Photo cred: greenlining.org

Despite the seemingly never-ending list of benefits of music and how art is key to the preservation of culture, art and music programs continue to be cut around the country.  18 orchestra positions were just cut in Atlanta.   In Astonia, Connecticut, a ten-year old girl begged the city’s mayor to reinstate full-time music and arts programs to Prendergast Elementary School.  She (very eloquently) stated: “By cutting music and art…you are taking away our creativity in art and how we express creativity in plays, bands, and holiday concerts in music.”  North Jersey also slashed its music program.  Unfortunately, these stories are a dime a dozen and the three I just listed come from the last couple weeks.  If you google “Music Education School Cuts,” prepare to be overwhelmed at the results.

Across the country, 1.3 million elementary students do not have access to a single music class.  A survey conducted by Grunwald Associates in Bethesda, Maryland found that 36% of children have received one year or less of music education and 16% have received no music education at their school.  The same study unequivocally shows that parents and teachers wanted music to be a required class in elementary and middle school.  Yet, the U.S. Department of Education statistics report that as of 2010, 40% of high schools no longer required that students take an arts course in order to graduate.

Presidential hopeful Martin O’Malley recently spoke about the importance of Music.  While at an art gallery he told the crowd, “I don’t think I would have graduated from either grade school or high school were it not for music and art.”   O’Malley isn’t alone.  Condoleezza Rice, Alan Greenspan, Paul Allen and James Wolfensohn all studied music for years as children and maintain it played an integral role in their success later in life.

These statistic paint a dreary picture that is worsening by the day. And as more and more schools cut essential art and music programs, it is important that we remain vocal about the importance of Arts education. What role have music and arts classes played in your life? Which teacher impacted your life? What story can you tell to help raise this issue to a loud forte rather than a diminishing piano? Please leave your comments.