Final stanza for music?

WASHINGTON

he glimmer is mostly gone from "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," and "The Star-Spangled Banner" isn't exactly gallantly streaming in the nation's classrooms.

Most children, in fact, aren't learning children's classics, patriotic songs or folk tunes in school, a University of Florida survey of nearly 1,800 music teachers finds.

"American children's folk music is a national treasure that holds keys to understanding our country's people, their values, their history and their culture," said Marilyn Ward, who conducted the research. "Without it, our nation could lose its heritage."

The study highlights a bigger concern for music teachers this school year: the fear that budget cuts, combined with a federal focus on reading and math, has made music expendable.

"It's taken a long, long time to bring music and the arts to the forefront," said Nellie Hill, a middle-school music teacher in Howard County, Md. Now, the priorities of leaders are changing, she said: "Pendulums always swing, and we're starting that swing."

The states' worst fiscal crisis in decades has prompted lawmakers, school boards and principals to make unpopular cuts in many disciplines, including the arts.

School districts cannot stand another year of political rhetoric without the legislature and governor coming up with solutions, said Neil Casey, a woodwind instructor at Central High School.

In Southeast Missouri, budget cuts mean that some teaching positions won't be funded or that some positions are being combined with others at schools.

Roanne Lane will keep her half-time position as music instructor at Franklin Elementary School in Cape Girardeau but instead of spending the other half of her time at the middle school, like she did last year, she'll stay at Franklin to teach computer courses.

Almost every full-time music teacher in Cape Girardeau teaches at more than one school or teaches another subject.

But many music teachers seem even more troubled by the nation's new elementary and secondary education law -- not by its push to raise achievement, but by how it is playing out in their schools.

The No Child Left Behind law requires all students to be performing at their grade level in math and language arts by 2014, and schools must prove yearly progress until then.

To chart achievement, for example, all states by 2005 must test students in grades three through eight in math and reading annually, and at least once during high school grades.

Nothing in the law suggests less focus on music; in fact, music is named as a core subject. But educators say school leaders are so driven to improve their test scores that music suffers in the form of diminished class time, fewer offerings and less personnel.

With all the changes and staff-shuffling in the Cape Girardeau district, it does mean elementary music teachers will spend less time with their students, Lane said. Instead of having 80 minutes with the students each week, which was divided into two 40-minute sessions, music classes this year will be one 60-minute session.

"We are losing 20 minutes, and in some people's eyes that's bad," she said. But there are some benefits -- the students will have one solid hour of continual learning which can help reinforce the concepts being taught.

Educators say beyond music's obvious values -- the beauty of a saxophone, the harmony of a choir -- there are benefits to academic progress. Research shows that students engaged in music tend to do better in other subjects because of skills and discipline they develop.

"It all relates to other subjects," said Lane. At her students' final concert last year, all the music performed was their original work. "It helps with their language skills. Songs have to have a beginning, middle and end. And rhythm is related to math."

Music classes need not come at the expense of other subjects, according to MENC, The National Association for Music Education (formerly known as Music Educators National Conference), which represents more than 100,000 music teachers, students and other advocates.

The group developed national standards that call for music-education choices in every grade, from reading and composing music to playing instruments and improvising melodies.

"We don't want a cultural caste system that relegates music to only those who can afford private lessons on the weekend," said John Mahlmann, the association's executive director.

And that's why Lane and teacher Pam Dumey at Central Middle School offer as many extracurricular activities as possible. Lane has an after-school choir, and Dumey coordinates the Bengal Beat and Panthera Tigris, which combine percussion and vocal music.

Casey thinks that trend will continue. Any financial decisions the district makes have a direct impact on the quality of education the students receive, he said.

Music lets students address their creative and artistic expression in such a way that wouldn't happen in a traditional curriculum. "If we aren't able to educate them it will wither and they won't be able to nurture that as much," he said.

Features editor Laura Johnston contributed to this report. Information was provided by the Associated Press.