develop project management, how to pay attention to detail, the ability to follow through with
works, and so many others things. I know this because I took these classes and I loved them, but
I also noticed the budget cuts personally. In one year, the National Endowment towards the arts
has decreased by 6% and the states’ decreased by 5% percent. That might not seem like all that
much, but if this continues yearly it could decrease by nearly 50% in just eight years. They
could be demolished in less than twenty years and that can absolutely not happen.
Music is something everybody listens to, and still in schools around the nation it’s barely
being offered, something we can not allow. I remember in elementry school having music class
once a week and loving it, budgets cuts have made those times a distant memory. Some schools
do not have chorus and how often do you see a full time art/music teacher? Almost never, almost
all of these teachers have to travel between schools because the schools do not offer enough of
these classes. They are always put behind “core subjects” like science and math, even though,
The No Child Left Behind Act lists music, art, and foreign language as core subjects. Still, they
are considered electives and always scheduled last. If the government say they are core subjects,
why do they give them last money? I’m going into architecture and once I leave high school I
never have to take a math or science again. I do have to take art and foreign language. Art and
Humanities are just as important to some people as math and science are to others.
If these departments continue to get cut from schools it will affect the students, it is not
formulas or readings that stick with students, it is music and art, it is the fun classes where they
can express themselves. We as students, draw our inspirations from music and art because they
are something that we create on our own; they are meaningful to students. These are also classes
that lower class citizen need in school because they cannot afford the expensive equipment
needed. Have you ever went to buy art supplies, they are expensive. We need these classes in
school, and if the budget continues to lessen for these subject, we will not have them anymore.
They are just as important as other subjects.
Yes, in most places these subjects are put below others and this leads to the budget cuts
that they receive, however, there are some places that will not allows this to happen. For
example the city of Seattle pours in $2.4 million to their art programs in a way to try to lessen the
blow. Can you imagine a world without The Beatles, J.K Rowling, or Leonardo Da Vinci,
however, “Music’s in our souls,” and there are and will always be those people who will sing
loud and proud, explore the world in an attempt to learn about new cultures, and paint a beautiful
picture. It will be those people who will keep the arts and humanities alive and swimming in our
school systems for years to come.