“I soon learned a basic truth about the arts: students involved in arts education are learning about things far beyond the art they study.” -Rafe Esquith, Teach Like Your Hair’s On Fire

This weekend marks the midpoint of summer vacation for those of us with school-age children in the house.  So, while I will continue to set aside the back-to-school Lands End catalogs and ignore the Staples ads in my inbox, there are some reminders of the fast-approaching new school year that I don’t mind reading now, at the height of summer:

“Music Education is Education”                                                                                                     by David M. Prentiss, president & CEO of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra           July 9, 2011  SouthCoastToday.com

“If I told you that I knew a way to improve the reading and math skills of children, keep them from dropping out of school, and make them more likely to go to college — and that my method was really fun too — would you be interested to learn more about it?

Or, if you didn’t want to take my word for it, how about listening to Rafe Esquith, an elementary school teacher in Los Angeles whose students all come from homes where English is not the primary language spoken in the household. Rafe has been recognized as one of the most dynamic, inspiring and effective teachers in the United States. He has received more teaching awards than you can shake a stick at. In his book, Teach Like Your Hair’s On Fire, this is what Rafe has to say about educating kids …”

To read more, click here.  Our thanks to Missy Labonte for letting us know about this insightful essay!