Dear Friends:
By nature, I am a political person. I follow current events and consider myself well-versed in the day's issues, political, economic, and otherwise.
During my younger years, I was not afraid to spout off my beliefs and challenge others who did not see my point of view. As I grew older, and the world became more divided, realizing its futility, I found it wiser to keep my opinions to myself.
In that same vein, for the past eighteen years I have tried to keep my blog apolitical and free of toxic discourse. I have done this through good days and bad - happy times and sad. I do this to keep my message clear and free of personal baggage, and to not alienate readers and potential clients. Today is no different.
I do not want to talk about politics, but I do want to talk about what happened in Buffalo.
You all know how I feel about my beloved Bills and the city that embraces them. I am a proud Buffalonian and I visit my birthplace annually. The place and the people hold a special place in my heart. Like where many of you live, Buffalo truly is a small town that embodies the word community in every sense. And, like all of you, I am sickened by what happened in my hometown.
And I want to say something about it.
I do not want to talk about guns, racism, or hate speech. I don't want to discuss bigotry, or nationalistic pride masquerading as patriotism. These are far too obvious, and are issues being hashed about by other pundits in places far and wide. What do I want to talk about?
I want to talk about music in our schools.
The shooter (I won't glorify him by using his name) was all of eighteen years old and was a recent high school graduate. Despite being so young, he was consumed with toxic thoughts and hatred. So much so that he plotted his attack in grotesque detail, down to the minute, including diagraming his store pathway to ensure the most efficient and effective kill rate. He said he specifically targeted that Tops Market's location because its zip code, which has the highest percentage of Black people close enough to where he lives. This is an eighteen year old boy who is a mentally ill, confused, and disturbed human being.
That is what and who he is. But, let's also talk about who and what he isn't. The young shooter was not a musician.
He was not a member of his school music program. For that matter, neither was the shooter who shot six people in a Los Angeles church a day later. In fact, in the 198 mass shootings this year, they all have one thing in common: they don't involve kids who participate in music (that I can find documentation of). Because music kids don't shoot people.
And it's not just violence. Music kids are less involved in drugs, alcohol, truancy, and poor academic performance. They are high achievers who contribute to their schools and community. They are generally kind, caring, and respectful young people who go above and beyond what is asked or required of them. In fact, music students are less likely to be involved in just about every negative activity we associate with teens.
I know it's not that simple. But it is true, and worth thinking and talking about.
Gun violence, hate speech, and bigotry are COMPLEX issues dealing with history, injustice, and economic inequality. It is about anger, isolation and mental illness. It stems from disenfranchisement, and prays on the vulnerable and mentally ill. And, I am not naive enough to believe that school music programs alone are the answer to any of these serious issues. But, if we are going to talk about what is wrong and how to fix it, the conversation should also include what's right and why it works.
Several weeks ago, I asked in my blog post All the World's A Rage, "If schools are becoming more violent, why are none of the violent students involved in music?"
Is it that students involved in music are just better kids? Is it that their parents are more involved and a part of their lives? Could it be because they have less free time or that they more academically focused. Is it because they are in a cocoon of "good kids" and are less likely to be influenced by others? Is it the presence of positive adults (teachers) in their lives who model good behavior and hold them to higher standards? Or, could it be that music somehow provides a perspective, culture, and creative outlet that is an emotionally safe and stable environment during unsafe and unstable times?
The answer is likely YES to these factors and many more! But that is not what our society wants to focus on. We want academic rigor and accountability. We want achievement and data to prove it's efficacy. And so that is where we put our time, attention, effort, and money.
But, what if we're wrong? What if we're missing something?
We want kids to be able to write, and write the Buffalo shooter did. He left behind a 180-page manifesto. He could write.
We want kids to have math skills. The shooter used geometry and step counts to calculate the most efficient and effective way to harm the most people in the least amount of time. He could do math.
We want kids to understand science. The shooter understood the damage weapons could do to the body and wore full body armor and a helmet to protect his vital organs while aiming for his victims more vulnerable points. He knew science.
We want kids to have an understanding of history. In detail, the shooter quoted acts of insurrection and oppression in the past fifty years that supported his actions. He knew history.
But, what if we wanted him to know more than just STEM. What if we wanted him to know something that can't be validated or measured by a scantron? What if we wanted him to know something bigger than himself and his view of the world?
I wonder if he (and others like him) would have been any different of he had known music. I wonder if he would have turned out any differently.
I wonder if this boy would have been any kinder, less disconnected, or disenfranchised. I wonder if he would have been less isolated or angry. I wonder how he would have been different if he had been part of a group, part of something positive, part of something that created art. I wonder what he might have been like he had a creative outlet and was part of a group of caring and supportive peers. I wonder if he had been a part of a successful, thriving school music program, if those ten victims in Buffalo would still be alive today?
I don't know, but I wonder. And perhaps more people should wonder as well.
Again, these are complex issues with no simple answers. And, I do not pretend to be an expert or have any keen insights into these complex issues. But, I believe to fix what's wrong and broken, we should start by understanding what's right and working. And music seems to be a good place to start.
Something to wonder about.
Thanks for listening. Have a great week.
Scott