SpeakOut
Arts should not be considered extras
Jay Sharron ASHBURNHAM

The following is a letter I wrote to Dr. Michael Zapantis, Superintendent of the Ashburnham-Westminster Regional School district, to voice my concern about the arts programming in our school system:

Dear Dr. Zapantis,

I am writing to you in regards to the implementation of fees for our children to participate in the performing arts in this school district. Once again, the arts are being lowered to the bottom rung of the academic ladder and are in jeopardy of falling victim to the budgetary axe.

I had heard through the grapevine that there may be some obstacles with school band this coming year, so I wasn't totally surprised when my son handed me a form to sign and agree upon an unknown fee to participate in concert band and drama at Overlook Middle School. Having to pay a fee was only part of my concern, however. The other concern I had was that the arts components were part of a list of "extracurricular activities" that included Yearbook and Spirit Council. Not to diminish the importance of those two activities, but that is what they are - activities. The fact that arts programming continues to be considered an activity is disturbing to me and I wish this district could consider its content more valuable than that.

The Massachusetts Department of Education views the arts as an important part of a student's academic core. The first Guiding Principle of the Massachusetts Arts Curriculum Framework clearly states that "an effective arts curriculum provides a sequential program of instruction in dance, music, theatre, and visual arts for all students in preschool and continuing through high school." Within those frameworks, under the Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993, the arts are defined as a component of the core curriculum, along with English language arts, foreign languages, history and social sciences, mathematics, and science and technology/engineering. It also states under "PreK-12 Standard Three: Playing Instruments," Section 3.1 that students, by the end of grade 8, should be able to "perform on at least one instrument accurately and independently, alone and in small and large ensembles, with appropriate posture, playing position, and technique." For most kids, our schools are the only outlet for such ensembles, so fees and limited performance opportunities during the academic day will only hurt their level of participation, which for those kids could also have a negative effect on their academic success.

The State of Massachusetts feels that the arts should be an integral part of our regular curriculum, so why is it that this district diminishes their value by categorizing them as activities, specials, or enrichments? As a music teacher, professional musician, and a product of this school system, I am always concerned as to where we are going with the music and arts programs. I don't think something like the concert band, which is vital in preparing a music student for a college music program, should be labeled an activity and charged a fee for participation. We should be proud of all the accomplishments that the arts have achieved in this school system over the years, so there should be a much higher regard of their importance to our students. There is a lot of artistic talent in our two towns and we need to provide as many options as possible so those students have the same opportunities to pursue a career in their field as those pursuing "traditional" career tracks.

Our program choices always seem to be driven by how we succeed in MCAS scoring, which unfortunately hurts the arts in one way or another. Yet the statistics are out there that illustrate how the arts play a major role in how well students perform on those tests. Therefore, how can we afford to decrease their value in our schools? My personal feeling about MCAS is that it has basically become a contest between school districts to compete for notoriety by achieving the highest score averages. What many of our kids end up losing as a result of that process is sad and unfortunate.

I call upon the administration to do everything in its power to keep our arts programs within the regular curriculum in our schools. I understand the budget constraints that you are faced with given the failure of the latest override attempt, but regardless of that outcome, music and arts programs should not have to suffer. Stipends, which account for a portion of these new fees, would not be as necessary if the programs did not have to take place after school hours. To my knowledge, students are not required to pay extra to take any other core classes in school, so why should music classes be any different? This district needs to stop treating the performing arts as a side show to the rest of the academic curriculum and should restore them to their rightful place in our schools.