Border Crossings

My friend Cal Zethmayr of WAAZ/WJSB radio sent around an interesting e-mail forward this morning about how Kate Smith came to record “God Bless America.” It included a link to an early performance of the song, purported to be the first time she performed Irving Berlin’s rousing patriotic classic. But Cal’s forward also brought back a vivid memory of the day I played “God Bless America” for an audience at the outdoor swim lanes back home in Highland Lakes, N.J.

I got into trouble, sort of, when I inadvertently played “God Bless America” instead of “The Star Spangled Banner” before a swim meet one lovely summer’s day in 1975. I was responsible for playing the warm-up music and the national anthem to start each meet, but I had forgotten to rewind the cassette with the “Star Spangled Banner” on it from the previous meet. I had made the tape myself, and it had a collection of patriotic and national music on it.

To time the start of the anthem, I had to listen at the door of the clubhouse to hear Mrs. Silvey, the meet announcer, begin asking everyone to “please stand for the playing of our national anthem.” I’d dash inside to where the tape deck was plugged into the outdoor sound system, count to 10, then punch “play.” I’d then run back out onto the deck to make sure it was playing OK.

Imagine my horror that day when I heard Kate Smith singing instead of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s version of the “Star Spangled Banner”! Afterward my mother chastised me. “That is NOT our national anthem!” she exclaimed. But what was amazing was the number of people singing along, something that hadn’t happened with “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Even Mrs. Silvey thanked me, noting, “I like that song much better, but I wish you’d warned me you were going to play that instead.”

Later several parents approached me and said how much they enjoyed my selection and thanked me for playing something they could sing along with. “God bless America” indeed. And God bless Kate Smith and Irving Berlin, a Jewish Russian immigrant who enthusiastically embraced his new country so much that he would compose in 1917 one of our most beloved national songs. What could be more all-American?

A writer to our sister newspaper, the Northwest Florida Daily News, wrote a letter to the editor last month titled “A waste of time.” In her letter, she laments that she (or maybe it’s her child) spends too much of the school day participating in student clubs that include a variety of age-appropriate sports, art and music.

While I can’t speak for the sports clubs (except for the fact that they’re a great way to combat rampant childhood obesity), I can attest to the benefit of music education and what she dismisses as “‘oval art,’ which is not taught by a teacher.”

The arts are a core part of our students’ curriculum. It didn’t take our supervisor of schools, Dr. Alexis Tibbetts, to declare them integral to our kids’ education, though I am pleased that she did. The arts are recognized by educators as important foundations for students’ appreciation and respect for our society’s cultural roots and traditions. They stimulate young minds and help students realize their own, perhaps undiscovered, artistic abilities.

How many of our nation’s most brilliant writers, musicians, singers, sculptors, painters, actors, composers, architects, etc. might not have contributed to America’s cultural wealth had they not learned in a school art or music class what creative potential waits inside them?

As the Daily News’ letter writer correctly noted, school faculty do not teach OVAL — Okaloosa Volunteer Art Lessons — classes. Many school art teachers have been dismissed, especially in the elementary and middle school grades where one would expect educators would most want to inspire and stimulate students’ artistic expression.

As the name indicates, trained art instructors volunteer their time to bring art education into our schools that do not have art teachers. In OVAL classes, students learn about great works of art and the artists who created them. They learn what motivated the artists, and learn what social and political events of the day might have influenced them. (Shhh…don’t tell the kids they’re getting history and social studies lessons at the same time! They just think they’re getting cool art lessons.) Then, thus inspired, the students then have the opportunity to create similar works of their own.

Without our dedicated OVAL volunteers, budding young artists in our elementary and middle schools might never discover the wonder and excitement of great works of world art, nor discover their own artistic potential and capabilities.

Even if the Daily News correspondent doesn’t appreciate the well-rounded education of which the arts are a core component, she should appreciate that having students exercise their creative skills and stimulate their cultural sensitivities is demonstrated to improve performance in courses including math, science and reading. The arts have been proven to stimulate the areas of the brain used in “traditional” academic skills. (Again, please don’t tell the kids! You’d spoil the fun of art!)

Shamefully, our schools always seem to cut arts education when budgets get tight (or a new football coach is needed). Luckily, dedicated OVAL volunteers help our kids discover the excitement of visual arts even when the “real” art teachers have been fired.

If you’re interested in being an OVAL volunteer and sharing your love of visual arts with eager young minds, call Rae Schwartz, chairwoman of the Okaloosa Arts Alliance-North committee, at 585.5672, or drop her an e-mail at bakerny@yahoo.com.