I think this needs to be my profile picture for a while.
…that school choirs are a “luxury” — something that many school districts are pulling out in favor of piling on more academic courses so we can beat Japan. I mean Finland. I mean China.
This article has made the rounds lately, and I’m glad. I’ve always held the belief that school choir (although church choirs are definitely not excluded in this study) provides my otherwise stressed-out students with just a few moments of joy in their day. The “three Rs” people don’t seem to get that a child’s brain is also attached to a soul; that more than one process must be practiced and honed in order to educate the “whole child.” Things like art, music, PE and other “non-academic” electives fill that void. It’s just that nowadays, people who know the least are having the most influence on how even those subjects are taught — or if they’re taught.
Strange days.
But back to the article. Interesting research, and fun to read. Something that actually “proves” the value of singing with others: how about that?
I especially loved the first comment (the one about Congress…haha).
Are we having a good morning? Or is it too early to tell? B here, unfortunately. At least the wheels didn’t fall off at rehearsal last night.
But hey, there’s always tonight… 
FO
Whether it’s singing a school song or doing a line dance or marching down the street in a parade or a bunch of first-graders doing the hokey pokey…..you are doing something with a group, a coordination of fun and a feeling of belonging. I feel that every human being longs for that. It will be a sad day when those things are taken away from schools.
I always enjoyed singing because it was a break from my stressful classes. It helped relax me and it increased my self-confidence. Choir brought me out of my shell more than any other experience I’ve had.
Radical stuff here Finkster…brains connected to a soul, next you’re going to suggest that their passion for what they love is important.
It pains me when I see that the Arts are usually the first casualty of budget cuts. Liz’s daughter teaches 1st Grade and in her Elementary school they have no music program, no PE and they just RIF’d the art teacher at the beginning of this school year. How very sad for our grandkids.