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MONTROSE, N.Y. The Parents Committee on Music, an arm of the Hendrick Hudson High School PTA, has circulated a letter in support of the Hendrick Hudson School Boards bond proposal.
School board members are expected to approve the bond proposal at the October 19 school board meeting, at 7:30 p.m. Below is the contents of the letter.
THINK A PERFORMING ARTS CENTER FOR HENDRICK HUDSON IS A CRAZY IDEA? .Heres some information that will change your mind! (Please read carefully)
A vision whose time has come
IN BRIEF
- Planning for improved facilities in the arts to support a strong arts program has taken many years. It is in fact a good time for the district to borrow with interest rates at an all time low for projects that can never be achieved through the normal budget process.
- Arts education increases student achievement, student attendance and the chances of getting into and going to college. It also increases a students contribution to their community.
- A performing arts center not only supports an exemplary and innovative program in the arts, but creates jobs, creates revenue and provides a vibrant gathering space for countless community events, thereby uplifting the school and surrounding community!
HISTORY WHERE THE VISION BEGAN
The need for improved facilities for the performing arts in the Hendrick Hudson School District first came to the forefront approximately 10 years ago. The addition and renovations at the high school in 2000-2001 were completed and though they included significant facility upgrades to the visual arts, the instrumental groups were left to practice and perform in spaces that were completely inadequate, located in the sub basement and behind the stage. With larger numbers of talented students moving up from the middle school, the spaces were increasingly unable to accommodate the ensembles. These spaces would also be plagued by water and mold issues in the coming years that would require the districts intervention. Also, at this time a new band director and a full time choral director were hired, bringing much needed momentum and innovation to the programs. A look at other surrounding districts revealed that our program lacked proper course progressions such as music theory, composing, and music technology, not to mention nonexistent course progressions in Drama, Stage Production or Dance. Most concerning was the realization that Hendrick Hudson was not even able to meet all of the mandated New York State Standards in Music, largely due to facility restrictions. It bears emphasis that Arts education is NOT an extracurricular activity, but a mandatory part of every schools curriculum.
Though the district has worked diligently, partnering with HHCEF(our community education foundation) and PCOM (the districts parent committee on music) to bring much needed funding to buy instruments, musical arrangements, equipment and to renovate some existing space, the district also realized that more was needed to bring our programs up to par. They put forth a new strategy as part of the HHSD Strategic Plan which states We will identify exemplary and innovative programs and facilities in the Arts for the Hendrick Hudson School District.
The District formed an action team, made up of representatives from administration, teaching staff, parent groups and the community to work on this strategy. After months of research the group found that although Hendrick Hudson was blossoming in some areas, it was lacking in many others, the most obvious, a significant absence of adequate practice and performing space to support an exemplary and innovative program.
Most importantly, the action team was overwhelmed and moved by the profound amount of research demonstrating how Arts in Education positively impacts student learning and achievement and its ability to raise up failing schools and uplift school communities.
Following are some of the more important findings found throughout the literature:
- Arts in schools increase test scores. Data from The College Board shows that students who took 4 years of arts and music classes while in high school scored 102 pts higher on SATs than students who took only a year and a half or less. Students viewed as at risk show the greatest gains.
- Arts education improves student behavior and attendance rates. The arts keep students engaged in the hard work of learning and are known to motivate students at risk of dropping out by creating a positive school environment.
- Arts education helps develop skills such as imagination, originality, focused perception, problem-solving, abstract reasoning, self-confidence, motivation, flexibility, organization, and sociability. All of these skills make students competitive, increasing their chances of going on to college and being successful in school and in life.
- Business leaders see the Arts as key to preparing students to be creative workers for the global marketplace. Intellectual and creative industries are driving the new economy; the best paying jobs require workers with creativity/higher order thinking/communication skills.
- Students exposed to arts education show better abstract reasoning skills used in reading and writing, as well as skills and strategies for memory retrieval that apply to math and science.
- Arts education builds a climate of high expectations, discipline, and academic rigor that attracts businesses relocating to your community.
- Arts programs provide a way for students to develop deeper understanding and appreciation of their local communities, promoting meaningful community collaborations.
- The benefits associated with study in the arts are inclusive of all students, regardless of talentor disability. An arts-rich learning environment can have far-reaching effects that extend to the entire school and surrounding community.
It was not surprising that after the action team presented its findings to the larger strategic planning committee and Board of Ed that it was equally impressed with the literature about strong Arts programs and the well-documented impact they have on students, schools and communities!
The District adopted most of the recommended action plans in March 2009 including one which stated Improve and expand facilities in the Performing Arts that provide adequate performance, storage, practice and classroom space to meet the needs of an expanded performing arts curriculum. This set into motion action steps by the district to evaluate all district space and facilities relating to the performing arts, collaborating with architects, acousticians, staff and administration to bring us to the current bond proposal.
MOVING FORWARD
It should be apparent from the above description, that this proposal for a performing arts center was the product of years of intense scrutiny, research and planning. It is a facility upgrade that is long overdue and would result in an exemplary program in the arts that would revitalize the Hendrick Hudson School District and provide a community gathering place for school and outside entities to perform.
In fact, the positives extend well beyond student achievement.
The proposed Performing Arts Center that includes practice, storage and performing space would:
- At last provide the necessary space for our current programs to run. .a center for learning and creativity to thrive. Sadly, in past years several Drama productions and Choral concerts have had to turn away patrons! Including backstage practice space for our instrumental groups will free up current spaces that may serve as instructional areas for courses in music theory, music technology, digital recording and courses in drama and dance which currently do not exist in our school district.
- Serve a greater number of students, thereby having an even greater impact of the arts in the school. A guitar theory class, added a few years ago, has been running at capacity with a wait list. This class especially, has the proud reputation of keeping students engaged in learning and increasing school attendance. The choral program has increased its numbers from approximately 15 students to close to 175. The program is in great demand and running this year at over capacity. The ensembles have more than doubled. The need for practice and performing space is imperative!
- Provide a forum for innovative collaborations within our district which have recently become an integral and exciting part of our developing program Recently, the high school and middle school music programs (almost 400 students) participated in creating an original music program, collaborating with The Copland House, a vital historic foundation within our District. However, as our District did not have an adequate performing space, we were constrained to locate another facility for the performance at significant cost to the District. Additionally, our students had to be bused to the performance facility for rehearsal and performance, about 30 minutes each way, resulting in interrupting the usual school day more than would have occurred had our District had an adequate performance space.
- Provide a venue for our district to hold moving up ceremonies and graduations and other district wide events. A 1000 seat facility would be necessary to maximize its use. (In past years, the district has paid $15,000-$20,000 for the high school graduations at SUNY Purchase.)
- Provide a source of revenue from outside groups, such as dance studios and music and theater groups. Again, a 1000 seat minimum and back stage space are mandatory to ensure its use as an attractive rental space.
- Provide a vibrant gathering space for countless community events.
- Communicate to all that this district and community values the arts for all their tangible and intangible benefits, making our area more attractive to potential homebuyers and increasing property values.
THE INVESTMENT
Each households investment estimated at $13-$25/month * would reap benefits for decades to come and future generations.
Of course, this investment is for the entire bond proposal which includes many other valuable facility upgrades and capital improvements at all schools. These include Instructional Space improvements, Bio-medical and Science Research facilities and long overdue improvement to our athletic fields.
CONCLUSION
When one considers the many ways these improvements will enhance the entire school and community culture, provide a needed vehicle for increased achievement and student success while uplifting the community in ways never before possible, the investment (a fraction of what most people pay for their cable each month) seems well worth it. The vision for a performing arts center, within our district has been apparent for at least 10 years. It has been planned for in every sense of the word. We believe its time has come. With interest rates at an all time low, it is an opportune time for the school district to borrow. Projects like these cannot be brought to life through the annual budget process. Every district that was visited by the planning team felt that their performing spaces, most completed in the last decade, were worth every penny and more. Even in these difficult times, we cannot stand still. We must continue to plan for the brightest future we can imagine!
*These figures are current as of October 5, 2011 and are expected to be reduced as the BOE is working to reduce all costs. Estimated monthly investment for average homeowner in Peekskill (at its highest level) - $13/mo, and in Cortlandt - $25/mo.
This document is provided by the Hendrick Hudson School Districts Parent Committee on Music, a subcommittee of the HHHS PTSA.
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