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By Walter Roy '72
President of the General
Alumni Association
Have you ever heard someone say, "What
good are the arts and music in school anyway? I want my
child to learn to read and write, to be able to spell,
be decent at math and know a little history and geography."?
Maybe he or she does not know that music helps us to appreciate
the rhythms of the universe, the biological rhythms, performance
rhythms, and perceived rhythms.
So you may ask "Why should I care about the arts?"
Aesthetics and art are at least as important as mathematics
and science according to members of a recent panel discussion
at the American Association of School Administrators (AASA)
Conference in San Diego.
Arnold Packer, senior fellow of policy studies at Johns
Hopkins University, asked the following questions of the
audience, "When was the last time, in a real problem,
you used calculus? When was the last time you used a form
of aesthetics?"
When Packer lectures to the business community, the
former executive director of the U. S. Labor Department
Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills
stated that two-thirds of his audience typically raise
their hands in response to the latter question, while
few respond that way to the first.
"I can only conclude that arts are the basics,
and math is the frill," stated Packer at the AASA
panel discussion entitled "Beyond the Routine: Visual
Literacy for Life and Work."
He added "This is not to say that math is not necessary,
but that the importance of the arts is severely underestimated,
if not ignored altogether in our schools."
The roots of music education in the United States go
back to colonial times. In America, large festivals began
in Boston, with one given by the Handel and Haydn Society
in 1857, and one in Worcester, Mass., in 1858. Special
festivals of five- day concerts, organized by Patrick
Gilmore were also held to commemorate the end of the Civil
War and the Franco-Prussian War. Among the oldest festivals
in the United States is the one held in Worcester that
began in 1871. Who said "Nothing fun or cultural
ever happens in Worcester?"
Music is often thought of by the population as being
a subject of the emotions, as displayed from the Civil
War Memorial festival, to the peace and love festival
at Woodstock. But music is so much more than pure emotion.
Music is a thinking subject. Music is taught through sequencing.
Sequencing is logic. Some of the concepts taught through
music help develop our critical thinking skills, a process
that is mandatory to succeed in life.
There is empirical proof through studies that the more
fine arts training given to a student, especially in the
early developing years, the more proficient they become.
This proficiency has been found in language skills, processing
complex information, in higher order thinking skills and,
in fact, in achieving higher test scores in all core curriculum
subjects.
Music in one form or another has played an important
role in the academic and social life of Holy Cross. In
the 125th edition of the Purple Patcher, there is a picture
of Babe Ruth playing with the Crusader Band while attending
a baseball game at Fitton Field. While visiting the College
in the spring of 1968, one of the social functions I attended
was a concert by a legend in the field, Ray Charles. Over
the next four years, Holy Cross hosted many Grammy Award
winners and future members of the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame. Grammy Award winners on campus included: Chicago,
The Who, The Fifth Dimension, Dionne Warwick, The Isley
Brothers, Lionel Hampton, Glady Knight and the Pips, Judy
Collins and so many more that I do not have space to list.
In 1979, the music department was formed as a separate
entity. Over the last twenty years, the music department
has had substantial interest by students at the College
as a Major. With the building of the John E. Brooks, S.J.,
Center for Music, in 1993, new leaders in the field are
starting to emerge from Mt. St James.
Recently, I was perusing a copy of Chamber Music
Magazine.
A plethora of summer festivals was listed, sponsored by
a number of fine institutions and colleges. During the
upcoming summer, take some time off from your busy schedule.
Enjoy an afternoon or evening listening to harmonic sounds
with your family. Last year, the Holy Cross Club of the
Pioneer Valley spent the afternoon at the Berkshire Music
Festival (Tanglewood) in Lenox, Mass. I hope that during
the summer of ’98, many more of our regional clubs
will host a similar event. Among the festivals sponsored
by colleges and universities that you may attend are the
Norfolk Chamber Music Festival at the Yale Summer School;
the Bowdoin Summer Music Festival, in Brunswick, Maine;
the Taos Music Festival (New Mexico); the Sewanee Music
Festival (Tennessee); the Aspen Music Festival (Colorado);
and the Amherst College Early Music Festival (Massachusetts).
One day in the near future, maybe we will see an ad in
Chamber Music Magazine for the Mt. St James Summer Music
Festival.
Music, visual arts, theater arts and dance contribute
to the essence of the human soul. If we become a society
that places music and the fine arts at the bottom of the
list for funding for our schools, we face the inevitable
destruction of those characteristics that evoke gentleness,
kindness, sensitivity and compassion.
All alumni of the College are welcome to attend and
participate in the Board Meetings of the General Alumni
Association. I look forward to seeing you at our next
meeting on, June 6, 1998, at 9:30 a.m.
Please send me your ideas and/or comments in
care of the Holy Cross Alumni Relations Office.
PAX
From One Crusader to Another
Walter Roy '72
Walter Roy is
President of the General
Alumni Association.
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