The National Music Council recently held its annual Leadership in Music symposium in New York City at the Supper Club. This year's topic was entitled "Music Makes Kids Smarter: Implications and Precautions For Advocacy".

The program brought together musicians, educators, arts administrators, and arts education advocates to discuss the latest research on the effects of music listening on cognitive activities and the implications it may have on advocating for stronger music and arts programs in public education. The panel discussion featured Rita Aiello (Professor, Queens College, The Julliard School, Columbia University). Margaret Barrett (assistant Head of School Research, faculty of Education, University of Tasmania), Katherine Damkohler (Director, Education Through Music), Anne Farber (Dalcroze Specialist, Special Music School), Nancy Feldman (Arts Education Activist, Tulsa, Oklahoma and 1999 National Music Council Advocacy Award Winner), and Lisha Papert Lercari (Director, Music and the Brain Project).

The Symposium was followed by the Council's eighteenth annual American Eagle Awards Luncheon. The American Eagle Award is presented each year to recognize individuals who have made a unique and significant contribution to American music and music education. Past winners have included Van Cliburn, Benny Goodman, George Wein, Morton Gould, Dave Brubeck, Lena Horne, Max Roach, Roberto Peters, Dorothy DeLay, and Phil Ramone.

This year's recipients of the American Eagle Award were jazz legend Clark Terry and country music pioneer Roy Clark. American Express was honored this year with an American Eagle Corporate Award, recognizing the company's long history of generous support and sponsorship of the performing arts. The Council also presented its first Advocacy Award to Nancy Feldman, in recognition of her work to bring music and the arts back into public schools of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

"The Music Council is extremely concerned about the state of music education in this country's schools and wanted to recognize individuals who are truly making a difference on the grass roots level", explained Dr. David Sanders, Director of the Council, "We have focused our annual symposium on music education for the second year in a row, and created a new award for music education advocacy in order to bring more public attention to the issue. We were fortunate to have an incredible panel for the symposium who gave some real insight into the problems we face in making music an integral part of education, as well as some inspired strategies that our member organizations can bring back to their constituents. It was a very exciting gathering."

Presenters at the gala lunch included past American Eagle Award winner Max Roach, Impressario Jim Halsey, BMI President and CEO Frances Preston, and Nathan Leventhal, President of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Performers include Flute Force, jazz pianist Don Friedman, and The Clark Family Experience.

The National Music Council was founded in 1940 to provide a forum for the discussion of this country's national music affairs, to act as a clearinghouse for the joint opinion and decision of its members, and to work as a force to strengthen the importance of music in our lives and culture. Operating under charter from Congress granted in 1956, the council has a membership of some fifty national music organizations, encompassing every form of professional and commercial music activity.

Webliography:

Rita Aiello
www.juilliard.edu/faculty/fac.htm

BMI
bmi.com/home.html

Dave Brubeck
www.schirmer.com/composers/brubeck_bio.html

The Clark Family Experience
www.ubl.com/links.asp?
mode=websites&artistid=121954&p_id=Is+Not+AMG

Columbia University
www.columbia.edu/

Roy Clark
www.roy-clark.com/

Dalcroze
toltec.lib.utk.edu/~music/guides/methods.html

Education Through Music
www.educationthroughmusic.com/

Flute Force
kzsu.stanford.edu/~cathya/Playlists/
reviews/FluteForce4.html

Don Friedman
www.ziplink.net/~kutler/donf/donf.html

Benny Goodman
www.flash.net/~rdreagan/index.shtml

Morton Gould
www.schirmer.com/composers/gould_bio.html

Lena Horne
www.zianet.com/jjohnson/horne.htm

The Julliard School
www.juilliard.edu/

Nathan Leventhal
arts.endow.gov/learn/NCA/Leventhal.html

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
www.lincolncenter.org/

The National Music Council
www.musiccouncil.org/

Frances Preston
bmi.com/about/directories/fpreston.html

Queens College
www.qc.edu/

Phil Ramone
www.lucent.com/press/1098/981023.coa.html

Max Roach
www.book.uci.edu/Jazz/
CDLists/MaxRoach_CDL.html

University of Tasmania
www.utas.edu.au/

Clark Terry
www.stlouiswalkoffame.org/
inductees/clark-terry.html

Van Cliburn
www.cliburn.com/

George Wein
www.mwd.dst.ca.us/docs/bod/wein.htm