On the first day of school while sitting in the front row of the band room with a flute on my lap, and a gratified expression on my face, I felt a sense of comfort easing over my body. This comfort did not come from the fact that I had just eaten a satisfying Quaker's granola bar in the previous passing period. It came from my sudden awareness that in the duration of the upcoming school year, this was a classroom in which I would grow, succeed, and progress as a student and individual. Did I feel this way because my teacher is some extraordinary intellectual genius? Or maybe it was because the class was especially challenging, and would push me to go above and beyond. These scenarios, although possible, were not the reason in which this sudden revelation slapped me in the face. I knew that this class would better shape me as a high school student due to the sole fact that it is an academic course consisting of learning music. After I came to terms with this very simple realization, something that is terribly difficult for me to wrap my head around then came to mind. If music gives students, such as myself, a level of knowledge and academic ability, why is it slowly becoming a dying art in school systems across America? After contemplating that, my nerdy expression while sitting in on the first day of school transformed from a complacent smile to a disappointed sulk.

The Gallup Poll, a survey taken in 2003, concluded with statistics that 95% of Americans believe that music is a key component in a child's well-rounded education. I would hope that a high majority of Americans believe in that fact due to the overwhelming proof that music education improves academic skills in all areas. According to the Lang Lang International Music Foundation, music education has decreased by 20% in school systems across the US in the past few years. This is where any sense of correlation between American beliefs and the realistic statistics ceases to exist. Why is it that we as a society recognize and are fully aware that music highly improves a child's education, but yet there is a major decrease in the art throughout schools?

This plummet in music education is clearly not caused by the lack of knowledge of the benefits it creates. Parents seem to be fully aware of its advantages in teamwork development, quick thinking, reading, math, and science scores. If a deficiency in knowledge is not the problem in this situation, then what is? The answer to this question is also the answer to why most American problems are occurring - funding. The Lang Lang Foundation declares that 47% of public schools across the nation fund their music programs solely on outside sources of money. What does this have to say for our community? Personally, it deeply saddens me that an undesired necessity of spending money is prohibiting such a key and essential part of a child's learning process. Due to the No Child Left Behind Act, an increased pressure was placed on academic classes, causing a decreased attention on music classes because of its second class status created by the act. Public schools in the inner-city are especially affected by this, because the already difficult upkeep of the funding for instruments and necessary material now has a greater decreased attention on the courses as a whole.

We now learn in a school where gym is absolutely obligatory to be in every student's schedule, but a music course is a mere option. We study in a school system where just last year our elementary school districts almost eliminated band and choir in their curriculum. Music creates success in students, whether it be through teamwork skills, academic merit, or abilities to provide quality work. We are living in a society where these essential life skills are being overlooked due to a fear of spending money, and a need to meet government requirements. I am dedicating my life to educating children in music, for fear that arts in school systems will eventually become a distant memory. For one minute of your day, think about how you can prevent this terrifying fact from becoming a reality. Sign a petition online, encourage your siblings to take a music class, but don't let music die in the school systems of America.