Friday, January 16, 2009

I've never grinned so much in my life.

"Our schools were designed to transmit our cultural heritage to succeeding generations. And what manifestation of that heritage is more powerful, or more compelling, or more glorious, than the arts?

It’s not the purpose of education simply to prepare students for jobs. Jobs are important but they’re a by-product of a good education. A narrow-minded focus on jobs makes our young people merely pawns on the gigantic chessboard of international economic competition and ignores the very skills that tomorrow’s graduates need most: the ability to think clearly, to communicate effectively, and to solve problems by working with other people. Those are the skills, together with a thorough preparation in the basics, including the arts, that today’s employers seek.

The purpose of education is the pursuit of truth and beauty, and the development of human capacities, and the enhancement of the quality of life. And nothing in a curriculum does that better than the arts.

A nation is judged by posterity not by the size of its gross national product, nor by the destructive capabilities of its military arsenal, nor by its SAT scores, but by its contribution to the arts and humanities. It is the achievements of a people in the arts and humanities that remain when everything else is swept away by time.

…The arts exalt the human spirit. They transform the human experience. The arts are the chocolate chips in the cookie of life…"

Paul Lehman
Former National President, MENC
Dean, School of Music, University of Michigan


Doesn't this give you tingles??!
I absolutely cannot WAIT.

5 comments:

kaylie jean. said...

Yes, but often one pawn can be the difference between a check-mate and a stalemate or defeat. To some, a pawn can be the most important player on a chess board. ;)

This is so awesome, Brooke. I'm so excited for you! You're going to do so great teaching all those kids music and singing and all that jazz. (No pun intended-- okay I lied. Pun absolutely intended.) :)

Also, I've been spelling by-product wrong my whole life. Biproduct, anyone?

Love you.

Unknown said...

money isn't nearly as beautiful as music.

go get 'em girl.

Carrie said...

sometimes blogger creeps me out and says that my name is Angela. I promise I wrote that last comment!

Carrie

kendra and jeffrey said...

Oh how perfect is this?!! I can't wait to come visit your classes and see you come in singing up a soulful ditty and then seeing all those kids join in on the jam session!

awesome.

Unknown said...

1. This made me SUPER happy.
2. I love Carrie's posts.