB left a heavy emphasis on testing, and based on its language, it was created to deal with a long-term problem in a short-term manner. The act did not account for the economic nuances that create a successful, well-rounded education for students, and much discretion was given to the Secretary of Education. This creates a dangerous opportunity for the Secretary to take away from on-budget spending (on-budget meaning negotiable and susceptible to budgetary change, off-budget meaning non-negotiable spending) [10].  

ESSA is a beacon of hope for music education, as the act allows the use of federal funding to increase access for all school districts. According to the League of American Orchestras, “the highest poverty schools currently have the least access to music education, denying many students all of the advantages that a complete music education can provide ” [12], but with this new act, things may change. The act received bi-partisan support and was signed into law by President Obama, calling on policymakers to close gaps in access to arts education in our nation’s public schools [12]. Under this act, subjects once squeezed out of student’s schedules would find their way back into the classroom, and student learning would become portfolio and project-based rather than reliant on standardized testing. The act is an attempt to deliver socio-economic growth through arts education, rather than simply raise test scores like NCLB. The act also allows Title 1 federal funds, essential to highest poverty schools, to be used by state and local school systems to provide increased access to these subjects [13]. Education has the power to overcome neglect, and with these policies, this may become possible. Mary Deissler, President and CEO of North Carolina’s Charlotte Symphony is relieved by this act; “We’ve spent so many years defending ourselves, if you will, since those awful cuts that happened in the 80’s and 90’s when music was virtually eliminated from the public-school curriculum” [14]. 

            However, change may not be right around the corner just yet. Many leaders have acknowledged that ESSA’s changes won’t magically appear; there is no federal mandate that children will specifically gain a music education, it is simply up to local stakeholders to ensure it as part of a ‘well-rounded’ education [14]. The act puts pressure on state and local governments, who don’t directly have the power to bridge the socio-economic gap; this is an issue that won’t be wholly fixed by simply providing more diverse arts courses. Music is still not seen as a priority culturally, and until it is, local lawmakers’ decisions will continue to be made surrounding programs that make schools money, like sports and theater and STEM. This is not to say that funding these programs is not important, conversely, music should be put up there with those areas of study as an option for children to seriously pursue. 

Acts like ESSA may be able to enact real change, and even if it doesn’t produce more musicians, perhaps future generations will understand the historical importance of the art, support symphonies by attending concerts, and continue to be enthralled by the gorgeous sounds of classical music. The art will die on the backs of the rich, white, and powerful if they continue to be the only ones with access to this education:

The role of arts and music in our society fill a void that we all need in order to enrich ourselves and our culture, they provide alternate infinite experiences, and continue to keep us human. [8]

That is how Gilbert Galindo closes his piece about the importance of music, and it is how I will close mine. These acts and policies are not about creating diversity for diversity’s sake; generations of potential talented musicians have been lost due to economic disparities, unable to fuel their passions financially. The dissipation of classical music appreciation is a huge gap in America’s understanding of history, one that does not acknowledge the impact of art and music on culture. We are the one species gifted with the ability to create, and we have squandered it by placing profit and productivity as a top priority. When art can be important once more, perhaps a girl’s first symphony concert won’t be when she’s nineteen years old. It’s never too late, though, as my two friends and I, however different our backgrounds in music are, will be going to the next Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Concert together again.  

Sources:

[1] Matthew Vann. “Lack of diversity in top orchestra remains a major challenge for musicians of color”. NBC News. July 14, 2018. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/lack-diversity-top-orchestras-remains-major-challenge-musicians-color-n891386

[2] “Data USA The Juilliard School”. Data USA. 2019. https://datausa.io/profile/university/the-juilliard-school#:~:text=The%20enrolled%20student%20population%20at%20The%20Juilliard%20School%20is%2034.5,American%20Indian%20or%20Alaska%20Native

[3] Curt Rice. “How Blind Auditions help orchestras to eliminate gender bias”. The Guardian. October 14, 2013. https://www.theguardian.com/women-in-leadership/2013/oct/14/blind-auditions-orchestras-gender-bias

[4] “Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Resource Center”. League of American Orchestras. https://americanorchestras.org/learn/equity-diversity-and-inclusion/

[5] Alla Toropova, Valeri Brainin, Dina Kirnarskaya, Nelly Suslova. “Activity in the Context of Music Education in Contempotary Russia. https://www.isme.org/news/russsme-activity-context-music-education-contemporary-russia

[6] Anonymous. “Why are our schools pushing classical music to margins?”. Gramophone Co UK. August 23, 2016. https://www.gramophone.co.uk/other/article/why-are-our-schools-pushing-classical-music-to-the-margins 

[7] Laura Lewis Brown. “The Benefits of Music Education”. PBS. May 7, 2012. https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/the-benefits-of-music-education

[8] Gilbert Galindo. “The Importance of Music in our Society”. Gilbert Gilando’s website. November 2003. https://www.gilbertgalindo.com/importanceofmusic#:~:text=Music%20can%20raise%20someone’s%20mood,we%20experience%20in%20our%20lives.

[9] Marin Alsop. “Hearing History in Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony”. NPR. September 23, 2006. https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6126580

[10] Rosalind G. Greisz. “National Legislations and its Effects on Music Educators”. Virtual Commons – Bridgewater State University. December 7, 2020. https://vc.bridgew.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1433&context=honors_proj

[11] “NAfME Public Policy Hub”. National Association for Music Education. 2021. https://nafme.org/advocacy/public-policy/

[12] “Every Student Succeeds Act: Resources for Orchestra”. League of American Orchestras. https://americanorchestras.org/every-student-succeeds-act-resources-for-orchestras/

[13] Jesse Rosen. “Next Steps in Closing the Gap in Arts Education in Our Schools”. Huffington Post. Updated December 6, 2017. https://americanorchestras.org/every-student-succeeds-act-resources-for-orchestras/

[14] Steven Brown. “Music Education for All Students”. League of American Orchestras. 2016. https://americanorchestras.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Music-Education-for-All-Students.pdf