Dear Next President,

We have an immense problem in our nation currently! Only 90% of schools in America have music programs. We need to fill in that 10%. Even if students don’t need musical talent, it’s important to have some kind of knowledge on the issue to open more doors for them. We have many more generations to come and they need to be educated about music. It’s never a bad thing to have more knowledge and the more education we have, the more places we can go with our life. Not only do music programs teach music but they also teach the history of music as well. It will be worth it when students travel to new countries and already have background on the culture. I feel that I greatly benefited from learning the violin and that it will now allow me to go further in my life. I could one day become a famous violinist or get a job teaching violin to children. I always hear of how proud parents are when they are at their child’s music recitals. After all, music is nature’s medicine. There are so many more benefits for music than just the joy of hearing it. “Music therapy can calm anxiety, ease pain, and provide a pleasant diversion during chemotherapy or a hospital stay.” This is a quote from the Harvard website. They have conducted a study that shows music can heal people. Holly Chartrand said, "The favorite part of my job is seeing how big an impact music can have on someone who isn't feeling well," She is a music therapist that was first trained as a vocalist. I keep hearing of all these children in other countries needing more support; but don’t you think it’s more important to cater to America’s needs first? We should be making America better for our population before we spend our money supporting a different place. Wouldn’t you like to protect your family before someone else’s? I know I’d do anything for my family and I’d be so proud of my little sister if she learned musical education. This issue personally affects me because I took violin lessons in 6th grade. Then I transferred schools and my current school does not have a music program so I was unable to continue my learning. I think it would have greatly benefited me to continue my education with the violin since it helped me to think and calm myself. It was an amazing hobby for me. I feel it would greatly benefit our country to allow more schools to teach students music. It’ll give them a hobby, open more doors for them, and allow for better knowledge.

Thank You for Your Time,

Shohlee L.

“Music Education In Public Schools Gets A Passing Grade” Lara Pellegrinelli. http://www.npr.org. Web. 28 October, 2016

“How music can help you heal” http://www.health.harvard.edu. Web. 28 October, 2016