Who Loves Music?

Many prominent artists have been active in their support of music education.

Jazz saxophonist Branford Marsalis recently lobbied members of Congress to support music in our schools, as did Sesame Street’s Bob McGrath... recording stars like Meatloaf and Brandy credit school music with getting them on the right path in life... actress Meryl Streep learned the violin and backed up her Academy Award-nominated role in Music of the Heart with advocacy of real-world music education, just as Richard Dreyfuss did after he played his own instruments for his Oscar-nominated role in Mr. Holland’s Opus... Sheryl Crow was a grade-school music teacher before she became a successful recording artist.

Many people you don’t think of as musicians support music and music education.

Real-estate mogul Donald Trump champions music education, even though he says it “didn’t turn out so great” for him... Hollywood columnist Army Archerd is an accomplished piano player, and political scribe William F. Buckley says, “My keenest disappointment is when I enter someone’s house and see no piano in it”... author Madeleine L’Engle goes to the piano whenever she’s stuck in her writing... football great Marcus Allen also plays the piano, and world champion baseball player Bernie Williams travels with a classical guitar... in fact, Williams is one of several present and retired baseball stars, including Ozzie Smith, Paul O’Neill, David Wells, Sandy Alomar, Jr., Jack McDowell and Ernie Banks, who appear on a new all-baseball music album... Today co-host Katie Couric has played the piano on the air... ABC’s Hugh Downs not only carries a portable CD player with him when he travels, he reads musical scores for fun... former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani is a devoted opera fan... television host Montel Williams sings and plays the trumpet and bass guitar... former Minnesota Vikings head coach Dennis Green kept one set of drums at home, and one in his office... syndicated humorist Dave Barry plays lead guitar for an all-author band, “The Rock Bottom Remainders,” that also includes Stephen King (rhythm guitar, vocals), Amy Tan (vocals), Robert Fulghum (backup vocals), Roy Blount Jr. (backup vocals) and others (the band’s motto: “We play music as well as Metallica writes novels”)... author Ken Follett plays bass guitar in a band called “Damn Right I Got the Blues” (named for a Buddy Guy album)... mentalist The Amazing Kreskin plays the piano as part of his on-stage demonstrations... broadcast journalist Charles Osgood loves to play the piano... retired General H. Norman Schwarzkopf says music was his only opportunity for relaxation during the Gulf War... His Airness, Michael Jordan, has taken up the piano... late President Richard Nixon tinkled the White House ivories on more than one occasion... amateur saxophonist and former President William J. Clinton is well-known for his love of music, and has said publicly that he wouldn’t have become president without it... National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice is a classically trained pianist who still plays every chance she gets.