As someone who has performed and taught music my entire adult life, I've always loved touting the fact that I was, and my classes were, the bright spot in the day for my students. The one class where there very likely would not be homework. The one class where students are encouraged to emote. The class that was a release of energy and a remedy for stress and anxiety rather than be a source. And, as Maya Angelou put it, "the rainbow in someone's cloud."
But... doing music can also put students outside their comfort zone. Ironically, this is where the magic/learning happens. Many students realize this and stick with it. Others are made too uncomfortable by it and elect to take a different course. Then, there are those who do love it (including the process which is often messy) but also choose to walk away. There are many reasons why an adolescent would elect out of music education. From my experience, most of those reasons often have little to do with music. Most often the student who opts out of music/arts education in school feels pressured to take something else. Those pressures are VERY real to the typical twelve year old. As adults we, of course, realize that generally these things, in the grand scheme, are often "no big deal." But to the twelve year old, these are really big decisions.
The advent of Advanced Placement courses in most US public high schools ultimately meant one thing for music/arts education: There will be fewer students in those programs. Period. It's a numbers game. Any AP course can be added as an elective course to any high school student's schedule. There are only so many slots in the school day for electives so the students who take multiple AP courses often, unfortunately, opt out of music/arts classes (including two of my own children!). Academically, I have nothing but respect for upper level coursework. My youngest child was almost a college sophomore upon graduating HS thanks to Dual Enrollment AP courses earning him credits from a local college (of course, we had to pay tuition for those credits). What does it say that a professional musician and music educator has two children opting out of music education? It says there is something wrong with the system. We have systematically made it more challenging for high school students to keep music education in their lives. In turn, we've made it easier for them to walk away. It's very academically easy to prioritize and AP course over staying marching band or choir. It's also easy to academically assume that the student should get more out of an AP course, or, learn more, than they could possibly learn in a band, choir or orchestra class. Except that every single music educator in the world would be jumping up and down shouting, "NO!" The amazing thing about arts education is that in addition to learning how to do art, students learn so many other valuable things and skills. Teamwork and cooperation are two huge elements of participating in a performing group. Ultimately, being in a band, choir or orchestra makes you a better, kinder more well rounded human who is able to feel and understand emotions more deeply.
Will any of that emotional learning earn me more money someday when I'm an adult? The staunch capitalists of the world would probably say, no. But the artists of the world wouldn't care. And, many who have taken years of music/arts education in school are now considered great resources in the business world because they often possess creativity at a level that exceeds others who opted out of arts at a younger age.
More importantly, that emotional learning and shaping we get from participating in the arts on a daily basis, helps us become better citizens of the planet! It helps us become better parents, and members of the community. It even helps us become leaders with better communication skills. Arts education is worth advocating for.
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