12/11/06

Some of you may have seen the movie Mr. Holland's Opus.  For those who have not, this movie is about the story of a music teacher at a public school, who is employed for both the beginning of the program and the end.  He teaches at this school for many years, producing many successful concerts and musicals.  In the end, however, Mr. Holland must be let go because the budget for the school is cut, and the music program must go.  The problem is exactly this: Mr. Holland's students no longer have a place to learn music, and Mr. Holland no longer has a job.

 While this movie may be a work of fiction, it is a plight all too common in modern school districts.  The sad fact is that most public school systems see music as an extracurricular activity rather than a subject.  Due to this mentality, music is usually the first subject to be cut when a school has monetary troubles.  The root of this problem is the mindset that music is not as important as "real" classes.  The truth is, many students consider music to be among the most important classes.  Playing an instrument is a valuable experience that most students will take with them and be proud of their entire lives.  How many kids do you know that are proud of their ability to memorize the quadratic equation?