Guest Commentary by Julie Stroud
We can’t afford to eliminate music from the schools
Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS) have a long, rich history of musical excellence. Had it not been for the string program at Monroe Elementary, I would never have become a violinist and teacher. Thus, the recent proposal to eliminate all elementary instrumental music, along with other fine-arts reductions is mind-boggling. The proposal currently affects 8 percent of total current elementary students and nearly half of the district’s music teachers. However, music stores and private teachers all over central Iowa, and the state’s entire post-secondary music performance and teacher education system, will be forced to share the pain in the near future. Ultimately, it will be far costlier than we can afford.
Many people are convinced that more state money is the solution. The schools are strapped — that much is clear. However, full funding is an illusion, not a reasonable expectation. Even if the legislature restores funding, this situation seems to indicate that the DMPS prefers to deal with funding issues, regardless of the subject area, by ignoring them and hoping they’ll go away. When a program is chopped, there is normally some financial or academic justification. In this case, there has been no explanation of how band and orchestra cut into academic class time, how it affects student learning and achievement, or even how it is funded. I would argue that the reason so many schools are persistently low scoring is because the students need more music, art and especially physical education. Music is the only subject area that meets all of the DMPS Graduate Outcomes, either by itself or in combination with one or more other subjects. How is this supposed to happen when subjects are cut that allow these very things to take “root and wing” in young people?
This action could potentially become systematic. It started a couple of years ago when Edmunds Academy of Fine Arts was slated for closure. If these cuts are enacted, in about three years we’ll hear that the secondary orchestras and bands are being eliminated due to “insufficient enrollment.” Music performance is very time intensive, even for beginners. It is unrealistic to expect high school beginners to acquire overnight the technical proficiency expected at the secondary level. More than 90 percent of music students at the Regents universities are Iowans; about 10 percent are from the Des Moines metro. DMPS graduates expecting a music education certificate or performance degree will not only have a reduced chance of gaining admission to an in-state music program, but the DMPS will no longer be appropriate for student teaching, continuing education and mentoring.
The elimination of elementary instrumental music will impact the entire central Iowa economy. Local music stores, which provide instruments, repair services and supplies; the Des Moines Symphony and Academy; and private teachers will all be affected. Not all parents have the funds to continue music lessons as a strictly extracurricular activity, and scholarship funds are very limited. Idealist that I am, I believe that no child should be excluded from music based on his ability to pay, even when it cuts into my ability to buy groceries. In my experience, music is the one place where the playing field is level and all students have the same ability to learn. Music has no race, social class, gender, orientation or economic status. It is the first language we learn as humans, and is universally understood.
Sacrificing long-term growth in order to make things look good on paper is myopic and, as big business has amply demonstrated, economically disastrous. Cutting a program that is obviously popular and empowering to students is simply not an acceptable way to reduce expenses. In the long run, this move will cost the district much more than a few teachers’ salaries. Other districts look to Des Moines for leadership. Is this really the example the DMPS wants to set for the rest of the state?
We need to come up with viable funding alternatives. It’s not the state’s problem to solve. The district decides what the budget priorities are and how the money is spent. The DMPS administration has an obligation to work with the community — including parents, students, music teachers and businesses, and supporter of the arts — to come up with a practical and permanent solution to this issue so that “saving music” becomes a non-issue.
Julie Stroud is the owner of violinnovation.com, a Norwalk-based private violin studio. Her e-mail is violinnovation@msn.com.
