Music is Essential!

By Daisy Oram

I attended a small public high school that focused on technology. The only electives offered were computer science or design and art. The options were pretty scarce, and as a musician, quite bleak. To continue playing music, my only option was to join a local youth symphony. Tuition for the symphony was $750 for each year with a requirement to take private lessons each week at $80 a lesson. The price just to play with an orchestra in high school was thousands each year. This was a far price from playing in an orchestra in school. 

The orchestra was much different than one you would encounter in school. Each student there had taken private music lessons all of their life and made each student who did not have that privilege feel as though they were less then. Even though we were just high school students, the class differences were blatantly obvious. It was through this experience, however, that I realized, not only how undertrained public school music teachers are, but how elitist the orchestra was. I did not learn the basics in school and they made me feel like it. 

Music education was an essential part of me being able to pursue my dreams. Having an accessible and quality music education in schools is needed! Students need to express themselves with music, especially without being ostracized by their peers!