How did it get to be December?
Many apologies to those that follow the blog regularly - I've been getting emails complaining about the lack of entries since the move to Illinois! Thanks for sticking with me!
We got our first big snow yesterday, and now the sidewalks are a lovely combination of slush and solid ice. I'm now an expert at two different train systems, and have met more than thirty wonderful music-focused individuals in the Chicago area. I now volunteer time with The Musical Offering, a fantastic organization in Evanston that provides scholarship-driven music lessons and outreach teaching to an underserved population in South Evanston/Rogers Park. It's pretty amazing to see a musically-driven social justice organization just around the corner. I'm working with them to see how they could increase enrollment. Ideas welcome.
I've asked many music teachers in the area if they are feeling the effects of the economic downturn. Are their enrollments declining? Are there fewer inquiries for new students? Do people chafe at the rates for lessons? So far, the answer has been no. Encouraging, but I can't help but think that the economic climate will hit us all at the most gut, basic levels: performance opportunities, grant funding, and corporate support. Where gig income may dry up, we'll have to make it up through teaching. Music lessons may be a standby and a non-negotiable part of childhood education for some families, but for many they are considered a luxury. How can we convince them otherwise? I guess that's part of our job.
We got our first big snow yesterday, and now the sidewalks are a lovely combination of slush and solid ice. I'm now an expert at two different train systems, and have met more than thirty wonderful music-focused individuals in the Chicago area. I now volunteer time with The Musical Offering, a fantastic organization in Evanston that provides scholarship-driven music lessons and outreach teaching to an underserved population in South Evanston/Rogers Park. It's pretty amazing to see a musically-driven social justice organization just around the corner. I'm working with them to see how they could increase enrollment. Ideas welcome.
I've asked many music teachers in the area if they are feeling the effects of the economic downturn. Are their enrollments declining? Are there fewer inquiries for new students? Do people chafe at the rates for lessons? So far, the answer has been no. Encouraging, but I can't help but think that the economic climate will hit us all at the most gut, basic levels: performance opportunities, grant funding, and corporate support. Where gig income may dry up, we'll have to make it up through teaching. Music lessons may be a standby and a non-negotiable part of childhood education for some families, but for many they are considered a luxury. How can we convince them otherwise? I guess that's part of our job.
Labels: the economy
posted by Elise Blatchford at
7:08 AM
1 Comments:
I think that there is a very compelling argument for prioritizing music lessons for children even when money is scarce. It has been proven that kids who learn music have accelerated brain development, which frequently leads to increased performance in all areas of school later in life. Kids who study music are more likely to get better grades, go to better colleges and get better jobs. Some of that is due to the fact that higher income families are more likely to provide music education for their kids and these same families are also more likely to get their kids the help they need to get better grades, colleges, jobs, etc., but there is still a very tangible effect of studying music on a child's growth.
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