I have spent the better part of my twenty-two year teaching career in the smaller,
“rural” school setting. I plan on finishing my career in the small school setting, but with
the recent trends in budgeting, I am concerned for the longevity of not only my job as a
music educator, but for the overall education of our future students. I am concerned with
how these budget cuts will affect the quality of music education opportunities for future
generations. Several questions come to mind when contemplating these problems.
Are we sacrificing quality music education due to decreased revenues and
deterring students from becoming future music educators? Can you teach quality music
without having quality equipment? What strategies can be implemented to maintain
quality? What are other school districts doing to maintain music programs? How does the
nation view the importance of music education within the overall education programs?
How are administrators, colleges and universities changing entrance requirements,
requiring more academics making it more difficult for students to schedule music into
their schedules? How important is music advocacy in maintaining a quality music
program?