Res. No. 578

Resolution calling on the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, S.285/A.1502, to incorporate arts and music education into the public school curriculum.

By Council Members Dinowitz, Louis, Hanif, Hudson, Avilés, Brewer, Ung, Lee, Ossé and Riley

Whereas, Music training promotes sensorimotor development, accelerates maturation of certain neural functions, such as auditory processing and response in the brain, boosts IQ, and is positively correlated with enhanced language skills, vocabulary, verbal memory, spatial reasoning, information processing, and attention; and

Whereas, Moreover, music education, particularly based on participation in choirs, bands, and orchestras, fosters development of interpersonal networks and social skills, such as cooperative collaboration and team-based problem-solving and achievement of goals; and

Whereas, Skills developed through music education are valued in the American labor market, as exemplified by surveys in which more than 80 percent of responding corporate organizations and businesses with 100 and more workers reported utilizing some type of team-based work approach, and as many as 91 percent of surveyed Fortune 1000 companies stated that they use team-based problem-solving; and

Whereas, Furthermore, music improves physical and emotional functioning by reducing elevated blood pressure, blood levels of the stress hormone adrenaline, and anxiety, as well as by positively influencing depressive symptoms, self-worth, and sense of identity and purpose; and

Whereas, Exposure to arts education promotes self-expression and critical thinking skills, reduces disciplinary incidents, improves writing achievement and verbal skills, increases compassion for others, school engagement, college aspirations, and empathy; and

Whereas, 88 percent of Americans agree that arts instruction is a part of a well-rounded K-12 education; and

Whereas, Despite public support and growing evidence of the individual, social, and economic benefits of arts and music education, teachers report a reduction in time spent on the arts, particularly at schools identified as needing improvement and schools with higher percentages of minority students; and

Whereas, Additionally, teachers at elementary schools with high percentages of low-income or minority students reported larger average reductions in weekly arts instruction time; and

Whereas, In New York State, as of the 2019-2020 school year, 112,572 students had no access to arts and music instruction, and fewer students in high-poverty schools were enrolled in arts education than in low-poverty schools; and

Whereas, In New York City, the percentage of schools serving grades 1 through 5 that offer one or more arts disciplines declined between the 2016-2017 and 2018-2019 school years; and

Whereas, The above trend was mirrored among New York City schools serving grades 6 through 8 that offer one or more arts disciplines; and

Whereas, In January 2023, with the stated aim of ensuring that arts and music education is incorporated into the public school curriculum for all students, S.285/A.1502 were introduced in the New York State Legislature, which would amend section 3204 of the New York Education Law to include arts and music education as a required course of study in first through eighth grades, as well as into high school; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls on the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, S.285/A.1502, to incorporate arts and music education into the public school curriculum.

LS #7866

04/07/2023

AZ