Advocacy

THE ARTS AND THE UNIVERSITY

Representatives of major universities offered these comments on the role of the arts in the admission process. Excellence in music is a common denominator at many schools. As you can see from these comments, musical expertise is a significant factor that can boast an applicant’s chances of acceptance into a top university.

University of Michigan

Richard H. Shaw Jr., Director of Admissions

Intellectual leaders from Plato to the present have recognized the importance of the arts to a thriving civilization. The University of Michigan joins in recommending the arts because of their humanizing influences, their demands for self-discipline, their abilities to evoke idealistic dreams that transcend everyday issues, their effectiveness in reflecting the achievements of diverse peoples, and their capacities to stimulate that most important of all intellectual abilities:

creativity. Perhaps in no past era of our increasingly global civilization have these qualities been more sorely needed than they are today. The University of Michigan is a community rich in varied artistic achievements, and we are especially pleased to consider applicants whose backgrounds synchronize with artistic values.

University of Virginia

John A. Blackburn, Dean of Admissions

The founder of this university, Thomas Jefferson, was an avid musician himself, and his influence can be seen today in the strength of the offerings in music, drama, art studio, history of art, and also architecture. This university seeks students who have solid backgrounds in English, math, science, history, and foreign languages. In addition, we look for students who have well-developed talents in the arts, for we know that they add a richness to our student body. They enhance the quality of life for all of our students and faculty at the University of Virginia.

Brown University

Vartan Gregorian, President

We've made a tremendous mistake in diminishing art, music, and dance as fluff or frills. The arts, like sports, play a vital role in bringing students together and promoting teamwork. Athletics provide stability and a way to release energy. The arts allow children to develop creativity and imagination. The Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington D.C., has one of the lowest dropout rates anywhere. Ninety percent of the participants in The Boys Choir of Harlem go to college following high school.

It's almost impossible to overemphasize the creative arts in education.

Yale University

Worth David, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions

Qualifications for admission to Yale College include not only the reasonably well-defined areas of academic achievement and special skill in non-academic areas, but also the less tangible qualities of capacity for involvement, commitment, and personal growth. The arts offer remarkable opportunities for the exercise of these qualities. The highly skilled artist, the student whose intellectual interests include close study of the arts, and the many applicants who demonstrate motivation and the willingness to extend their reach through participation in the arts, all promise to enhance the quality of life at Yale.

UCLA

Dr. Vu T. Tran, Director of Undergraduate Admissions

As one of America’s premier universities for teaching, research, and service, UCLA conducts a comprehensive review of applicants to all programs. In the selection process, we define merits beyond the standard academic elements, which include but are not limited to grades, test scores, or academic subjects completed. UCLA values students with special talents and/or accomplishments. Students who can demonstrate their skills and achievements as accomplished musicians or artists would definitely enhance their chance for admission to all majors

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS ABOUT MUSIC EDUCATION

Q) DOES A STUDENT NEED TO CONTINUE INSTRUCTION IN ART, MUSIC AND DRAMA DURING HIGH SCHOOL IF HE OR SHE DOES NOT PLAN TO PURSUE THOSE FIELDS PROFESSIONALLY?

A) All students study mathematics; how many will become mathematicians? All students study literature; how many will become professional authors or playwrights? All students study American History; how many will become historians or politicians? Is instruction in these content areas useless if the student does not pursue that subject as a career? Of course not. Each day adults are faced with problems, situations, and experiences of all kinds. How individuals deal with those problems and opportunities is often a reflection of their education. How well an adult understands and evaluates music, art, and drama as part of everyday life, or within a formal setting, is also a reflection of education. Appreciation of the Fine Arts is not a natural talent. It must be developed the same way as any other talent or knowledge.

The creative arts provide us with a unique and vital perspective about our world. As performers or supporters of music, dance, art, or theatre, with each experience we have the possibility of being inspired and seeing the world through a different lens. Those experiences are critical to our personal growth because they play a major role in spurring our own creativity. An education enriched by the creative arts should be considered essential for everyone.

John Sculley, Chairman, Apple Computer, Inc.

Q) CAN PARTICIPATION IN HIGH SCHOOL MUSIC GROUPS BENEFIT A STUDENT WHEN APPLYING FOR COLLEGE?

A) YES! College administrators are looking beyond test scores, and core curriculum grade point averages in determining a student's character, intellectual capacity, creative attitude, and potential for success. Participation in a wide variety of high school programs, especially the Fine Arts, has become a valued measure of student achievement. According to the Admissions Director of Coe College in Iowa, "The things that go into making a good musician -- discipline, hard work, problem-solving -- are what make good students in general." Research has revealed that high school music students consistently have higher grade point averages than non-music students in the same school, and music students tend to score 30 to 50 points higher than their non-music peers on SAT exams. One of the valuable outcomes of education is the expansion of imagination. The act of music creation demands enormous self-discipline and teaches students how to handle frustration and failure in pursuit of both tangible and intangible ideas. It requires setting goals, determining a technique, figuring out how to apply it, and continually making evaluations and revisions. In other words, student musicians are creatively thinking and discovering unique solutions to problems.

Q) IS IT POSSIBLE TO PARTICIPATE IN INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETICS OR DRAMA PRODUCTIONS AND A MUSIC ENSEMBLE?

A) Each year music students can be found on the roster of most every sports team sponsored by Oswego High Schools, including football, basketball, baseball, softball, swimming, diving, track, cross country, soccer, volleyball, tennis and wrestling. In addition to athletics, music students frequently participate in the following academic/co-curricular activities: theatre productions, cheerleaders, pom pons, yearbook, debate, Forensics, Snowball, World Voices, student government, and various scholastic teams.

Q) WHAT IS AESTHETIC EDUCATION?

A) Aesthetic education can be defined as instruction that has as its goal the shaping of sensitivity to, and the perception of, beauty and expressiveness in art, music, drama, dance, architecture, nature or life in general. Aesthetic education develops sensitivity through the study of elements and processes of artistic creation. Music teachers help students to understand the elements of music (rhythm, melody, harmony, timbre, form) and methods composer have developed to combine these elements in order that they become enlightened, discriminating consumers of music. An education in the arts can help a student understand that life is more than historical records, mathematical equations and scientific facts.

Q) WHAT DOES MUSIC OFFER THE AVERAGE STUDENT?

A) Music offers the opportunity to explore and view life through the world of sound. Every student is capable of developing some kind of relationship with music, be it creator, performer, or listener. As this relationship is developed, so is the student's ability to experience and enjoy aspects of life that many people fail to realize. Interest and motivation can be sparked or possibly rekindled at any age. The music course offerings in Oswego are designed to encompass a wide variety of musical talents, interests, and backgrounds.

Q) WHAT DOES A STUDENT GAIN FROM TAKING PART IN THE PERFORMANCE OF MUSIC?

A) Music is a performing art. Without the performing artist the work of the composer remains trapped in the notes on the paper. An artistic experience with music requires the combined efforts of the composer and the performer. Participation in a performance ensemble offers a student the opportunity to develop musical skills simultaneously with the development of musical perception. Lastly, the performance of music can cultivate the self-discipline required of a productive group member or leader, as well as self-confidence and a sense of pride, accomplishment, and identity. The greatest gift one person can give to another is to share his/her culture. To share artistic creations is to share our deepest values and dreams.