For the past thirty years, politicians, pundits, and policymakers have debated our nation's great digital divide - a place and space where America's poorest and neediest students lack equal access to technology and the world wide web. Thanks partly to government investment, technological advancements, and smartphone access, that gap has dwindled considerably to a more level playing field. Today, by and large, rich and poor students alike have access to technology in ways previously thought unimaginable.
As we close one divide, another one opens up.
A recent article in the New Yorker Magazine highlighted what it sees as the new and significant "physical divide," the chasm between affluent and non-affluent young people participating in school and club sports.
The article cites a recent Centers for Disease Control study that states, "There is a significant gap in sports participation by income level." The 2020 study found that "70% of children from families with incomes above $100,000 — (four times the poverty line) participated in sports, compared to 51% for middle-income families, and 31% for families at or below the poverty line."
As someone who coaches and has boys participating in club sports, these findings are not particularly surprising. Alarming? Yes. Surprising? No.
Shrinking budgets and the advent of privatized/club sports can have families paying anywhere from $3,000 to $10,000 annually for training, club fees, uniforms, travel, etc. This doesn't factor in transportation, child care, and time off work needed for parents with kids in these clubs - leaving many of our nation's poorer families out of the athletic loop.
Less opportunity equals less training, coaching, and skill development. The snowball effect continues long after the child leaves school or the season ends. (If you are interested, Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers makes a clear and compelling case that the impact of this continues into adulthood.)
Could the same be true for music?
We know the impact of the great digital divide, and we are becoming more aware of the effects of the great athletic divide. What about the great "musical divide?"
It will shock few of you to learn that the quality of a child's music education can be as dependent on their home address and their parent's paycheck as it is their music teacher. Inner city schools struggle to find not just the funding, but quality applicants to fill not just music, but ALL teaching vacancies. Older facilities, smaller enrollment, low SES, and instructional remediation only compound the problem.
This is not a reflection of the educator, it's a reflection of society.
In fact, as someone who taught in East LA and Title 1 schools in Phoenix, I am proud of what those students accomplished. They worked incredibly hard and would stop at nothing to achieve success. But, there was a "musical divide" that we had to overcome. Less access, less opportunity, less equipment, less parent support, fewer resources, and fewer (if any) private lessons create a real chasm that needed to be acknowledged, addressed, and overcome.
Music educators in these communities are doing amazing work with fewer resources, less support, and in my experience, less recognition for what they are accomplishing and how they are doing it.
Even in more affluent communities, challenges remain. Varying district philosophies and commitment related to music (both seem to be in short supply) have created difficult times in the best of circumstances and perilous times in the worst. Add to this increased rigor and accountability for all schools, and what remains are fewer and fewer schools placing a premium on a premium musical experience.
In affluent communities, the divide can be mitigated by parents' ability and willingness to cover the differential—whereas their less affluent counterparts lack the same resources and abilities.
In this week's poll on our Be Part of the Music Dashboard, we ask, "What made you want to be a music teacher?"
The number one answer? Unsurprisingly, "My music teacher."
The key to providing great musical experiences lies in our ability to attract great music educators to schools and communities that can be difficult to work in. To be blunt - you make the same money conducting Beethoven as you do Begin the Beguine. How do we convince our best and brightest to sacrifice their musical goals (conducting Mahler) for their students' goals (getting out of poverty)? In our profession and in our contests, how do we shine the spotlight not just on achievement, but on growth as well?
Simply stated, how do we grow our profession and impact if we cannot attract our best teachers where they can do the most good? How do we grow the profession's diversity if students' musical experiences in places of diversity are different from their affluent counterparts - making them less likely to choose music education as a professional pathway?
It can be done. And, it is being done. Many exemplary teachers are making it happen every day. I spent my entire career teaching in lower-income communities and schools, and loved ev ery minute of it. I took pride in the fact that I believed I was a part of the solution.
I also recognize that as a leadership speaker, most of my clients are on the other side of the tracks, and I recognize that I am now part of the problem.
I leapt over the economic divide to the affluent side.
The musical chasm is vast, and I fear it's only getting harder to take the leap. Perhaps even more worrisome is how easy it has become to leap out of the profession altogether.
Have a great week.
Scott
p.s. Be Part of the Music is giving away $40,000.00 worth of amazing prizes/grants/giveaways for Teacher Appreciation Week. But, you have to register before this Friday. In an effort to ensure everyone was a winner, we printed 1,000 "I Teach More than Music" stickers. They were gone in six hours. It makes me so happy to spend the week honoring you and making you happy. I hope you will click below and get in on the fun.