NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam announced Thursday that a partnership with the Country Music Association (CMA) Foundation to launch a $1 million competitive grant opportunity focused on expanding students’ access to high-quality music and arts education.
Tennessee: State of the Arts is a first-of-its-kind public-private partnership to ensure more students across the state of Tennessee will have access to a quality arts and music education. School districts in Tennessee will have the opportunity to apply for funding to improve or develop their music education programs. The statewide initiative will kick-off with the 2018-19 school year.
“I am grateful to the CMA Foundation for this generous investment that builds upon Tennessee’s deep roots in music history by bolstering music and arts education programs across the state,” Haslam said. “Research shows that music and arts education enhances students’ overall academic performance and improves their attendance and engagement in school, building well- rounded students ready to compete in tomorrow’s workforce.”
In its first year, State of the Arts grants will be awarded to as many as eight districts across the state. The three-year grants will be administered by the Tennessee Department of Education and may fund a range of strategies including, but not limited to:
- Professional development for music teachers;
- Additional arts and music supplies; or
- Materials and equipment used to address equity challenges, or expansion of local arts educational outreach
“We understand the tremendous impact a quality music education can have on a student’s academic achievement and social development, yet we still hear that music programs are underfunded and educators do not have the resources they need to create a thriving program,” said Sarah Trahern, CMA’s CEO. “By partnering with the State of Tennessee and the Department of Education, we will be able to curate a model for a statewide arts initiative that will impact children across the state of Tennessee — ensuring they have access to a quality music education model as we work to bring music to children across the country.”
Trahern added, “To have five-time CMA Awards winner Martina McBride join us today is indicative of the support from our artist community.”
Martina McBride related that her own education was in a rural setting with little money left for a music program. But now proceeds from the CMAFest will help to raise money for arts in education. Said McBride, “The CMA Music Festival is one of my favorite things ever. It is a chance for us as artists to say ‘thank you’ to the fans.”
The CMA Foundation has invested more than $21 million across all 50 states.
Also on hand was Tennessee’s Education Commissioner, Candice McQueen. She stated that “the time is right for music education as we have put a lot of emphasis over the last decade setting high expectations for all content areas. We want to make sure that we haven’t forgotten that the arts actually support those high expectations.”
She continued, “We are thrilled to have received the $1 million dollars where we can hire a coordinator within the Tennessee Department of Education who is thinking about Arts Education every day. This is a great day for Tennessee.”
McQueen’s comments were fondly received by the music educators in attendance.
More information about State of the Arts can be found here. Grant applications will be made available by the Tennessee Department of Education in July 2018.
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Bethany Bowman is an entertainment writer for the Tennessee Star.
Good Golly, Miss Molly! I wonder what else Haslam will find to spend taxpayer money on before he FINALLY leaves office. How about cutting tuition cost for higher education? The more money our government pours into free stuff for education the higher the tuition costs rise. It is nothing more than a shell game. Taking money from both ends.
This is great news!
The music education I received in TN public high school was not only a great experience at the time, but the skills learned there continue to be used in a part-time music career that has taken me all across the country. I also suspect that I was a beneficiary of the link between music skills and STEM performance.
For those who say “education should be more focused on career preparation,” I would remind you that there are tons of full-time and part-time careers in the arts!!
While reading and math are the basic subjects which all people need, people also need to be well-rounded education. Being in a music program provides a level of commitment that is often lacking in today’s youth. My brother is an engineer from Ga. Tech and a musician. If you have studied music theory, you see how seamlessly music and math go together. But don’t take my word for it. Here are studies: https://news.usc.edu/102681/childrens-brains-develop-faster-with-music-training/ https://www.inc.com/john-rampton/the-benefits-of-playing-music-help-your-brain-more.html http://www.ams.org/publicoutreach/math-and-music
My East Tennessee high school produced way more leaders, doctors, achievers than people would have expected for a school our size. What was the difference? One wa that a huge part of our class was in the Cleveland High School band, led by the inspiring music teacher Crill Higgins. He took us all over the country, taught us not only music, but opened our eyes to the world. Built our bodies, our brains, gave us vision. That’s what music does.
A total waste of money.
Yea, if Haslam gets his way, Country music will be changed forever….Kenny Chesney will sing, “she thinks my light rail (or Prius) is sexy, it really turns her on…”, or, Jason Aldean will sing, “Yeah my buddies and me are goin’ for lattes down on Blue Hole Road”.
How about we spend that money on basics, and get back to reading, writing, arithmetic, then throw in a big dose of American civics, and put a Bible back in each classroom. It seemed to work for Washington Irving, Winslow Homer, George Gershwin, and Elvis Presley. Big government needs to get out of our education system!