Name That Instrument! The State of Arts Education
The National Assessment of Educational Progress asked eighth graders across the country in 2008 a series of questions on music and visual art. The results of that test, revealed on Monday, may be disappointing to some.
Some of the questions asked were:
# ?Identify form of musical examples as theme and variations.
# ?Identify pitch contour of melody in a recording
# ?Identify an example of 20th-century western art
# ?Identify compositional emphasis in a Bearden collage
# ?Identify a compositional feature of a medieval artwork
Could you answer these questions? The previous test in 1997 revealed low scores, and the 2008 results are even lower. Is cultural literacy being lost? Joining us on the show is Richard Kessler, executive director of the Center for Arts Education. Also joining the conversation is Emily Downs, an art teacher for elementary school kids in New Jersey.
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