Hi all,

First of all, it is hot and humid!  Secondly, the cab drivers are excellent and very professional.  Thirdly, the Metro runs on time and is very clean (though noisy, I'd have some noise canceling headphones if I rode every day). This was a week before the worst Metro crash on record.

I met with Kara Marchione, Legislative Director for Congressman Loebsack.  The Congressman was called for 28 votes this morning (a record number of votes at one time). I was not able to work in either Senator Grassley or Harkin (probably due to the same reason). I left a packet of supporting information dealing with the importance of music and the arts in relation to the education of the whole child. Ms. Marchione was very attentive and will email the two bills that they are co-sponsoring that specifically mention the arts as core and the need for increased spending and for increased accessibility for all students.  I specified the need for verbiage on any future bills to include the arts as core curriculum and also brought up the possibility of a fine arts graduation requirement.  She mentioned that they have discussed that and though it will probably be in the future. At least discussions have included the idea of such a requirement in the Combined Core Curriculum that is being proposed. They were kind enough to take several photos and I will forward those on when I get them.

Then I took a short cab ride to the LBJ Department of Education Building for the presentation of the petition for music education to Secretary Duncan.  The Glassmen Drum and Bugle Corps played (marvelously!)  and there were probably about 200 people there other than the Glassmen and of those only about 100 MENC members.  Beverly Hutton did a nice job leading the National Anthem and Florence Henderson did an excellent job of presenting the petition to the Secretary.  She even signed it before turning it over to him.  His speech was also excellent (and short). The “whole child” was mentioned four times and I have the feeling that this is in relation to the initiative.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gave a superb speech about how his father went to Julliard and always wanted to play for Basie.  He said that he had an intensive music education at home and look where it got him (appreciative chuckles all around since he was wearing one of his NBA Championship rings)! He was very passionate about the need for music education for every student and probably should be a national spokesperson for MENC!  I even got to say a few words to him on the way out.  He is a very classy gentleman.

Mrs. America was there but did not get introduced nor did she say anything!  Strange.

At the end they had Kareem come down and they presented all the petitions to the Secretary of Education.  The boxes were 8 feet 6 inches tall and it was impressive to see Kareem looking up at them.  He signed the official petition then and a moderately average high school rock band did R-O-C-K in the USA.  There was one TV camera that showed up very late although he did get Kareem and the petitions.  I found out later that we did get coverage on NPR, ABC and CBS in the Washington area.

I'm headed to some jazz academy workshops.  There were about 20 people there learning the various jazz syllables Doo, Dit, Daht and Bop. I went to the Metro (just underneath the hotel) and rode to the Foggy Bottom/George Washington University stop.  I really got my $20 worth out of a single day pass :) Then I had a lovely 6-block stroll to the Kennedy Center to listen to three student groups on the Millennium Stage.  The first was the Wilbur L. Cross African Drum Circle with about $20,000 worth of Orff instruments and a very enthusiastic young lady on cowbell.  This group came from Bridgeport, Connecticut.  They were followed by the Coalgate High School Dixieland Band from Coalgate, Oklahoma.  I must admit that it is the first Dixieland Band I've heard without a bass although they did have a purple alto sax, a gum chewing clarinet and a piccolo.  The final group of the evening was a 9-person chamber choir who was outfitted most appropriately in concert black.  The West Lincoln High School Chamber Choir from Lincolnton, North Carolina, did several selections and even with a rather "country" style delivery did a nice job.

After a walk back to the Metro and a short ride home I met Martha for the evening jazz concert and we discussed plans for Friday.  The evening concert was amazing! Special performers with the Army Field Band Jazz Ambassadors included Lew Soloff-Trumpet (Blood Sweat and Tears) Anne Drummond-Flute, Frank Catalano and Joshua Redman-Tenor Saxophones.