Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by J.L. Marler, Education Coordinator at American Composers Orchestra
4:32:59
ยท
3 min
J.L. Marler, Education Coordinator at American Composers Orchestra (ACO), testified about the importance of music education and its positive impact on students' mental health and personal growth. Marler shared research findings and a personal story illustrating how music education can transform students' lives.
- ACO partnered with NYU to study the effects of music education on mental and behavioral health, showing improvements in various areas.
- Marler emphasized the need for expanded programs linking arts programming with academic classrooms.
- A touching story was shared about a student who found her voice and courage through music education, leading to positive life changes.
J.L. Marler
4:32:59
Chairs Rivera and Joseph, thank you for the opportunity to speak today.
4:33:04
My name is J.
4:33:05
L.
4:33:05
Marler.
4:33:06
I am a composer, teaching artist, and the education coordinator at American Composers Orchestra.
4:33:12
ACO has partnered with NYU to examine the impacts of music education on mental and behavioral health.
4:33:18
Early results show consistent improvements in engagement, mood, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and self esteem.
4:33:27
The research is proof of what I experience every week in the classroom.
4:33:31
The work of a teaching artist is powerful.
4:33:34
It often feels like social work.
4:33:37
I encourage the committee and the city council to create and expand programs that link and embed arts programming in academic classrooms.
4:33:45
At Lenox Academy, ACO provides free weekly musical instruction to students who otherwise would not get this hands on instruction.
4:33:54
ACO is consistently removing barriers.
4:33:57
Students who would not self select music are often the students who benefit the most from these programs.
4:34:04
Let me tell you one story of one of these students who I taught at IS two twenty nine in The Bronx.
4:34:11
This student had a great personality.
4:34:13
She was inquisitive, loud, and expressive, but she was also disruptive.
4:34:18
I felt that she was desperate for attention and care.
4:34:22
Through the ASIO curriculum, we created identity based original songs.
4:34:27
I asked questions like, what did you hear growing up?
4:34:31
What songs play in your home?
4:34:32
And what kind of music does your family like?
4:34:35
She almost always declined participation.
4:34:38
I always supported her.
4:34:40
Over the course of the year, I checked in with her regularly without judgment.
4:34:44
It was powerful for her to be in a playful environment where she could completely be herself without barriers.
4:34:49
She began participating more.
4:34:51
She ended up writing a song about never giving up, being strong, and the importance of resilience.
4:34:56
We performed it together, me playing guitar and her singing in front of the class.
4:35:01
During our check ins, she shared with me that she was in an unsafe environment and was being physically abused by a parent in her home.
4:35:09
As she built up self confidence and esteem, she finally felt comfortable and empowered enough to get help from a school counselor.
4:35:17
And over the next few weeks, she was moved into a different home situation, one that she chose.
4:35:23
Music education gave her the agency to change her reality.
4:35:27
I watched her turn her disruptive habits into action.
4:35:30
She very literally found her voice.
4:35:33
I must emphasize that this change happened because I was in her classroom three times per week, starting at the beginning of the school year.
4:35:40
We don't see these kinds of results when our classes happen only once a week or start in the middle of the school year.
4:35:48
I echo Lindsay's call to the council to address delays in the funding process and make it easier for organizations to partner with schools.
4:35:56
With school budgets and grant notifications confirmed in July, our work would be transformed, and by extension so too with the lives of thousands of New York City Students.
4:36:07
Thank you.