The Notes of Life

At the end of the school year, I always had the 8^th grade write an evaluation of the year and ended with this question:

 

“You are a parent at a school that has just decided to drop its music program. Based on your experience here, what might you say to convince them otherwise?”

 

The answers are invariably articulate and heartfelt and often much better than any adult can do. Below are some answers I recently uncovered from 2012.  I particularly love the line “each key press gives children hope and happiness.”

• Music is important to the soul, body and mind. Music is the notes of life, each key press gives children hope and energy Music is a way to relax and to express your emotions. Music is everything, everyone and music is everywhere. Children tap their pencils and stomp their feet. This is music. —Jake

• I felt that this music program educated all students in a wide range of music. Students without any musical background and students with ample background still took a lot out of the class. The Orff program was great and it expanded my knowledge on how to play in a large ensemble. —Gabriel

• The music program at SFS helped me get through a lot. It was a safe place where I could try new things, take risks, express myself, be creative and forget about my stress and problems. It definitely was one of the main things that made me who I am today.-Yma

 

• Music was one of the main things that kept me in check, kept me happy through my years in school. If you take away music, you take away childhood. —Sam

 

• Music meant a lot to me because even though I wasn’t very good, the teachers still respected me and gave me a lot of love. —Kobi

 

• Music helped calm me down on tough days and cheered me up when I was down.-Andres

 

• A music program is essential in children’s lives because when I was a child, it helped me be proud of myself after finishing a song. And it gave me the energy to continue through the day.  -Crystal

 

• Music has been a way for me to escape from it all. With all of the pressure that schools put on the children nowadays, you need one class just for a release. -Tessa

 

• I would not only talk about actual music class, but also the experience that comes from performing and being part of an ensemble. I would also talk about how singing brings communities together. All the ceremonies and singing time made my school a family to me. Looking back, I’ll remember that most. -Naomi