Ledisi Weighs In On The Importance Of Music Education

"Have you read Ledisi's recent op-ed in The Sacramento Bee on music education funding? She says it best: 'Children deserve the opportunity to nurture their love of the arts.'" — Conversations In Advocacy #31

Music has been a life-long journey for Ledisi. From singing along to Earth, Wind & Fire at age three to earning a whopping 12 GRAMMY nominations as a recording artist, her own path has led her to be a spokeswoman and role model for generations to come. That's why she supports California's Arts For Every Student Act, introduced by Calif. Sen. Ben Allen (D-26th) earlier this year as SB-933.

Writing in The Sacramento Bee on Aug. 14, she made her case, emphasized that she is a living example of the value of arts education, and called on both the public and lawmakers to support the bill because, "Children deserve the opportunity to nurture their love of the arts."

Consistent with SB-933's own declarations, Ledisi called out five qualities arts education helps to instill in every student, all vital skills for "the information-based society of tomorrow."

Collaboration can begin with something as basic as keeping the beat while hitting the right note and music gives kids' ears immediate feedback, yet it's also fundamental to professional environments today, especially in the sciences.

Communication is also an area where the arts have proven their power to unleash children's ability to express themselves. And it's essential for sharing all types of information including quantitative data.

Critical thinking has long been a crown teachers hope young learners will wear, but it can seem a struggle until it becomes a habit. Arts education inevitably demands that children use their inherent critical thinking abilities to make personal statements they believe in.

Creativity is what the arts are all about. But the ability to break through with something new applies in most professional domains because that is how jobs get done right.

Finally, among Ledisi's list of five, arts education encourages innovation and persistence at the same time. Few abilities are more pertinent when tackling challenges. Stubborn determination must be flexible and creative to solve problems, so that the mind can rehearse possible answers while striving toward solutions.

When Ledisi sang along with Earth, Wind & Fire as a child, her mother knew her daughter's talent deserved investment and nurturing, ultimately moving their whole family to Oakland's school system to support this beginner's gifts.

Having risen with the arts, Ledisi is an inspiring spokeswoman representing the results of what happens when we invest in our children and their future. Ultimately their future becomes our future, the one inevitably shared by everybody we love.

California embodies the jobs and billions of dollars generated by these creative engines we have within us. Extending the one-time budget boost that was approved for 2018–19 for the future, as proposed in Sen. Allen's Arts For Every Student Act, should be our path forward to nurture the brains, work ethic and inner strength of today’s children and tomorrow’s next generation.

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"Conversations in Advocacy" is your weekend digital tip sheet on music advocacy and the policies that affect music makers and their craft. New installments post every Friday.

Ledisi Weighs In On The Importance Of Music Education

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