I have just read the sad news in the LA Times that Los Angeles Middle Schools will be cutting out some of their music classes as part of the effort to trim the school budget. It is always music and the arts that are first to go when there are necessary school budget cuts. When will we ever realize that the arts is not just a frill, but a necessity—not just for art and music alone, but for bringing meaning and focus to all the other academic disciplines? I am sure that I am not mentioning all the benefits now, but here are just a few to consider: music promotes creativity, cooperation, language development, abstract thinking, memory, community and self-discipline. If we must eliminate some of these music programs in our schools now, let us hope that the curriculum planners might be creative enough to integrate more music in the teaching of the academic core curriculum. I am up for brainstorming on this one. Let’s not let a lack of money interfere with music for our children. Let’s get creative.
