Interview with Sarah Stahly and Bill Brand of VH1

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, June 9, 1997

And I must say, even after I decided, well, I'm not going to do this for a lifetime, the time I spent with my band directors and with the boys and girls that played with me, and then the men and women that have played with me since and sung with me and done all these things, they've made my life a lot richer. And I wish that - one of the things I hope we can do is find a way to give that back to the students, particularly students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. They ought to have a chance to do music and to do art and to do - and to exercise their God-given abilities.

And whenever I think of Virgil Sperlin, for the rest of my life I'll always think about what a gift he gave to me and hundreds of other people.

Q. With all due respect, I just have another question. VH1 is launching a campaign to save the music in our public schools. Too often it's being considered a luxury, yet it does raise the math scores, the reading scores, the attendance and team-building skills. What do you want Americans to know, what can they do to help save the music?

The President. Well, there are several things Americans can do. First of all, they can make sure that their school districts, to the maximum extent possible, preserve these music programs, because they are a lifeline to learning and to life for so many young people.

Secondly, if it's necessary, they can be willing to vote for local - increases necessary to preserve those programs while the academics are preserved.

The third thing they can do is to go around and either donate or get others to donate instruments or other things which will make it possible for these band programs and these other music programs to go on. I think it is very, very important to education. I think all young people should be exposed to music and to the arts. And as I said, I think it's even wrong to get rid of these physical education programs, to treat physical health as if it's just the providence of athletes. That's also wrong.

But the music, in particular, we know there's so much evidence that it has a positive impact on academic performance, on social skills and how you relate to other people, on self-confidence, that anything we can do in every community in this country to save these programs for the schools and for the children should be done.

Q. Thank you, Mr. President.

[At this point, the President looked through some record albums.]

The President. It's got "Ruby" in it, doesn't it? "She's Funny That Way," "I'll Be Seeing You," one of my favorite songs. Glenn Yarborough was the heart-throb of the early sixties. Nancy Wilson - this is the best Judy Collins album ever made, I think. Although, I also like that one, "Bridge Over Troubled Water." Did you see that in "The Graduate" in 19677 Joe Cocker - I was - Joe Cocker was on Johnny Carson in 1988 when I did Johnny Carson, and I love to hear Joe Cocker sing.

Q. What were you and the First Lady thinking of when you - was it listening to Join Mitchell, "Chelsea Morning"?

The President. I liked the song and - now we - I loved the song. And she, Joni Mitchell wrote it, and Judy Collins recorded it. And it was great because Judy Collins later became a great friend of ours, which was wonderful. And I heard it first when Judy Collins sang it, and then I later heard Joni Mitchell's recording of it.