Music Ed in Crisis

These are trying times for music educators across the nation. The nation is in the grip of a severe recession. Our state and local governments are suffering from severe financial shortfalls which have resulted in severe budget cuts. The brunt of these budget cuts are falling on public service institutions particularly our public schools. In some cases funding cuts are endangering the very existence of music education programs in our schools.
The unfortunate reality is this; with the economy in recession, job losses mounting and severe government budgetary cuts, state and federal money to schools continues to decrease. Yet the cost of operating schools continues to rise. The cost of oil alone to heat a school has already risen 20% and is predicted to continue to increase. Meanwhile,the state and the federal government continue to increase educational mandates that are unfunded. These unfunded mandates add greater cost to school budgets.
Throughout the history of education in the United States, the arts have always been vulnerable to cut backs in funding. In the current state of economic recession, public schools are loosing a significant portion of their funding. This forces school districts to make serious choices about program funding. A loss in funding too often translates into less money to support elective courses in music and art for all students. A significant decrease in fiscal resources can also trigger increased class size and decreased exposure to new technology. Program cuts are usually accompanied by lay-offs and job cuts.
Its' sad but true that students attending wealthier school districts have a greater opportunity for a well rounded balanced education. Schools struggling with academic achievement and poor performance on standardized tests are forced to allocate more and more of their limited resources on core academic subjects. This leaves less and less funding to support encore subjects such as music and art.
Recent legislation such as "No Child Left Behind" and "Race to the Top" with it's obsessive focus on testing in reading and math has also disqualified some students from participation in elective programs and has left little time in an already overcrowded school day for music and art.
If a school does not recognize the value of music education, the risk of music suffering serious budget cuts is heightened. Too often school leaders and parents lack a true understanding of the importance of music education in a child’s development.

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