Maria Witzen

75 N. Woodward Avenue
Tallahassee, FL 32313
April 10, 2016
Mrs. Sonya Jones
Secondary Principal
The Kings Academy
8401 Belvedere Road
West Palm Beach, FL 33411
Dear Mrs. Jones:
Music affects more of our lives than we realize. It appears in commercials, movies, grocery
stores, elevators, and almost everywhere else in the world. Since I started taking music classes
in ninth grade, I began to realize that music is truly an integral part of daily life. Personally, I
have experienced an overwhelming growth, both mentally and in maturity, while I have been
immersed in music. In my time involved in The Kings Academys music program, two of my
band directors have been let go due to budget cuts and other forms of unfairness, and the
program, along with its members, dwindled before my eyes. The program had to forfeit
instructors, but at the same time, almost every sports team received brand new uniforms each
year. The numbers just dont add up. It infuriates me to see my mentors lose their jobs simply
because band isnt as high on the schools priority list. I believe that the arts are just as important
as any other academic or athletic activity throughout schools. Instead of putting them aside and
leaving them to dwindle away, we should emphasize them even more, and through that, I believe
this country as a whole will thrive academically, artistically, and culturally. Emphasizing the arts
in middle and high schools is important to help students become well-rounded in all areas of
study, so this project is geared towards middle and high school aged students, and their
respective schools that need to understand the benefits of a solid musical and artistic education.
It is no secret that due to the ever-fluctuating United States economy, many schools and
universities around the country are experiencing budget cuts. Unfortunately, in many schools, the
first things to go in the midst of a recession are the arts programs, classes, or teachers. To many,
the arts are the least necessary to keep in a school, because in the grand scheme of things, arts are
extracurricular activities, and other studies should come before them. Even sports are put as
higher of a necessity than the arts. I propose that the arts classes should not only be preserved at
The Kings Academy, but they should also be as much of a priority as sports and academic
classes.
By doing prior research, I have come upon multiple sources that put some of my worries
about the lack of music education into words. The majority of these sources explain that music
within schools is becoming a withering art, and that something must be done about it. One
particular source, Another Perspective: Struggling Toward Wholeness in Music Education,
written by Bennett Reimer, describes the overwhelming lack of wholeness in music education

in America. It talks of how in many forms of education, not only music, educators are only
giving a bare minimum effort, instead of truly pouring into their students lives. Reimer also
states that the benefits of keeping music in schools completely outweigh the amount of money
saved by cutting programs, and that other scientific studies have shown that students who are
involved in music are more likely to do better in other academics, like math or English classes
(Reimer, 25). This source and others I found are very useful, in that they outline the issues of the
deficits in many music departments around the country and urge people to action, but I believe
they leave out a few important things. Instead of reaching out toward the adults, the fight for
music education truly stems from the children who want to learn music. Without their eager
spirits, there is no good reason to fund a program or to hire more music educators. No one
should be forced to learn music, but should instead be interested and eager to pick up an
instrument and learn something completely separate than their schoolwork.
Instead of simply attacking the music teachers for being half-hearted or the schools
administration for being ruthless, I propose that The Kings Academy should appeal first to the
children and spark their interest in playing music. Because you are the principal of this school, I
believe that you should take the initiative to open the eyes of the middle and high school students
to the beauty of instrumental music. Appeal to their technology habits, by utilizing social media
accounts that show students the fun and opportunities that can stem from playing music.
Technology is a huge way to implement advertisements, interesting pictures, or educational
games into a students life. An Instagram account can reach students of almost all ages,
especially middle and high school children, who would be most likely to pick up a new
instrument. I have created an Instagram account called whymusicmatters for the purpose of
inspiring your students to become involved in some form of music. My hope is that the students
will pick up an instrument after being educated and inspired by this account, and will step out of
their comfort zones to learn this instrument, which could cause a higher popularity in the music
department, and in turn, a better budget for the schools music program. Students should not
only experience math or science outside of the classroom, but they should also experience music
as well. Another possible way to reach students is to place eye-catching posters about the
benefits of music on their lives around schools, and not simply limit them to the music rooms.
Another option can be to put on and advertise a school-wide talent show that is free to students.
Every child should be able to see the posters and choose to become involved if they so desire.
The talent show would feature musicians that either are professionals or better players, and they
can show what they can do on their instruments, possibly sparking a childs interest in music.
Through these methods, I believe and hope some children will open their minds to the endless
opportunities and life skills they will learn by being immersed in some form of music.
An emphasis needs to be placed on preserving the arts, especially in the areas of music. To
strip away the arts is to leave a world stoic and uncultured for the future generations to come. I
believe that the arts are just as important as any other academic or athletic activity throughout
this school. Instead of putting them aside and leaving them to dwindle away, we should
emphasize them even more in schools such as The Kings Academy. Please feel free to ask me
any further questions about the issue. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Maria Witzen
mjw14g@my.fsu.edu
Instagram account: (whymusicmatters)