Posted by Joe Baker on August 15, 2001 at 15:33:32:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: question from a non-tubist posted by Rick Denney on August 15, 2001 at 13:34:42:
Rick, we don't disagree on much.
I don't consider a person 'rounded' if he can't communicate effectively, perform job functions competently, order his own priorities, relate to those around him, and experience and express the beauty of creation. Everyone who comes into contact with a child should be trying to foster one or more of these attributes. I strongly believe that job one at the school (after insuring the general safety of students) is to teach what we used to call 'solids': math, English, history, geograpy, and science. A close second is to introduce students to activities and studies that probably won't directly land them a job, but will help them to develop thinking skills, or just to be more worthwhile human beings. Music, art, drama, speech, theology (in PRIVATE schools only, of course) and philosophy fall into this category. I think it's also a fine thing for the school to introduce students to physical activities, to help them learn to take care of themselves physically. Some sports do take a lot of creative and adaptive thinking or strategy, and I believe these can foster mental growth (though of a different kind) just like participation in music. Of course, these are not rigid categories, and most classes yield SOME benefits of each type.
Regarding band as a team-building activity: as a parent, I only get a couple of hours a day with my kids, whereas the school has them for 8 hours per day - 8 hours when they are surrounded by hundreds of other people, not the 3-5 we have in our house at any given time. And these are peers. I spend a lot of one-on-one time with my kids, so they won't learn that much about PEER cooperation from me. So I do think that we should look for other opportunities to help teach and reinforce good interpersonal skills. For some kids, sports accomplish this (not me - I was NOT an athletic kid, and my own team usually wanted to beat me up). For others, musical ensembles can teach these lessons. It might not be enough justification, by itself, for music programs, but it is surely a worthwhile result. Even if you think it IS purely the parents' role to teach these lessons, consider that many parents spend NO time with their kids. What is to become of those kids? Let them learn about teamwork from some gang? As a society, we are richer - philosophically and economically - if we teach these kids to interact politely and constructively.
But my main point was that preparing a child for a career in music - or dance, or photography, or most other arts - is not something that public schools (other than special schools in very large districts) are equipped to do. A parent who has the privilege of having a child with extraordinary talent must bear the responsibility of finding the means to develop it.
Joe Baker, who does in fact admire C. S. Lewis and his writings a very great deal.