DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS MUSIC
The Lone Star State takes kids and music seriously;
Say it makes kids smarter
By Dianne James
As a native Texan, I can speak first-hand about how serious Texans are about their music. In almost any small town in Texas there's a music get-together of some sort at least once a month. Most of the time people were busy tending to their cotton or peanut crops, but they always made time for music. I used to load my gu-tar into the car and head to anywhere there was an audience. One small gathering in West Texas was my destination one evening, and as I unpacked my gear, someone walked up to me and said, "You're sure brave to show up here not knowing anyone." Well, the weekend musician types are very accepting and friendly, so you don't have to be that brave. That's one thing about Texas musicians, they're always ready to share their joy. One little place near the New Mexico border built a place to hold regular music programs. Called the Higgenbotham Jamboree, the building would fill up with musicians, cloggers, singers, square dancers, and fans from a tri-county area. There were refreshments that could be purchased, and all had a great time, no matter what the level of musicianship. It was a time of encouragement and the nourishing of dreams. The Meadow Musical is another venue in the area, just south of Lubbock. You never knew who would show up, but it was guaranteed you'd leave there having been truly entertained and inspired.
Music is a big part of our heritage. I can remember my aunt, Dorothy Holbrooks, a music teacher in a little West Texas town, spearheading family musicals on the porch of the old family homestead west of town. Each child had the spotlight for their respective talent, while parents and other family members sat on chairs in the Texas sunset watching the glow of the mantle that had been passed to yet another generation. Music was as much a part of our lives as breathing. It was important. It was valued. For that reason, Aunt Dorothy never charged more than five dollars a lesson. After she passed away recently, someone remembered her saying, "I don't want money to get in the way of a child learning music." True to the Texas spirit.
...AND THE PEOPLE SAID:
The Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading non-profit organization for advancing the arts in America, conducted a public opinion survey in 2001 and found the following statistics:
--Approximately 95 percent of parents believe the arts are important in preparing children for their future.
--More than 90 percent of parents surveyed thought the arts were an important part of a well-rounded education.
--About 70 percent of parents felt “someone else” was better suited to ask for more arts education.
--According to the Texas Music Educators Association, students of the arts continue to outperform their non-art peers on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).
--Texas All-State music students consistently score more than 200 points higher on the SAT than the state averages for their peers, indicating a strong correlation between students excelling in music also excelling in all other academic areas.
--Texas’ invest in the arts approximately $0.18 per citizen placing it near the bottom of all 56 U.S. states and territories. The national average is $1.44 per citizen say the Department of Education, The Texas Cultural Trust.
STUDY SHOWS MUSIC MAKES KIDS SMARTER
A 2003 survey conducted by The Gallup Organization and commissioned by the International Music Products Association found the following statistics.
--Exactly 80 percent of respondents believe that playing an instrument makes you smarter.
--More than 95 percent of respondents said music was part of a well-rounded education.
--Close to 78 percent of respondents said learning a musical instr-ment helps you do better in school.
--About 96 percent of respondents said that school band was a good way to develop teamwork skills.
--Approximately 93 percent of respondents felt schools should offer musical instruction as part of regular curriculum.
--Nearly 88 percent said playing an instrument teaches children discipline.
--Students who were exposed to the music-based lessons scored 100 percent higher on fractions tests than in an untraditional manner - by teaching them music rhythm notation.The group was taught about the relationship between eight, quarter, half and whole notes. Their peers received traditional fraction instruction.
Music students can help kids understand advanced music concepts. A grasp of proportional math and fractions is a prerequisite to math at higher levels and children who do not master these areas cannot understand more advance math critical to high-tech fields. Music involves ratios, fractions, piano/k-yboard training, as well as time using newly designed math software. The group scored over 27 percent higher on proportional math and fractions tests than children who used only the math software.
Young children with developed rhythm skills perform better academically in early school years. Findings of a recent study showed that there was a significant difference in the academic achievement levels of students classified according to rhythmic competency. Students who were scored lower on the rhythmic test achieved below academic expectation.
THE SHOCKING TRUTH: WHAT MUSIC DOES TO KIDS
According to Americans for the Arts, young people who participate in the arts for at least three hours, three days a week for at least one year are:
--Four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement
--Three times more likely to be elected to class office within their schools
--Four times more likely to participate in math and science fairs
--Three times more likely to win an award for school attendance
--Four times more likely to win an award for writing an essay or poem
WHAT STARTED THE BALL ROLLING
Educators and parents became concerned about cuts in school music funding throughout the state, and many people knows what happens when a Texan gets determined:
"Music teachers from across the state tell us programs are being eliminated and they are indesperate need of funds for music education,” said Bruce Orr, co-founder and president of TMP. “And these teachers are not just concerned about the next generation of musicians. They see how music touches all students, building self-esteem, teamwork and strengthening families and communities, while reducing drop-out rates.”
The “Don’t Mess With Texas Music” CD is now available on TMP’s website(www.texasmusicproject.org), at CD retailers throughout the state and, for a limited time at all Texas Starbucks Coffee and Brook Mays Music locations (including H&H and Caldwell Music stores.)
“I feel a kinship with Texas music and your great history of artists. The Texas Music Project’s ‘Don’t Mess With Texas Music’ CD is a wonderful project that aids music education in Texas schools and assists the next generation in achieving their potential regardless of their career choice,” said guest artist Eric Clapton, who performs a song originally recorded in Texas by blues legend, Robert Johnson.
“The first release of the Texas Music Project, which brought together Texas musicians like Founding Chair Willie Nelson, Clint Black, Erykah Badu and the Dixie Chicks, generated significant awareness for music education and will contribute nearly $200,000 to music education programs in 2004,” according to Orr. “Thanks to more than 60 Texas musicians, our statewide corporate sponsors and the communities that have supported this initiative, we are beginning to make an impact by meeting both the needs of Texas communities and the companies that serve them.”
The “Don’t Mess With Texas Music” compilation is also made possible by the support of community, arts and educational organizations and the generosity of corporate partners like Dell and the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center in addition to Brook Mays Music Group and Starbucks Coffee Company.
“It upsets me to see music cut from school budgets,” said Willie Nelson, founding honorary chair of the TMP. “Everyone supporting the Project is doing it because they love music, and because they understand music education helps kids reach their full potential, regardless of what they grow up to be. We all want Texas kids to have that chance.”
Led by the efforts of State Representative Elisabeth Ames Jones and Senator Jeff Wentworth, Texas House Bill #2582 supporting the Texas Music Project and its unique approach to supporting music education was passed into law by the governor in July 2003. TMP is extremely pleased to benefit from this legislative action.
Robert Floyd, TMP Board Member Executive Director of the Texas Music Educators Association and Chair of the Texas Coalition for Quality Arts Education Robert Floyd summed it up:
Music is an integral part of our environment in that our personal, social, economic, and cultural surroundings are shaped by music and the arts. Music enables students to develop the attitudes, characteristics, and intellectual capacities required to participate effectively in today's society and economy. Music education teaches self-discipline, reinforces self-esteem, and fosters thinking skills and creativity.
Music education contributes to the process of teaching and learning and can be helpful in teaching other academic disciplines. Music can connect segments of the curriculum that are fundamentally compartmentalized. Music can transform the entire culture of a school and can create productive partnerships between the school and community. The ever-changing society makes music and the arts the most powerful tool to bridge cultural differences, and they are essential to an educational system that values diversity.
Music education helps develop the necessary skills required to be successful in the world of work. For example, thinking creatively and analytically, solving problems, and envisioning are strongly incorporated into a music experience. Music often utilizes complex technologies and builds capacities for teamwork and skills for leadership. Music education contributes to the nation's need for creative, skillful workers and for innovative leaders.
All students should have access to a deep and rich education in music and the arts, regardless of their background, talents, or disabilities. Music can be a powerful and sometimes the best vehicle for reaching, motivating, and teaching any given student. Absolutely nothing reaches the human spirit, no matter in what country or society, like the power of music. Music must continue to be an integral part of a program of general education for all students in Texas.
Executive Director of the Texas Commission on the Arts Ric Hernandez, said "Proceeds from the Texas Music Project will be distributed by the Texas Commission on the Arts to fund music education programs in Texas schools. The flexibility of the program enables funds to be distributed to specific music education needs as directed by donors, or made available to local schools though the Texas Cultural Endowment Fund. The first true arts endowment in the nation, the Texas Cultural Endowment Fund was established to provide a stable source of funding and ensure the future of the arts in Texas.
The arts and culture of Texas are a treasure that must be preserved and enhanced for future generations. TCA is proud to be a partner in this great endeavor to promote and preserve Texas' musical legacy."
There you have it. In Texas, music is a treasure.
I think Clint Black said it best, “You never know who the next Mozart will be." The co-ntry music legend and honorary chair said, “Schools are not only there for mathematicians, scientists and historians. Schools are there for those who will carry out art forms into the future, and perhaps like me, other students about to give up on (their education) will find their way in the world through music.”
Texas Music Project is a statewide initiative founded by the Social Marketing Resource Center with a mission of restoring and strengthening music education in Texas schools. TMP grants will be distributed to schools by the Texas Commission on the Arts, and awarded based on need. (Texas-based) Applications for grants can be submitted on line at www.texasmusicproject.org or www.arts.state.tx.us at any time. It is the intention of the Texas Music Project that grants be used to support the implementation of full time, rigorous music education curricula. For more information on Texas Music Project click here. 
SONGWRITING CONTESTS John Lennon Songwriting Contest Great American Song Contest 6th Annual CMT/NSAI Song Contest
| Anthony Glise, Guitarist of Passion 
"Anthony Glise offers us a totally different 'rhétorique' than we normally hear; it is a language of delicate effects, pure sensitivity, and contemplative emotions. The playing and sonority of Glise is not only clear and varied: it's a highly individual and spirited voyage. His style is not only that of power and decisive virtuosity: Glise seduces us by the grace and emotional intelligence of the phrase."
Le Diapason (Paris, France) "He plays with a master's dynamic feel."
Guitar Player Magazine (USA) "...his playing is strikingly individual and blends an unbelievable dynamic range and ravishing tonal colors. Seldom have I been so impressed."
Vienna Life Magazine (Vienna, Austria) "...so rich, so profound, so sensual, that every note tells a story."
Luister (Amsterdam, Holland) "Glise has produced (re-discovered?) a radically different way of playing the guitar. "His constantly evolving articulation makes every phrase a revelation. His fastidious attention to phrasing creates a 'chiaroscuro' effect that I have only heard from the very best pianists or lute players...a revelation, and should be heard by any guitarist who wishes to play 'expressively'."
The Soundboard
Guitar Foundation of America (USA) Despite accolades such as these, and having been on the cover of one of the largest magazines in France, Glise is humble, and still accessible to music lovers. One of his passions is the St. Joseph International Guitar Festival & Competition, sponsored by Department of Music and the Western Institute Center for the Arts Culture and Literacy, held each year in Missouri. The Festival gives guitar enthusiasts a chance to mingle, work with, and learn from the master guitarists of the world. In it's fourth year, the festival, this year, received a grant from the Missouri Arts Council. "It's one of the most progressive guitar festivals in the world," said Glise. "Following the tremendous success of our past festivals with participants from Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Costa Rica, Cyprus, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Poland, Serbia, Uruguay and throughout the United States, we are again including a competition with thousands of dollars prize money and gifts as well as complimentary housing for performers and competitors." "In addition to the tremendous classes, concerts and career development seminars that we have established, our competition is one of the most original in the US: NO AGE LIMIT and NO REQUIRED PIECES."  "We chose the unusual competition route since it opens the door to guitarists who are often excluded from competitions by age or their preference for specific historical periods of music. Additionally, the final round of the competition is open to the public and, along with the judges, the audience has ballots and vote for the final three competitors."
"You’ll find our festival one of the most enjoyable in the US. Whether you come as a performer, auditor or simply take advantage of the concerts, jam sessions, seminars or “novelty classes” taught by the festival performers, the St. Joseph International Guitar Festival & Competition is an event that you’ll want to visit year after year," said Glise, who is the Festival Director. http://www.missouriwestern.edu/guitarfestival
Joey Allcorn, featured in the video above, testifies during a Congressional hearing in Wahsington on June 27, concerning the impending destruction of internet radio, and in support of the Internet Radio Equality Act (IREA) in Congress and the Senate, now. MONTE VISTA,CO--Two Monte Vista-based Internet Radio stations are facing royalty rates from 300 to 1200 percent of what the broadcast provision of the Small Webcaster's Settlement Act allowed- royalties based on revenue or expenses. Now those rates are based on plays, after the Copyright Royalty Board nullified the Congressionally mandated SWSA on March 2. These stations are two of fifty SWSA stations who paid their royalty fees or at least half of the required $2,000 up front, in January, in good faith, depending on the SWSA to still be there after the Copyright Royalty Board made a determination on rates. The broadcasters were wrong, and were surprised that the CRB could throw the SWSA out. These fifty stations are among thousands of other broadcasters facing enormous rate hikes, espoused by SoundExchange and it's original parent company the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which is made up of record labels, the most visible and powerful of which are the "big 4", Warner, Sony BMG, EMI, and Universal Records. Internet broadcast advocates believe that the major labels did not keep up with marketing advancements, and digital solutions, and now find themselves grasping at straws to survive. Accused of not embracing the digital revolution, webcasters believe the motive for promoting higher royalty rates is not for their major artists' benefit, but to destroy the only avenue for Independent artists, currently- Internet Radio. SoundExchange insists through press releases, that their motives are for the artists. The organization is in question, regarding the validity of its involvement in collecting fees from webcasters, in light of the fact that they owe the RIAA millions of dollars from a loan. Their lack of impartiality, by virtue of their debt to the RIAA, and activity in lobbying are both criticized by webcasters as unethical. Dianne Lockhart, owner of Solace Radio and Meander Radio, is among thousands of small webcasters who might have to shut their stations down after July 15, the deadline for the new rates to go into effect. She broadcasts as part of the Live365 Network, trading streaming costs and storage for the Network running their ads on her stations. A hearing before the House subcommittee on June 27 revealed that, although many Representatives have co-sponsored the Bill, the speaker maintained that webcasters should "work it out" with the collecting organization, SoundExchange. That has been impossible, according to webcasters, hence the introduction of the IREA by Congressman Jay Inslee. Many are hoping for a Stay in congress that would prevent the new rates from going into effect, until Congress and the Senate can get the bills out of committee. The bill in Congress is HR 2060 and the Senate Bill is SB 1353. Webcasters across the board are calling for citizens to contact their Congressional representatives and Senators, to get the bill moving. On the net: http://www.live365.com/choice | |
SHEET MUSIC BOOK REVIEW: THE BEST IN MOVIE SHEET MUSIC
I found this book at the public library and checked it out. Loved it so much I kept it overdue until I could have bought my own copy several times over. So glad I finally added it to my library. It has fast become my favorite. This collection contains too many great songs to name them all, but my favorites include "Chances Are," the Johnny Mathis love song, "Can't Smile Without You," Barry Mannilow's hit, and Gershwin's "Love is Here to Stay." You won't find much rock 'n roll, jazz, or country & western in this volume, but you will find enjoyayable, singable songs from almost every decade of this century. This book draws heavily from musicals ("My Funny Valentine" "Memory"), big band ("Sleepy Lagoon"), Hollywood ("Manhattan" "When You Wish Upon a Star"), ballads ("I Left My Heart in San Francisco" "Smile") and of course love songs ("Till There Was You"! ; "Where or When") You do not need to be an accomplished pianist to play these, but they are not for beginners either. As Goldilocks would say, they are "just right!" I play piano casually and can sight read about half of these and play the rest with a bit of rehearsal. Well, I've sold myself again. Time for me to cut this review short and return to playing from "150 of the Most Beautiful Songs Ever."
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playlists. The artists, who are direct-licensed to the stations, "add an enormous variety and excitement to the stations," said owner, Dianne Lockhart. 
Artists and speakers on Solace Radio, include:
