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Save the Music Department

Letter to the Editor for September 2, 2010 edition

(Updated: Thursday, September 02, 2010, 12:00 AM)

Dear Editor,

Schools are in crisis in California as well as the average middle-class family and they are likely headed for even harder times. Meanwhile, right wing shills like Glenn Beck take advantage of people's fears of government's legitimate roles and their ignorance of the history of labor's hard-won reforms. It is instructive to remember that there was a time when the 40-hour week was considered -- by big business -- to be a Socialist plot.

There is a funding crisis in the local school system, particularly a dearth of resources for musical instrument repair, one area with which I am familiar. Revenues available for instrument repair is down this year by almost 80%. This means that dozens of instruments will remain idle while children must forfeit their musical education. This also means that students going into high school will not be prepared for the next level of musical education. The problem escalates out of control.

Too many people are being hood-winked by the wonders of the "Privatizing" panacea. Ultimately this mind-set leads only to the "bottom line" as the most important consideration. Do we want the value of the arts, music and literature relegated to the court of public opinion and the lowest common denominator among us to determine the quality of our culture? If you want the government to stay out of education, you have to be prepared to dig deep into your own pockets. Are you ready, or able, to do that? Or will you rationalize by saying, "The heck with art and music -- we can get along without it."

Luckily several businesses in our community recognize the value of the music program and were kind enough to contribute. But they're still $3,000 short, which translates to over 36 instruments going un-repaired. If you are interested in preserving the music program, mail contributions to "Bass Lake School District Music Dept., 40096 Indian Springs Road, Oakhurst, CA 93644.

Carl Bosco, Coarsegold