Thomas J. West Music

Yesterday, my faculty sat through a 3-hour in-service presentation filling us in on the latest trends for at-risk youth behavior in America. Nearly two of the three hours were spent on substance abuse, and it's just amazing how creative our kids are when it comes to finding ways to feel good. Some of the more creative and disturbing ways mentioned that were new to me were: using a Vick's vaporizer you can buy at any drug store to vaporize alcohol to sniff (straight to the blood stream with a very small amount of alcohol) and soaking enemas and tampons in alcohol (again, straight to the blood stream).

As you may know, the human brain is still in development well into our twenties (our presenter yesterday told us that new research puts that age at 30). The most used areas of the adolescent brain are the limbic system, our feel-good emotional rewards center. The last area of the brain to develop is the frontal lobe, which among other things is our conscious imaging and decision-making center. It's no wonder that young people make decisions for short-term enjoyment without affectively considering the long-term consequences.

Creativity Gone Awry: The Tuba Mouthpiece Story

I myself have had direct experience with a former student using his intelligence and creativity to attempt a new way of abusing substances. When I taught a 7th-12th grade band program, I had two tuba mouthpieces go missing. Actually, I only knew about one of them, because it was my personal mouthpiece from my drum corps days and it was in my office. I figured it was just my carelessness and I would come across the mouthpiece at a later time.

Several months later, a policeman visited my office with two tuba mouthpieces asking me to identify them. One was one of the school's Bach tuba mouthpieces, and the other was my Conn Helleberg. The shanks (stem part that inserts into the tuba) on both mouthpieces were dented, but otherwise they were in normal condition. I identified the mouthpieces as the school's and my personal property.

It turns out that the mouthpieces were stolen by a 7th grade student. They were found in his possession at home when the police came with a search warrant, along with marijuana and several cases of chips and other snack bags that belonged to the school cafeteria. Apparently, the young man was trying to figure out a way to jam the two shanks together and use the combined contraption as a marijuana pipe bowl. He faced 1 charge of personal theft, 8 counts of institutional theft, and possession of an illegal substance. He spent several years in juvenile hall, and I do not know what became of him or what his life is like now. About a year after the incident, I received a check from the county for the replacement cost of my mouthpiece, since it was returned in damaged condition.

With Great (Creative) Power Comes Great (Creative) Responsibility

The in-service yesterday was to keep us updated on the latest illicit drug trends and also to keep us aware of mental and emotional health issues such as ADD, Autism, eating disorders, and so on. The presenter touted the decades old maxim that "education is the answer" and that students who are educated on the effects of drugs statistically make decisions to not use them or stop using them. She pointed out that in the late 80's and mid 90's Ecstasy was the party drug of choice. A push to educate kids on its dangers resulted in a drop in Ecstasy use. Now its numbers are climbing again.

Did we learn nothing from the 18th and 23rd amendments? 1920's Prohibition not only didn't work, but the illegal alcohol trade created the first organized crime in America. You can't stop people from finding ways to feel good, and even educating about the adverse effects and potentially addictive nature of substances will not stop their use.

What amazes me is the incredible amount of intelligent, creative methods young people have invented and continue to invent in order to experience a buzz or get high. Hiding red prescription pills in a bag of skittles; combining a stimulant like Red Bull with a depressant like alcohol to mask the effects of the alcohol; and absorbing alcohol by other means is just brilliant - get a buzz with less alcohol used with no danger from a breathalyzer.

The presenter stated that the number one reason young people have always stated for substance abuse was peer pressure until 2007, when the leading reason became coping with stress. Our young peope are under more stress than ever: high-stakes testing, overscheduling, instant gratification, competitive expectations, cultural pressures to look good and be the best all combine to create an environment where many young people simply collapse under the strain.

I firmly believe that we will never stop substance abuse and that education efforts help children make better decisions, but ultimately it is up to them. I was an addict, too - addicted to video games for about 25 years. Eventually, the appeal waned and I just chose to stop. I did have relapses, and I do still have to monitor my exposure.

The answer to this issue, I believe, is to guide students to activites and persuits that allow them to experience creativity in a constructive way that allows them to feel fulfilled and helps them build a positive sense of identity.

We need a return to the creative hobbyist. Forget competition and the pressure to exceed and outperform. Art for expression's sake and athletics for the fun of the game is what our kids need. Building their self-esteem by discovering what they are passionate about and then giving them the tools to pursue their passion is what will help young people discover a positive way to feel good and to contribute to society.

That is one of many reason why arts education is so important.

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