Freedom

Beginning in this issue, we will give you the music and other tools to stage a production featuring all or any of your classes around the subject of freedom. Since no two teaching situations are the same, we create each of the songs so that they stand on their own as teaching and performance material. The first two songs on the subject are FREEDOM and KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. These will be followed in the third issue (Jan./Feb., 1992) with other songs as well as a workable revue script, full staging/costuming suggestions, reproducible program covers and posters, an array of study questions and ideas for using this program as a springboard for teaching across the curriculum.

Let's make music indispensible.

All too often, music functions in a world apart from the rest of the school. And when you only see your students for a short time each week, it is sometimes hard to carve a place of meaning in their lives...and in the curriculum. This is one reason that music is in trouble in so many places in the country. We are sad to see that so many strong music programs are being cut back or eliminated because music isn't treated as a part of the core curriculum.

Although it was really something we always knew, your surveys have confirmed that many of you have insure the future of music in your schools by making it very visible, very productive and just generally a part of the educational program that your community will refuse to cut into to.

As musicians, most of us believe in the value of music for music's sake, and even though this is a completely valid justification for a music program, it is hard to sell in many systems. Consequently, we are often faced with justifying music to administrators based on it's value as a method for teaching non-musical subjects. No problem. If those are the ground rules, music still holds up just fine. That's why you are seeing so much music sneaking into the whole language approach.

We will try to give you tools to help make your program more visible and to place music at the center of your schools study of other subjects. So this year, get with the classroom teachers and start brainstorming areas of study for FREEDOM. They can include many aspects of history and social studies from the Bill of Rights to the changes in Eastern Europe. Language skills come to life as you develop the script, while art gets into the act with the sets, costumes, programs and posters.

Of course, freedom can also help in some very special ways. Music is sometimes one of the few things that can reach a troubled child, and with more and more children at risk, schools need all the help they can get. That's where KNOWLEDGE IS POWER comes in. Freedom doesn't mean much if you don't have the education to help you realize your dreams. Share this song with your principal and other teachers. You may find that you are suddenly in the middle a whole campaign. Of course, that's probably where you want your music program to be.

Let us know how the music is working for you. We don't take anything for granted. We want to keep giving you music that adds new life to your music program: music that teaches; music that inspires; music that will stay with your students long after they move on from your class.