[Grovenet] An Important Matter

[David Morelli]

On Mar 27, 2007, at 10:51 PM, Marian Cakarnis wrote:

> I'm just wondering what percentage of students participate in Band and
> Orchestra at Tom McCall?
> Marian


I would bet that more students take band than Calculus, AP Physics or  
varsity football.

There are multiple perspectives on this question.  One looks at a  
diversified offering of programs and sees the opportunity to educate  
well rounded students who have been exposed to a diversity of  
academic traditions.  Another looks at a diversity of offerings as a  
"bait" that keeps a wider spectrum of students interested in academic  
pursuits.  Perhaps we can just see that different programs teach  
different skills, music skills certainly are different from the  
skills taught by "Channel One".  I recall one job where the fastest  
data entry processor was a trained musician, keyboard skills  
translated into keyboard skills.  Does listening skill from music  
translate into listening skill for mechanical troubleshooting or  
engine tuning?  How well does the concept of "timing" and  
"coordinated action" apply to military tactics?  We cannot always  
predict where we will use the skills that we have learned.

I can carry a tune if it is on a CD, and the only musical instrument  
I play is the radio, but that doesn't mean that the music programs at  
District 15 haven't made my life better.  They helped at least one  
child stay in school to graduate.  That is something significant for  
me.  Oh, and my sister graduated from Forest Grove and went on to  
earn her living in music at a family wage job.

David