- Why Music?
Quotes and Reports From Corporation
and Business Executives
-
- * The U.S. Department of Labor issued a
report in 1991
- urging schools to teach for the future
workplace. The
- skills they recommended (working in
teams,
- communication, self-esteem, creative
thinking,
- imagination, and invention) are exactly
those learned in
- school music and arts education
programs.
- -- 1991 SCANS Report, U.S. Department
of Commerce.
-
- * The nation's top business executives
agree that arts
- education programs can help repair
weaknesses in
- American education and better prepare
workers for the
- 21st center.
- -- "The Changing Workplace is
Changing Our View of
- Education," Business Week, October
1996.
-
- * "We believe the skills the arts
teach--creative thinking,
- problem-solving and risk-taking, and
teamwork and
- communication--are precisely the tools
the workforce of
- tomorrow will need. If we don't
encourage students to
- master these skills through quality arts
instruction today,
- how can we ever expect them to succeed
in their highly
- competitive business careers
tomorrow?"
- -- Richard Gurin, former President
and Chief Executive
- Officer, Binney and Smith, maker of
Crayola crayons
-
- * "The purpose of education is not
simply to inform but
- to enrich and enlighten, to provide
insights into life as it
- had been led and as it may be led. No
element of the
- curriculum is better suited to that task
than arts education...
- The arts take us beyond pragmatic
concerns of the moment
- and give us a glimpse of human
possibility."
- -- David Kearns, now retired Chairman
and Chief
- Executive Officer of Xerox
Corporation
-
- * "It's a given that today's employee
has to have basic
- skills. But superior skills are needed
to survive
- competitively in the global context.
Acquiring them has to
- begin as early as possible in a child's
education, and we see
- that it comes through arts education. We
are not doing
- justice to our economy or our children
if they don't get
- that in the K through 12
context."
- -- Dan Lacy, corporate Vice President
for Communications,
- Ashland, Inc.
-
- * "We see a tremendous need for workers
who are
- creative, analytical, disciplined, and
self-confident. And
- we believe that hands-on participation
in the arts is one of
- the best ways to develop these
leadership abilities in young
- people."
- -- Jane Polin, Manager of the G.E.
Fund
-
- * "The arts enrich communities and
employees, and also
- stimulate the kind of intellectual
curiosity our company
- needs to stay competitive."
- --Norman R. Augustine, Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer,
Martin Marietta Corporation
-
- * "For the future of our children and
our communities, we
- must find new ways to engage students in
the learning
- process. The arts can be a powerful
vehicle through which
- to challenge young people's minds, stir
their creativity,
- instill discipline and build
self-esteem."
- --Lawrence A. Hough, President and
Chief Executive Officer,
Sallie Mae
-
- * "The arts can communicate with the
effect and impact
- that captivate young people. Dance,
music, and writing--
- they facilitate an environment conducive
to learning
- and creativity. It's here that we can
start to turn the tide
- as members of the corporate
community."
- --Michael R. Bowlin, Chief Executive
Officer, ARCO
-
- * "The need for improving education is
well-accepted.
- There is no better way to achieve this
goal than through
- an understanding of and appreciation for
the arts."0
- --Arthur Y. Ferrara, Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer,
The Guardian Life Insurance Company
-
- * "We live in an age increasingly ruled
by science and
- technology, a fact that only underscores
the need for more
- emphasis on the arts . . . A grounding
in the arts will help
- our children see; to bring a uniquely
human perspective to
- science and technology. In short, it
will help them as they
- grow smarter to also grow
wiser."
- -- Robert E. Allen, former Chairman
and Chief Executive
- Officer, AT&T
Corporation
-
- * "I believe that there is a place for
the arts--music, dance,
- drawing, painting, writing--in the
school curriculum. In
- the elementary grades, the arts are a
valuable component
- in broadening a child's mind and
talents. In secondary
- school, the arts provide a sense of
history, connecting the
- past to the present. When a student
reaches college, a
- liberal arts education teaches not just
clear but creative,
- innovative thinking. That's the kind of
individual I'm
- interested in recruiting for Chase: one
who can think
- conceptually, write well and--perhaps
most importantly--
- bring a creative outlook to the
conference-room table."
- -- Willard C. Butcher, former
Chairman of the Board of
- The Chase Manhattan
Corporation
-
- * "Business also benefits from education
in the arts.
- Successful companies in our emerging
global economy
- need more than technicians. Appreciation
of music and
- related arts bridges the gap among
societies and offers
- young people valuable lessons in
cooperation and
- sensitivity to others."
- -- William E. LaMothe, former
Chairman of the Board and
- Chief Executive Officer, Kellogg
Company
-
- * "We must encourage our youngsters in
such pursuits as
- music education. In addition to learning
the valuable
- lesson that it takes hard work to
achieve success, no matter
- what the arena, music education can
provide students with
- a strong sense of determination,
improved communication
- skills, and a host of other qualities
essential for successful
- living."
- -- Edward H. Rensi, former Chief
Operations Officer,
- President and Chief Operating
Officer, U.S.A. McDonald's
- Corporation
-
- * "The creative arts provide us with a
unique and vital
- perspective about our world. . . . I
want to work with people
- whose imaginations have been unleashed
and who tackle
- problems as challenges rather than see
them as obstacles.
- An education enriched by the creative
arts should be
- considered essential for
everyone."
- -- John Sculley, former Chairman and
Chief Executive
- Officer of Apple Computer,
Inc.
-
- * "Music and the arts help children grow
and learn in
- multiple ways, and they are vital to
educating our nation's
- children."
- -- Anne Dowling, President of the
Texaco Foundation
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