Well, that was a real scare…
Ok, so the music department and it’s faculty is safe….for now, at least. It had all of us freaked out though, that’s for sure. I’m very thankful for this too. So now, I’m here to rant a bit. (Not about ASU at all, just about music and arts education programs being cut as a whole.)
Why are fine arts always a part of the first people to get hit the hardest (if not eliminated) during financial hardships in the education field? We are always considered to be the “unimportant” ones. Um, excuse you, WE ARE IMPORTANT!! Music and fine arts has proven time and time again to help kids do better in school and provides a healthy outlet for students. For a long time, music was the only thing I could depend on to be 100% stable in my life. If I had a terrible day, I’d grab my guitar and start writing. If I wanted to have some fun, I could just grab my violin and start playing. It was my only outlet for many years, and I know that for many kids today, it is their only outlet. I went through a very, VERY dark period of my life as a young teenager, which was eventually ended when Christ saved my life….but I fully believe that God used music as an outlet to help me through that rough patch. I don’t know what I would have done without music during that time of my life.
If you were to cut music and arts programs in the school, imagine what their outlets COULD become. Yeah, it’s a little dramatic, but its totally possible. Not to mention, cutting music and arts programs in places where they are established breaks the hearts of the kids involved in them. Most people have had an art or music appreciation class in their lifetime, and there are some people who use their creative talents outside of their non-arts field jobs. Imagine if you hadn’t had that. Imagine if that world hadn’t opened up to you. Imagine what kind of experiences you would have missed out on. This is what can happen if programs like this are eradicated in public schools. And now they are talking about doing major cutbacks in arts departments in colleges? Seriously? Come on. Music was the part of the reason I did so well in school. My love of songwriting encouraged me to try harder in my English and History classes. Being in a musical activity is just like sports…you have to maintain your grades to stay in there, and of course, because I loved playing, I always kept my grades up. I could really go on forever about how much music has meant to me.
Monday we’ll find out more official information, so I’ll keep y’all posted. This is serious though, guys. I’m definitely praying for USG (University System of Gerogia) and our school…it’s very tough for the entire state, financially. Our public schools are being hit even harder. It’s really sad that our economy is doing this bad. But to end on a non-sad note (lol), I am sosososososo thankful that our department is ok and that we still have a place to learn and further our passions. (and also, that all those who take lessons through the ASU conservatory, especially K-12 kids, have a place to take private lessons and go to summer camps!!!) Hopefully, it will always stay that way.
Jenn
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