Unlike smoking. ;-) > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Andy Driscoll > Sent: Wednesday, September 15, 2004 8:41 PM > To: Minneapolis Issues > Subject: Re: [Mpls] Arts & Music > > > This is one truly lost cause. The view is not worth confronting. > > Andy Driscoll > St. Paul > > on 9/15/04 7:22 PM, Michael Atherton wrote: > > > > > David Brauer wrote: > > > >> Because there's more to life than standardized tests - such as > >> music and art. > > > > Standardized tests shouldn't represent much more than a day or > > two a year of a child's life, but the failure to receive a > > basic education can impact an entire lifetime. Just ask > > the tens of thousands of African American males who are currently > > incarcerated in this country. > > > > As a high school dropout I can tell you that the importance > > of art and music is over-appreciated compared to the ability > > to earn a living wage. The percentage of people making a > > living wage through art and music is probably on par with > > that of those making a living in professional sports. > > > >> This is the insidiousness of the test-performance culture: > >> anything you can't measure that way gets obliterated. > > > > The insidiousness of poverty is that you CAN measure its > > negative effects. > > > >> I know test-measured skills are critical. But more critical > >> is a well-rounded education for the whole mind. > > > > Well-rounded don't mean squat when you're sitting in a jail cell. > > This perspective seems very class-centric. Maybe we should > > have a parent exchange program and let middle-class parents > > live in poverty for a while to make them more well rounded. > > > >> One of my biggest fears for the Mpls schools is they won't be > >> able/allowed to educate all expressions of intelligence. > > > > "All expressions of intelligence?" Drug dealing is an > > expression of intelligence, should the Mpls schools be > > able/allowed to teach it? > > > >> Not to mention that music, especially, is an excellent way to > >> learn math. > > > > Music is not an excellent way to teach math, math is an > > excellent way to teach math. The mathematics you can teach > > with music is very limited. > > > > and WizardMarks wrote: > > > >> The reason kids are given music and art opportunities in schools > >> ties directly with how the brain develops. Art develops > hand/eye/mind > >> connections. Music is important to mathematical brain > development. It > >> cannot be optional, no matter the circumstances of each > particular child > >> vis-a-vis the language school is taught in. It's probably > more important > >> to those for whom English is a second language. > > > > Well great here we are in an area that I actually happen to know > > a little something about, it just happens to be my area of research. > > Music and art don't tie more directly to how the brain develops than > > any other type of specialized perceptual or motor activity (and I'll > > be able to refute any reference you come up with). Music > has some very > > indirect effects on mathematical ability, but it is certainly not > > *important* mathematical brain development (whatever the heck > > mathematical brain development is). If you want children to perform > > well on musical activities teach them music. If you want > to perform well > > on mathematical activities teach them math. > > > > My wife and I are continually astounded by the overemphasis on arts > > and music in Minneapolis. It seems like living on the Prairie has > > instilled a cultural sense of insecurity in mid-westerners. Go on > > a tour of a public school in Minneapolis the first thing they > > show you is their art, music, and theater classes. Ask them where > > there math lab is and they'll stare at you blankly. One of the > > most amusing features of this insecurity is that people somehow > > have developed the belief that creativity is somehow intrinsically > > related to the Arts, i.e. that if you teach children art you > > are teaching them to be creative. Pretty silly, no? > > > > Michael Atherton > > Prospect Park > > > > > > REMINDERS: > > 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. > > 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. > > > > For state and national discussions see: > http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html > > For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract > > ________________________________ > > > > Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion > - Mn E-Democracy > > Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls > > > > > > REMINDERS: > 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list > manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. > 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. > > For state and national discussions see: > http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html > For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract > ________________________________ > > Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - > Mn E-Democracy > Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls >
REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
