In the current era, music programs in high schools and middle schools are rapidly decreases. For a musician like me, this seriously frightens me. It scares me that the idea that kids won't be exposed to the same things that I will. I know for myself personally at least, I was first introduced to instruments in my elementary and middle school music classes. Elementary music class is where I first discovered that I wanted to play the guitar. The idea that kids may not be able to have that same exposure means that some kids may not be able to discover their love for music. I first discovered my desire to be a musician when I was 9 years old, beginning with the guitar. It has now progressed that I can play the guitar, bass guitar, some piano, drums, the alto and tenor saxophones, the ukulele, and currently in the process of learning the trumpet. In 9 years I've discovered one of my true callings. I know, for me at least, that music became my escape when I was in bad places in my life, and the idea that some kids won't be able to find music because of cut music programs scares me.
Music helped me to express myself when I felt that words couldn't be expressed in any way. Music is a way to let out your feelings when words aren't enough. Without music, I don't quite know how I'd express myself. So what are other kids who are like me, need music to express themselves, going to do if they can never discover it. Don't get me wrong, sports are important, but sports have become the only focus of schools these days and it's a bad sign. Music is about working as a team or individual to create something beautiful, while most sports are just about beating another time. I personally think that the arts should be just as important as sports. Competition is great and all for expressing emotion, but some kids need the other things to express themselves. The less athletic, the less outspoken, the less outgoing. They need ways to be themselves just like athletes need ways to express themselves emotionally. By cutting music programs, I fear that students will care only about competition, and significantly less about working as a team to create.
I know for my high school at least, music has become so unimportant to many students, there are only about 30 kids in the marching band. That scares me, because marching bands used to be so big and so important. They still are. It's just not "cool" to be a band kid. I know I've talked about band a lot, but the same rules apply for theater and chorus and the arts overall. They're being phased out. And they need to be around for kids for feel included. I never fit in in sports and I know a lot of kids felt the same way, and by cutting the arts there will be so many kids who feel excluded.
