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25-Apr-2007
Arts students deserve equal chance
A letter to the editor of the Herald-Mail, published April 22, 2007
To the editor:
This is in response to a letter to the editor (April 8, 2007) by Tom Janus. As a 2005 graduate of North Hagerstown High School and an avid supporter of the arts, I was very displeased to read some of the comments made by Janus in regard to funding for an arts school. I will not pretend to possess a great wealth of knowledge in regards to the Board of Education's finances. What I can attest to, however, are my own personal experiences within the Washington County Public School System, and how they could have been enriched by an arts program.
I fell in love with the trumpet in the sixth grade and practiced avidly every day. I loved attending band class and couldn't wait to be assigned more music to practice at home. In the seventh grade, my band classes went from being held every day to every other day. The amount of material covered within the classroom decreased significantly.
At North Hagerstown High School, I was given the opportunity to participate in an excellent band program. I was a member of the marching band and jazz band, both of which were extracurricular activities meeting outside of the normal school day. I also participated in the wind ensemble, which gave me the opportunity to play my trumpet every day for 90 minutes. I couldn't have asked for more, or so I thought.
My freshman and senior years, I was one of two Washington County high school students selected to participate in the All State junior and senior band program. I was honored to represent my county, but was taken aback when I realized how little other students and teachers knew of Washington County. I was a rare find, amidst a sea of students from Montgomery and Howard counties, to name a few, that were more fully represented. The majority of these students had been performing on their primary instrument since the fourth grade. Their schools provided enrichment programs for the arts. Some students were even members of county youth orchestras. The more people I met during my All State weekends, the more I realized how far behind Washington County was in the arts.
I am currently a sophomore at the University of Arizona, majoring in music education and trumpet performance. Now on the opposite side of the country, I continue to be shocked by the opportunities many of my colleagues had with their primary instrument. Flyers cover the walls of the School of Music advertising honor bands geared toward high school students looking for a more challenging ensemble to join. Right down the street from the university is a magnet high school for the arts.
I recently volunteered at a music event known as "Opening Minds through the Arts." This program is exclusive to the state of Arizona and has received national recognition. I was amazed to watch a program that, for two straight hours, featured nothing but performances in instrumental music, interpretive dance and opera by students from various schools within the district. These performances were all made possible by arts integration specialists - individuals within the community whom the school district has hired to incorporate arts into the general classroom setting. I witnessed a fifth grade class perform an original opera that they created themselves. I saw a class of second graders sing a song with hand motions about the water cycle. It was remarkable to see such a high regard for the arts. Not a seat in the audience was left empty.
As a future music educator, I understand the value of the arts on the lives of young people. Countless studies have linked involvement in the arts to higher test scores, higher grades and higher levels of self discipline and responsibility. The arts give students the freedom to express themselves in ways unmatched in any regular classroom setting. They also provide outlets for creativity, self-discovery and personal growth.
The main goal of the board of education is to meet the needs of every student. We offer programs for students wishing to pursue careers in the sciences and teaching (North High's medical and teaching academies). We even offer an entire high school dedicated to train students for vocational careers that many will eagerly pursue upon graduation (The Washington County Technical High School). If we offer programs specializing in these areas, why would we object to enriching another group of worthy students eager to learn and explore the endless possibilities that the arts has to offer?
Melissa A. Lloyd , Hagerstown
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