On August 5, 2010 Ms. Rozalina Gutman led Int'l Symposium on the comparative Int'l perspectives for the advocacy for music education, through brain/music research evidence, titled "Rethinking the Future of Music Literacy: Extinction or Rebirth in a Form of "Cognitive Technology"?" (part of the 28th World Conference of ISME, Beijing, China). She invited the distinguished music scolars from several countries to join her as presenters and as the guest-speakers. (You can view the LIST OF THE PRESENTERS & presentations' titles.)
At the Closing Ceremony for the 28th World Conference of ISME, 2008, in Bologna, Italy, Ms. Rozalina Gutman was personally invited to attend the 29th World Conference of ISME in Beijing, China, in Aug. 2010 by Ms. Yang Ruimin, President of Chinese Society for Music Education, VP of Committee of Art Education (Ministry of Ed.), R&D Center for Social Studies, & Co-chair of the Conference. This was inspiring, since Ms. Yang Ruimin enthusiastically supported the ideas of our Int'l Campaign since its very inception.
While finding much of the support from all the new friends-colleagues from all over the world at the pre-Conference CEPROM commission, Ms. Gutman was inspired to create an event that targets comparative overviews of the music education systems that she was personally aware of, due to her unique int'l background of living in different countries. This time the choice was made to showcase some of the world's most remarkable accomplishments in the music education in Estonia & in Russia, in contrast with the pitiful picture of music education in California (part of the collapse of the entire CA public education). PHOTO: ISME int'l Board member Marvelina Moore in Bologna.
The hosts did a great job producing this grand scale event with over 6 thousand music educators in attendance. Coordinating and organizing so many people, most of whom don't communicate in Chinese, while making them fed, happy with their stay, while providing clear conference logistics during the day and entertaining the delegates with marvelous music & theatrical shows was most certainly done very well. The engagement of many enthusiastic volunteers, the students of music colleges in various capacities, incl. translation and assistance with the technical issues of presentations was the key to the success of the event. It presented a great chance to meet young, bright and promissing music educators of tomorrow's China.
Ms. R. Gutman began her presentation by stating several paradoxes about the overwhelming need for the creativity skills in our societyy and the greately insignificant attention to state of music education in the current society, emphasizing the general lack of understanding that music literacy is actually essential in order to comprehend the depths of complex musical artistic creations - the process that presents both immense mental challenge and esthetic satisfaction, thus serving as a powerful cognitive tool for the developing advanced cognitive skills, even during the young age. <<< Prof. Daniel Levitin, author of best-selling books "Your Brain on Music", "The World in 6 Songs", co-producer of educational video "Music Instinct"
Ms. R. Gutman quoted powerful neuro-scientific studies to support the case [incl."The evidence from MRI studeis shows that the fibers in the corpus callosum, that connects the left- and the right- hemospheres of the brain, are as much as 15% larger in those who began playing music before the age 8. (Schlaug et. al. 1995b)" ], while expressing the understanding that the possession of such awareness on impirical level is not simply given and may be lacking in the minds of those individuals, who were not fortunate to have such priviledge in their own childhood (at times sadly incl. those who have the duty to create educational policies for large amount of population), making public awareness campaigns essential for the tangible positive changes to begin occuring.
Dr. Gottfried Schlaug, the founder of Music and Neuroimaging Lab >>>>
All the presenters and participants felt quite honored by having co-Chair of the Conference Ms. Yang Ruimin in attendance. Among other distinguished guests were Prof. Claudia Glushankoff, the Chair of the Commission on Early Childhood Education (on the PHOTO) and Prof. Scott Goble, the Chair of the Commission on Policy. Among the guest-speakers were also such distinguished music scholars like Prof. Edward Abdullin (Moscow, Russia), the scholar of renown cognitive psychologist Lev Vygotsky, Prof. Patricia Gonzales Moreno, who contributed a very good English translation of the significant term "Zone of Immanent Development" (vs. common "Zone Approximate Development") among many other contributing educators from around the World.
Ms. Rozalina Gutman was fortunate to have in attendance her most enthusiastic and never giving up CA colleague, based in Sacramento, the CA capitol, SCUS Prof. Crystal Olson, the veteran of the movement for Music Education for All in CA, the founder of the Master Degree program at CSUS that was just recently closed, "due to the lack of State funds". Prof. Olson presented the extremelly telling slide show, shared with her by the premier CA "watch-dog" agency for the legislative subjects, related to the Arts Education - "CA Alliance for the Arts".
After arriving to CA as a refugee, Ms. R. Gutman is deeply grateful for being a "product" of one of the World's most sophisticated music education systems that was created in Russia/former Soviet Union, that is well known through out the World for its unsurpassable depth of the approach in training of music educators. She studied at the top pedagogical school, that prepared music educators for the higher education system, founded by revered Dm. Kabalevsky. Due to this personal life experience, it appeared to her to be particularly telling to offer a different perspective on the issue of music education.
At the time, when CA legislators suddenly mindlessly approved earlier defeated Bill AB 2446 (Furutani), threatening whatever little was left of music education for over 6 million of CA children, it becace particularly significant to have this comparative case studies presented, while also engaging such top authorities in the field like Ms. Maria Kabalevsky (the daughter of revered composer, world-renown educator and ISME Honorary President Dmitry Kabalevsky and CEO of Kabalevsky Center in Moscow, Russia) and Prof. Ene Kangron, one of the veterans of Estonia's music education top team (kindly referred by choral conductor Prof. Laul, the co-owner of the Estonia Piano Co.). (Bill Ab 2446 had to be vetoed by the wise decision of Governor Schwarzenegger on Sept 30, 2010 - read more about the power of the SONG and C.H.A.R.I.S.M.A.tic actions )
Ms. Ene Kangron demonstrated videos from the Nation-wide annual Song Festival that engages virtually everyone in active and sophisticated music making event of the breathtaking size and complexity, where several thousand of people sing along with performers (incl. teens), easily singing complex harmonies (certainly the great inspiration for every music educator). Ms. Kangron provided variety of details about the current picture of Estonian music education, casually mentioning what does not appear that special, but rather routine to her: every child ages K-12 that goes to the public school in Estonia has a chance to have regular music lessons. How more telling this "simple" fact could be?
The comparative overview proved that the often used excuse of "lacking funds" (in CA, one of the World's largest and most prosperous economies) is actually not the real reason for having incredible achievements in music education (such as in Estonia, a tiny country that struggles to overcome economic problems, due to its transition from the Soviet system). But, rather the answer for the larger community for having access to the fundamental cultural values and to the cognitive advancement through music education depends on the tradition and widely spread public awareness on impirical level about its benefits, that Estonia obviously possesses in abundance.
All of the presenters and guests of the Symposium were very appreciative of having the forum for their urgent and important ideas through the oldest in the field and one of the most esteemed organizations, such as ISME (sponsored by UNESCO). The atmosphere at the Conference was very exciting. Thousands of the top music educators from all over the World had a chance to share their unique ideas, convening in one of China's (and World's) most prestigeous venues, one of the largest Convention Centers in the Olympic Village, just across from the Birdnest Stadium. The exellence in the production of the Conference clearly displayed how much music education is valued in China by its people, reflected in its government policies.
Ms. R. Gutman is by the entrance of the Olympic Village Conference Center, in Beijing
Happy exchange between Ms. R Gutman and Ms. Yang Ruimin, the Conference's co-Chair
Celebrating the successful presentation of the Symposium with Prof. Kangron, Prof. Gonzalez-Moreno, Prof. Abdullin
Award Ceremony at the Closing of 29th World ISME Conference
Ms. R. Gutman showing Advocacy Message to ISME President-Elect Graham Welch & Chair of 30th ISME Conference Dr. Polyvios Androutsous
Ms. Judy Thonell, ISME Secretary General, supporting our Campaign
The closing of every exciting and inspiring large scale forum is always a bit sad... But, the closing of every ISME Conference is a musical introduction to the country, hosting the next Conference. Greek delegation, led by Dr. Polyvios Androutsos, presented a beautiful musical invitation to the country, that is a birthplace of Western civilization, where music was known to be an effective educational tool for many centuries. At the end, those never predictable and fiery rhythms of the street band, that symbolically entered from the audience, stirred up everyone into improvised folk dance lesson, promising many more of such intriguing discoveries in 2012 in Thessaloniki. We are truly looking forward to attending the jubilee 30th World Conference of ISME in Greece and are hard at work, already preparing for it in advance. (Ms. R.Gutman grew up by the Black Sea in a former Greek colony, at that time called "Kerkenitida".)
