To whom it may concern: I am writing this letter in the hopes that this will serve as a small reminder of the

importance that music education holds within not only our school district, but within every school in the United States. I find this letter to be of utmost importance, especially with the budgetary cuts that have been at the forefront of conversations surrounding public schools and their music programs, in order to make room for disciplines that are more important than music. My hope for this letter is that it will manage to sway your opinion of that matter and persuade you into recognizing the benefits of implementing music education. Music is in fact an entity that we encounter on a daily basis and although its role within the classroom may not be apparent, it has been longstanding. According to Reston, author of The School Music Program: A New Vision, music curriculum has been in existence within our nations school since as early as 1837. Although these programs have varied in their degrees of intensity and composition, they have all existed with the objective of instilling a sense of love and appreciation for music into the lives of these children. However, beyond this general appreciation, music serves a much greater purpose. Put best by Reynolds and Valerio, just two authors contributing to the book Music Play, Through music children gain insight into themselves, into others, and into life itself. Music education does often focus on making students literate in music lingo but through this pathway, students gain so much more than understanding what rhythm or tempo is. Music allows students to unveil things that are relevant to other disciplines too, such as learning history and the culture surrounding a particular form of music. The study of music within schools also introduces a plethora of skills as mentioned by Lindeman and Hackett, authors of The Musical Classroom, like it enables them [students] to develop creativity, learn self-discipline and teamwork, increase their sense of self-worth, develop listening skills, and engage in creative problem solving and abstract thinking. These skills, although extremely important to music study, are equally transferable to every other study. Mastery in any one of these skill sets puts students at the forefront of the academic world and better enhances their abilities as students. As it is clear from the reasoning above, music curriculum is able to accomplish an abundance of objectives when present and functioning within our school system, all of which contribute to the overall wellbeing and development of our students. Therefore, it is imperative

that music education is now, and remains, ever present within the confines of the nations educational system. Sincerely, Caitlin Mack