Mary Belk: Don’t fiddle with Auburn’s music program

Mary Belk
Columnist
Published: August 20, 2008

I’ve heard it said that life is what’s happening while you’re making other plans. And Shakespeare had something to say about the best-laid plans of mice and men going astray. I’m not up on the plans of mice, but I do know that some of the best things in my life just sort of happened.

Take music. The year I was 11, Santa Claus left a shiny slide trombone under the Christmas tree. It never occurred to me when I set eyes on it that the word “Blessing” etched on the bell would turn out to be more than just a brand name.

The following fall I joined Tommy Goff’s first beginner band, and over the years, he taught me a lot more than how to play a horn. I learned music theory, ear training, discipline and how to be part of a class act. We went to state contests every spring and always made the highest rating.

Turned out it wasn’t my playing that brought about the honors. After I left, the band was better than ever. Years later, Goff’s band won the Sudler Award, the most coveted trophy among high school bands. And AHS lab bands performed in jazz festivals from New Orleans to Montreux, Switzerland. Even after the retirement of the legendary Goff, the Auburn band program is something to brag about.

Seems the benefits of music effect children everywhere. Studies conducted at the University of California found that a whole neural network not activated by traditional learning methods is activated through playing and listening to music. Experiments show that there’s a causal link between music and spatial reasoning. When tested, 3-year-olds in Los Angeles scored dramatically higher after they received music lessons. Those without music training remained unchanged.

So why is there a trend in the U.S. to cut arts funding? Music is becoming a sacrificial lamb. Without music in the schools, American children will get their music education from MTV and commercial radio.

Recent movies “Mr. Holland’s Opus” and “Music of the Heart” are about highly successful music programs being cancelled due to lack of funds. With test scores that always have room for improvement, maybe music should be at the core of our curriculum instead of on the chopping block.

We hear the term life sports, but music is always for life. Scores of Auburn children have chosen music careers. Billy Capps, Frances Lapp Averitt, Nancy McGraw Vinson, Bob Greenleaf, Jon Smith, Steve Armour, David Evans, Margaret Bailey, Patty Shands, Allen French, Kate Higgins, David Rogers, Mark Sforzini, Peter Cho and Ward Miller are a few who played in Tommy Goff’s bands and went on to have successful careers in music. Scores of others play in church orchestras and community bands.

So far, Auburn’s music education has been left intact. But last week, I noticed the heading of an editorial “Where will education funds come from next year?”

I hope Auburn’s officials won’t fiddle with our music program.

Mary Belk lives in Auburn and writes a column for the Opelika-Auburn News.