Music, arts education holds steady

Crystal McFarland, 13, drew this picture after listening to excerpts from Mussgorsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” as part of a collaboration between Grand Forks, N.D. middle schools and the Greater Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra.

Sixty-three percent of eighth-graders took a music class and 42 percent took an art class in 2016, according to the National Assessment for Education Progress. There was little change in participation or scores from earlier measures.

Students were assessed separately on responding to existing works of music and visual art and creating their own original artwork.

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