Recognizing the benefits and importance of school-based music education, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 45) recognizing the benefits and importance of school-based music education, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H. Con. Res. 45.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Concurrent Resolution 45, which highlights the benefits and importance of school-based music education. I would like to thank my colleague, the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cooper), and my colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. Cunningham), for their leadership on this issue and for introducing the resolution we are considering here today.

Research has shown that students' involvement in their school music program is crucial to a complete education. Musical study develops critical thinking and self-discipline skills and improves a child's early cognitive development, basic math and reading abilities, self- esteem, SAT scores, ability to work in teams, spatial reasoning skills, and school attendance.

In an analysis of the United States Department of Education data on more than 25,000 secondary school students, researchers found that students who report consistent high levels of involvement in instrumental music over the middle and high school years show ``significantly higher levels of mathematics proficiency by grade twelve,'' regardless of students' socio-economic status.

A 1999 report by the Texas Commission on Drug and Alcohol Abuse found that individuals who participated in band or orchestra reported the lowest levels of current and lifelong use of alcohol, tobacco, and elicit drugs. So it is not surprising, Mr. Speaker, that children involved with music education are more likely to graduate from high school and attend college and are less likely to be involved with gangs and substance abuse.

In fact, many colleges and universities view participation in the arts and music as a valuable experience that broadens students' understanding and appreciation of the world around them. For these reasons, Mr. Speaker, I support House Concurrent Resolution 45 that recognizes the benefits and importance of school-based music education.

This resolution before the House today is simple and straightforward. It states that it is the sense of this Congress that music education grounded in rigorous instruction is an important component of a well- rounded academic curriculum and should be available to every student in every school. It also recognizes the International Music Products Association for their efforts to designate a Music in School Month in order to highlight an important role that school music programs play in the academic and social development of children.

Music in Our Schools Month began as a single statewide celebration in 1973 and has grown over the decades to encompass a day, a week; and in 1985 March was designated as a month-long celebration of music in our schools.

Music education is important to our children. It can broaden and strengthen their education and improve their lives. I join my colleagues in commending music educators and organizations across the country for the key roles they play in helping our children succeed in school and throughout life.

As former President Gerald Ford said, ``Music education opens doors that help children pass from school into the world around them, a world of work, culture, intellectual activity, and human involvement. The future of our Nation depends on providing our children with a complete education that includes music.''

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support music education in our schools and House Concurrent Resolution 45, which highlights the benefits and the importance of school-based music education.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Porter), a member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I thank the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cooper), and certainly the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis), and my good friend and colleague, the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Porter) for lending their melodious vibes to support of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

(Mr. COOPER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I first would like to thank my new friend, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Kuhl). I believe he took the place of one of the great gentlemen of our time, Mr. Amo Houghton, who represented that area of New York State extremely well for many years. I would also like to thank my good friend from California (Mr. Cunningham) for his sponsorship of this bill.

This same measure passed the House of Representatives last session by 402 to zero, remarkable widespread and bipartisan support; and I wish we could see that level of support across our great Nation for music education in our schools, because this is truly a worthwhile endeavor.

I have the good fortune of representing Nashville, Tennessee, which as many of you know is Music City, USA. Nashville and the surrounding communities are probably home to more singers, song writers, and talented musicians than perhaps any other community in the world. It is truly a remarkably creative place. We like to say that literally everyone who lives there is a singer, song writer, or musician. It is just that some of them have not cut their demos yet.

There is so much that music offers, and we should be able to support music for its own sake. But as my friend, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Kuhl), has already said, music helps so many other endeavors in school as well: math, science. It helps kids of all types as well. It helps our high-achieving kids, and it helps our low-achieving kids. So this is a truly valuable part of our school curriculum. It should be offered in all our schools so all of our

children have the chance to learn the joys of music.

I think as many of you all realize, some of the most important intimate moments of our lives are usually associated with a song, a song that we carry in our hearts throughout our days and a song that was written somewhere, sometime by a remarkably talented individual who found that song in his or her heart.

So music is important to our lives. It is important that we cultivate a love for music from the age of our youngest children so that they can grow up and develop their full God-given potential, whether it be music or whether it be math or science or reading or art or any of the other great disciplines that they are learning in our school systems.

So I would encourage Members to support this resolution.

I would encourage our local school boards across the country not to repeat the mistake that we saw evidenced in that movie called Mr. Holland's Opus. Some of my colleagues may have seen it. It is a story of a fabulous schoolteacher, a music teacher and a school system, who knows where, who taught so well for decades, who taught band, introducing kids to the pleasure of marching music as well as an introduction to other forms of music, and yet, in the case of Mr. Holland, he was terminated by the local school board for lack of funds.

It is important that our children have a broad, balanced education, that it include music, and there is no better time than the month of March for that love of music to demonstrate.

So I appreciate my colleagues in the House. I appreciate the Committee on Education and the Workforce allowing a waiver of the normal jurisdiction so the bill could be brought forward in a timely manner.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis), my good friend and colleague, a man whose own voice has remarkable musical qualities. It is bass, but it is music.

Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in support of this resolution.

H. Con. Res. 45 recognizes that music education grounded in rigorous instruction is an important component of a well-rounded academic curriculum, and should be available to every student in every school. The serious study of music has been demonstrated to complement other areas of academic study, while also providing students with a substantive background in the arts that will serve them throughout their lives.

This resolution is going to pass today--probably by a near unanimous vote. While all of us who support music education are gratified by that outpouring of congressional support, I must point out that it is insufficient unless backed up by a willingness to help

schools offer quality music education programs.

Unfortunately, music education is facing severe cuts in thousands of school districts throughout the Nation, including in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District in my congressional district. Fourth graders in that District may lose their music programs because of budget cuts necessitated in large part because this Congress has failed to follow through on its promises to fund public education adequately. These classes are the foundation for the district's celebrated middle and high school band programs, and eliminating music education would be a loss to those students. Yet the district is struggling to find money for teacher salaries.

Since we passed the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, both the Bush Administration and the Congress, which is under the control of the President's party, have reneged on the resources our schools urgently need to implement the laudable goals of that law--better accountability, better achievement, better instruction. With the President's latest budget, we are some $40 billion below the funding level we promised teachers, principals, students and parents when we passed the law.

Some may use that underfunding as an excuse to call for a weakening in the law's goal of making sure that every child attends a quality school, is taught by a skilled teacher, and attains educational achievement at grade level. I believe that this nation is strong enough, and wealthy enough, that we can fund both the basic education requirements contained in No Child Left Behind, and classes in the music, arts, drama, social and emotional learning and other topics critical to a child's intellectual and social development. What this Congress has lacked, and continues to lack, is the will. Congress is happy to declare its support for a broad range of goals, but it too often fails to follow through and deliver to those who are depending on us.

So I congratulate the authors of this resolution for reminding us that there is more to education than reading and writing, as critical as they are, and that other areas of instruction can actually enhance student performance in these other core subjects. I will look for similar support from the House when we offer amendments to increase the shamefully low education budgets that are placing our schools and teachers under unnecessary and unfair pressure.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, I have always been told that music is a universal language, and so I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 45 to recognize the benefits and importance of school-based music education. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, the reality our schools face today is one of budget cuts yet while trying to maintain a well-rounded curriculum for our children. After-school programs, art classes, intramural sports, late bus routes and even music classes are being eliminated.

We know music education helps young minds to develop creatively and express emotions. We know that studies show that early music training can enhance a child's ability to reason and think critically and that children exposed to music at a young age learn better in other subjects.

We also know that children trained in music score significantly higher on reading tests than those who were not.

We know that secondary students who participated in band or orchestra reported the lowest lifetime and current use of all substances such as alcohol, tobacco and other illicit drugs.

The College Board identifies the arts as one of the six basic academic subject areas students should study in order to succeed in college, and the Department of Education agrees by listing the arts as subjects that college-bound middle and junior high school students should take, stating that many colleges view participation in the arts and music as a valuable experience that broadens students' understanding and appreciation of the world around them.

Although the Department of Education sees music education as a prerequisite to college and countless studies have shown the vast impact of music education, it is still missing for too many schools, particularly public schools in inner city neighborhoods having virtually no access to music education. Local budget cuts are depriving approximately 30 million students of an education that includes music.

It is not only at the local level that is forcing schools to abandon music education, but the lack of Federal funding as well. Without music education, so many of our great musicians that we admire today would be doing something else.

Not only musicians, but it has been noted that even the very best entrepreneurs and technical designers in the Silicon Valley industry are nearly, without exception, practicing musicians. The school music program was there for them, and we need to have it there for the next generation of musicians, thinkers and entrepreneurs.

So, Mr. Speaker, I gladly rise in support of this resolution and urge its passage.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for the time, and I thank my colleague the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cooper) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Cunningham) for their leadership on this particular resolution.

I am proud to be a cosponsor of H. Con. Res. 45. Representing Clark County, Nevada, one of the fastest growing communities in the country and one of the fastest growing school districts in the country, we also have one of the finest music departments for our children.

I would like to go back in time just for a moment. I am one of those students that, in the early 1960s, had the opportunity to start in the first grade with piano lessons. Of course, I resisted taking these piano lessons. I did not want to go, but I did follow the advice of my mom and dad and later joined the school band, was involved in programs, but I would tell my colleagues from firsthand that music has been a major part of my life.

I know friends that have found it as a career, have made a decision to go into the music field, but it is an art form, and I feel that we have a responsibility as leaders to make sure that this art form is continued and expanded.

I mentioned I have some friends that have moved into the music field. They, too, have been inspiration for me, but as I see what is happening to our children today with the pressures that are upon our families, music is a key way for recreation but also for excitement that music provides. It is truly an art form.

As was mentioned earlier, music is one of those items that I think brings back memories of specific times. We hear a specific song or I play a song today that will bring back memories from years gone by, but life is not a snapshot. It is a moving picture, and as we enjoy those memories of life, music provides one of those avenues for us to share in moments of time, and music should and must remain a major part of our curriculum in our schools.

I have this maybe far-out idea that someday music could be the language of world peace because music crosses all boundaries, all religions, all races, all nationalities, and at some point in time, I truly believe that music can be one of those tools to bring us all together as a Nation and as a country.

Mr. Speaker, I stand here today in support of H. Con. Res. 45 and encourage its passage.