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The McKelvy House Scholars dinner discussion about music education in public schools set for Sunday, Sept. 18 has been postponed to Wednesday, Oct. 5.
The next McKelvy House dinner discussion will take place Wednesday, Sept. 21. The topic will be the role of language in producing or mobilizing civic action. These events are open to the campus community.
The meal for the Oct. 5 gathering will begin 6 p.m. at McKelvy House, 200 High Street. Led by Briana Niblick ’05(Hatboro, Pa.), the discussion will start at 6:30 p.m.
“Often when public schools need to cut budgets, music and arts programs are the first to get cut,” says Niblick, who is pursuing a civil engineering degree and an A.B. degree with a music major. “Yet it has been shown that arts programs serve a much greater purpose than recreation. Students who participate in arts programs, regardless of whether the programs are musically or visually based, often do better in school than students who do not have access to arts programs.”
“For Sunday’s discussion, come ready to discuss the politics of music and arts education in schools, as well as your own personal experiences with such programs or the lack thereof,”she adds.
Niblick recommends the following web pages for background:
The National Association for Music Education — Statistics
Children’s Music Workshop – This article discusses the “give-and-take” nature of in-school music lessons. “While many teachers recognize the benefits of learning an instrument, some are concerned that time devoted to music is time taken away from academics, and thus could negatively influence the student’s academic performance. These teachers and students are forced to choose one or the other: academics or music.”
Since 1962, the McKelvy House Scholars program has brought together Lafayette students with a wide range of majors and interests to reside in a historic off-campus house and share in intellectual and social activities. Sunday dinner discussions that engage the students in debate and exchange of ideas are the hallmark of the program; several Wednesday discussions have been added this school year. Most members also contribute to the annual McKelvy Papers, written on a topic of each person’s choice. McKelvy Scholars participate in activities together such as field trips to plays, concerts, and exhibits, and sponsor events for the campus as well.
Past discussions
Sept. 14 — Apathy
Sept. 11 — Why Do We Care about One Another?
Sept. 4 — Oil
Previous years
Adam Glickman leads McKelvy House Scholars in a discussion of the darker aspects of humor.