The arts are always the first to go when a budget crisis arises in any school. 4,100 arts teachers were planned to be laid off in June of 2011 (cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com). Athletics are always prioritized while the art and music programs get the shorter end of the stick. 4,100 arts teachers were planned to be laid off in June of 2011 In April 2016, my high school’s indoor drumline was eliminated due to issues with funding. This program had been a major part in the high school’s music program for over 16 years, and brought widespread recognition to the school for their excellent performances. The irony with the school’s claim in cutting the drumline was that not long after, the football team along with various other athletic teams, …show more content…
They work hard day in and day out to be able to represent the school wherever they compete. However, I believe that they do not see members of the music program in the same way. We play instruments sitting down or march around a field for a few minutes during a field show while they are training for the next big game. Many claim that participating in an athletic program is much more beneficial than participation in a music program. Derrick Meador, who feels just as passionate about athletics as I do about music, writes on thoughtco.com, “Athletics is powerful and transcendent. It can bridge gaps, bring people with relatively nothing in common together, and gives many participates unbelievable, life-altering opportunities.” He also makes the assertion that athletics can “provide opportunities,” “promote school pride,” and “bring recognition.” While he is not directly attacking the presence of a music program, his arguments are used again and again by opponents of the music program in my district. Meador’s claims are correct, but those qualities are not specific to just a school sports team. These qualities are definitely present in a a music program. After graduation, high school athletes have the ability to pursue their sport in the college of their choice. In some instances athletes may even receive a full ride to their college. However,
Before high school athletes totally rule out trying to play sports in college they need to consider the similarity and differences between high school and college sports. As young children, most high school athletes started out dreaming about being a sports star and making it into the professional. If these dreams are given up because college sports seem out of reach or too difficult, they will never know where they could have ended up. College sports can seem like a big step from high school sports but in the end they have many similarities.
In today’s school systems, art and music classes are not mandatory to be taught. This makes them very vulnerable to budget cuts in struggling schools. It is estimated that more than eighty percent of schools nationwide have experienced cuts to their budgets since 2008 (Metla). Every child in America deserves a complete education, and a complete education includes the arts. Due to budget cuts, many students do not receive instruction in art and music and therefore do not receive a full education. Music and art classes in schools are just as important as core classes and should not be subject to budget cuts.
Lastly, athletic sports takes away from other extracurricular activities. In What in the Name of High School Football? Hank Hill writes, Yet only a few weeks ago, 16 MVRHS vocalists and instrumentalists auditioned for the competitive All Cape & Islands music festival. And the judges selected a remarkable 16 of 16. Unheard of success. And yet not a mention in the local papers. Not a word on the radio. Not a sentence in the principal’s address. Not a squeak on the morning announcements. Not a face on the Wall. The gift of music came wrapped in silence.” Athletic sports get so much attention that
In harsh economic times, schools tend to cut music classes first. The current economic situation has not helped music classes. In an Arizona school district, the first classes cut were music classes (Rhoden). Rhoden states, “Tuesday evening, the Humboldt Unified School District Governing Board made the difficult decision to reduce the elementary music program…” When times get tough it seems to people that music is just not important enough to keep in the daily schedule. Current society puts a stress on reading and math. An article from CNN states,
After graduation, college athletes receive additional benefits, even if they are not part of the admittedly tiny group of athletes with the skills to play professionally (McCormack 21). Status as a former star athlete, or even an ordinary one, can open many doors in the professional world, especially in fields like sales and marketing. People enjoy associating themselves with athletic performers, especially those from their own alma mater. In addition, many colleges have developed special programs to help former athletes return and – if they have not received their degree, as many do not – complete their education ( 22). These programs make it a relatively simple process for a former college athlete to obtain his or her degree. More and more colleges are providing programs to help former athletes in a variety of ways, with the focus on helping them earn a degree ( 25). Some of these programs are still available to
College athletes are not forced into playing the sport that they have devoted their time to during their years in secondary education. They continue to play into the college level for their love of the game.
All the expenses that they have to acquire overwhelm many students that attend college. When this occurs, they tend to dropout, or struggle with taking on college courses and working. What is so amazing is that high school athletes think that is they attend college for a year or two, they can go on and make a career on a professional level. They do not understand that if they do go professional, it will not always last. They will eventually have to go to college anyway. So, why not go ahead, get a good education, and have a successful career.
College was a dream that was made possible by playing more than one sport. College is an easy transition for these athletes because it’s not that much different from their high school lifestyle. The routine is easier for them, they can manage their time with homework, practices and a social life at a stress free cost because of their time management skills. In the early stages of an athlete’s recruitment, many coaches are drawn to them because of their multi-sport abilities. Making friends comes easy to those athletes and they have the ability to become close to all of your new teammates and with the coaching staff. Athletes can go into this season ready to play, healthy body at hand, and fully confident in their success in this year. This was all possible because they played multiple sports. It laid down the path to their dream. And like everyone else they did everything possible to help them achieve
Many problems going around about college sports and colleges athletes. Most colleges all over the nation allow the college to have sports but then there are some that don't. Being in a sport in college is just like basically having a job. You would need to be dedicated to this and not have much time for anything else. Practices can last anywhere from 4 to 6 hours a day just for one thing. Kind of crazy to think about something like this. Many people just simply don't have the time to do sports in college because they have a real job outside of school. This is different compared to high school because you would have time then and now you don't have much time for anything else at all. There are college athletes basically everywhere you go. Whether they play for universities or juts community colleges, it's all the same thing. The only big difference about this is the price differences. Universities are much more expensive then when playing for a community college so that's why people get scholarships.
Many schools around the country are cutting their music program because of budget cuts in their counties. The arts for some reason are always the first to be cut; apparently the school doesn’t think they are essential to their students learning. Schools try to focus on the more important academic classes because of the high testing standards they must now meet. (Nesoff 2003) This is not just happening in poor school districts it is happening in large districts across the country including magnet schools for the arts: “When Albert Margolis and his wife attended the final music program for their son's kindergarten class in May, they were shocked when a teacher stood up after the performance and
The decline in music education programs in public schools is a result of budget cuts is becoming more visible. State-level arts spending has dropped from $409 million in the fiscal year 2002 to $354.5 million in the fiscal year 2003, and declined again to $272.4 million in 2004 (“Quick Facts”). It is clearly
Despite the many stereotypes that are connected with being a student athlete, student athletes in general are held to much higher standards by their institutions. Before a prospective student athlete even enters college, they are made fully aware of the academic standings and requirements of the college they choose. Although the academic requirements vary from college to college, the standards are still held high for all student athletes. The transition into college can be exceptionally difficult especially for the
to attend classes a certain amount of time and so should the athletes. Whenever athletes miss
I'm sure many of you can recall going to an orchestra concert, saw the band perform at a football game, or attended a play. You may not know what goes on behind the scenes. Many schools are lessening the fine arts program's funding and/or resources. The fine arts are an important part of education and development and should not be phased out.
Some people may say, “music programs in schools can detract from academics and hinder students' learning in more important areas. They claim that students will spend too much time on practicing, trips, and performances, which