Thursday, September 02, 2004

Zell Miller, Music Lover

He introduced Beethoven for Babies in Georgia:

"In January 1998, then-Gov. Zell Miller went to the Georgia Legislature armed with a tape player and a new idea. Miller told lawmakers he wanted $105,000 to pay for a CD of classical music that would be distributed to parents of newborns across Georgia. Miller cited early childhood research touting the benefits of music in developing babies' brains and the link between music and math. To hit home his point, Miller pulled out his tape player and let lawmakers listen to a few minutes of Beethoven's 'Ode to Joy.' Now don't you feel smarter already? Smart enough to vote for this budget item, I hope,' Miller told them. But before lawmakers could decide whether to pay for the 'Beethoven for Babies' program, Sony Music announced that it would provide the CDs for free. And in July 1998, Georgia hospitals began distributing the CD to new parents. "