Researchers to Unveil Study on Public's Views on Music Education - With Live Music from Peter Yarrow and NY Yankees Great/Jazz Guitarist Bernie Williams

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May 15, 2015, 10:37 ET

WASHINGTON, May 15, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Legendary musician Peter Yarrow of Peter Paul and Mary fame, Disney Channel star Doc Shaw and New York Yankees center fielder turned jazz guitarist Bernie Williams will join a panel of researchers and music experts at the National Press Club at 10 a.m. on Tuesday May 19 – for a Newsmakers news conference unveiling a new nationwide study of 1,000 teachers and 800 parents on music education entitled Striking a Chord: The Public's Hope and Beliefs for K-12 Music Education in the United States 2015.

The "No Child Left Behind Act," passed in 2001, elevated math, reading and other subjects tied to high-stakes tests above other elements of a well-rounded, academic experience. Many school districts responded to this legislation by cutting back on arts and music programs. The unintended consequences resonated nationwide by 2010 when, according to the U.S. Department of Education, 40 percent of high schools didn't require coursework in the arts for graduation. Creating a balance between school subject matter and testing are part of the current debate over reauthorization of ESEA, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, now moving through Congress.

Panelists at Tuesday's Newsmaker include: Peter Yarrow, world-renowned folk singer and education activist; Doc Shaw, actor, singer and rapper who is active in the White House-sponsored Turnaround Arts program; Bernie Williams, former New York Yankees center fielder and now a jazz and classical guitar artist (Williams' number – 51- will be retired by the Yankees on May 24); Peter Grunwald, a pollster and education researcher who serves as president of Grunwald Associates LLC; and Joe Lamond, president and CEO of the NAMM Foundation, a leading funder of music education research.

This Newsmaker news conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 19 in the club's Murrow Room, on the 13^th floor of the National Press Building at 529 14^th Street NW, Washington DC 20045.

Like all Newsmakers events, this news conference is open to credentialed media and NPC members, free of charge. No advance registration is required.

CONTACT:
Newsmaker Committee Co-Chair Jamie Horwitz, 202-549-4921, [email protected]

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SOURCE National Press Club